YAG laser recovery time

I had PCO develop 2 weeks after my cataract surgery. The PCO got to such a stage that it was hard for me to read and I definitely couldn't drive at night. I had YAG done in both eyes 10 weeks after cataract surgery. There are a couple of different ways they can do the YAG, they can do a circular pattern where the capsule pieces that have been lasered off will drop into the vitreous. The cross pattern allows the capsule pieces to fold back and are not lasered off. I had the cross pattern and I did not have any floaters afterwards. What can happen using this method is the capsule might not fold back right away like it is supposed to and then you can see it floating in your vision periodically. I had this in one eye, but it went away after a couple of days. Google these 2 methods for better information than I have given you here.

As far as recovery goes, once dilation of my eyes had worn off I was good to go. I had absolutely no restrictions. Your doctor might tell you something different though and it is always best to follow their instructions. I have had positive dysphotopsia since day after surgery, I have flickering in both eyes. Since the YAG procedure I now have starbursts around some lights i.e. street lights. It is not bad enough for me where I can't drive, but it is noticeable. For me, car lights just seem bigger at night. I saw a difference in my vision as soon as the dilation wore off.

The eye surgeon will do as small of an opening as possible, so sometimes people have to go back to get the opening made bigger because the PCO is still causing vision problems. I am going back in a few days to get my eyes checked because my vision in the center of my eye is good, but I feel it is somewhat hazy around the edges. I want to check if the opening needs to be made bigger to get more of the PCO out of my vision.

A person on this forum wrote you should hold your head and eyes very still and do not move them during the procedure and look exactly where the doctor tells you to. I followed that advice and feel I had a good outcome. Of course, having said that, the success of the procedure is based on how skilled your eye surgeon is.

I hope this helps you.

I think you are talking about YAG laser capsulotomy, where the center of the posterior of the capsule is zapped to get rid a "secondary cateract".

I don't know. A friend had that, but I don't know the recovery timeframe. And I expect that I will have higher than a 50% chance that I will need it at some point. Googling I see

It will take a few days to see as clearly as possible. You shouldn't have pain. You should be able to return to work or your normal routine the day after surgery.

It is common to see spots or floaters for a few weeks after surgery.

I have wondered how these floaters are expected to disappear in a few weeks, when normal floaters can last many years.

My understanding is that there is essentially no recovery time. Once you walk out of the office (aside from dilation which will take a few hours to wear off) you are "recovered". There is a chance of floaters but they typically go away within a few days. Personally I would want the cruciate style pattern if I ever had to get it done.

I had YAG done on my distance eye for PCO 3 weeks ago yesterday. The doctor used a cruciate (cross) pattern. I've had no floaters from it. It took a couple days for the dilation to completely go away, but there were no restrictions. My eye has seemed a little more dry, but it could just be the weather. It seems to me that my vision has continued to improve over the last 3 weeks--it was a little hazy at first and is now clear with very good contrast. When I look directly at a bright light, I may get a little area of bright fog around it that I didn't have before and sometimes get starbursts. Both have decreased somewhat since right after the surgery, but it is more than I experienced before getting the capsulotomy. That said, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I am getting SO much more light in the eye, and both eyes see colors the same way again. I had gotten to the point where nothing was perfectly in focus for that eye, especially for near vision, and there was a loss of contrast. That's all fixed.