Returning to fitness after cataract surgery?

Posted , 5 users are following.

Imagine someone does 12hrs of fitness a week, ranging from Yoga to high intensity cardio training to weight lifting.

Obviously surgeon's recommendation at week one check up will be followed but how much break is normally required to be absolutely safe?

Remember Dr Handstand said 1 day 😃

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • Posted

    This is an interesting question, because eye clinics says very different stuff about this.

    The eye clinic I am using gave me some stuff to read, where a very short text says I should stay away from swimming pools for a month, and I should wait 5-6 weeks with contact sports like soccer or other stuff, where you risk a hard blow to the eye. And that was really it, they have never said anything. I asked specifically about using angle grinder in my workshop, i was afraid of metal "dust" in the eye, but they told me to wear safety goggles, which I off course always do, they saw no problem otherwise.

    Another surgeon here in Denmark, that are considered to be one the leading cataracts surgeons in Scandinavia, says on his website, that you can do anything, you can live your life as normal from day one, only with the exception of swimming pools for a month because of risk of infection.

    He says, that in "the old days", where the cut in the capsular bag was much bigger (before they made a 180 degree cut with sutures) then it was important to rest for a long time, because it needed to heal.

    He says today, with the small cuts that don´t need suture, you can do whatever you want, just stay away from things that can give you infections.

    If you get a blow to the eye even the very first days after, it will probably be hurting, but nothing will happen, unless off course the blow is hard enough so you would damage the eye in any case.

    He explains, that the "take it easy" approach is a left over from the 90´ties and surgeons just stay with the outdated precautions for no reason.

    This guy don´t do any other surgery than cataracts in his clinic, he makes more than 1000 each year, and have been doing that for 30 years.

    Personally I don´t want to risk anything, so I will stay away from fitness for 5-6 weeks, this is the time period many surgeons still advise, but that said, now two weeks after surgery, I feel fine, I feel I could do anything, I just don´t want to risk it.

  • Posted

    This is just my opinion. I took into account average age of a cataract patient and wondered to myself what constitutes normal activity and thought that might be quite different than myself. I went walking almost right away but waited 6 weeks for running. Did not want to risk dislodging IOL or risk shifting.

    Again mean no office to those older- this was more about setting myself up for successful outcome.

  • Posted

    I ran 5 miles 2 days post op

    • Posted

      Everyone is different. I tend to be more risk adverse than others. For me what is 5 or 6 weeks compared to rest of my life and if something happened I would be blaming myself.

      I love to run too - nothing like crossing a finish line!

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