POST-OPERATIVE CARE
GENERAL POST-OPERATIVE CARE INFORMATION
Before you leave the hospital, you will be given a prescription for the medication needed after the operation. You will need a family member or friend to drive you home after the procedure. When you get home, it is recommended that you rest your eyes and nap. Several hours after the operation you may find you can watch television, read or look at a computer screen for a short period with the unoperated eye.
Keep the eye covered until the following day. It is essential to keep the eye covered for five days when you sleep or when you go outside. The eye patch will help protect the eye while you are sleeping and help keep the eye clean and protected from dust and sunlight.
Make sure you keep the eye clean by washing your hands with soapy water before applying eye drops. Wait for 5 minutes between administering the different drops.
Follow the positioning instructions your ophthalmologist gave you if you have had retinal surgery.
WHAT YOU MAY NOT DO
Don’t swim. It is best to avoid swimming altogether for at least two weeks following the operation.
Don’t rub or touch your eye. Eye rubbing is a quick way to develop an infection. Avoid doing this even when you not are recovering from surgery.
Don’t wear make-up. Avoid wearing any make-up for at least the first two weeks following surgery.
Don’t do any strenuous activities. You may continue with normal daily activities but do not exert yourself. Avoid rigorous exercise and heavy lifting for a few weeks following surgery.
Don’t drive. The length of time before you can drive after the operation may vary depending on a number of factors. Check with your doctor when it is safe to resume driving.
WHAT YOU MAY DO
You may wash your hair and bath. Take care not to get water into the eye for the first two weeks after the operation.
You may use the eye to watch television and read.
If you see better with your current pair of glasses, you may wear them.
You may continue with your normal daily activities. Avoid exerting yourself with strenuous activities and heavy lifting.
WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR AFTER SURGERY
It is normal to experience some discomfort for a couple of days after the operation. Your eye may also begin to feel itchy. This discomfort should disappear after a few days. You may also experience temporary double vision the day after surgery. Each person is different, but usually, the experience is a gradual recovery of the eye over a few weeks following the surgery.
If you experience any of the following symptoms, please contact your ophthalmologist immediately:
Sudden loss of vision in the operated eye
Sudden intense pain
Pain that persists despite the use of over-the-counter pain medications
Light flashes or multiple specks or floaters that float in front of your eye
EYELID SURGERY POST-OPERATIVE CARE INFORMATION
Keep the eyes covered for two hours after the surgery.
After two hours the eye patches can be removed until you go to bed.
Cover the eye with the eye patches again when you go to bed to protect your eye while you are sleeping.
You can remove the patches the following morning and do not need to apply them again before your follow up visit.
Apply cold packs to the eye every hour you are awake for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Cold compresses will help reduce the swelling and keep bruising to a minimum. It will also help manage short-term irritation and discomfort. Wrap the cold pack in a cloth to prevent the coldness from burning your skin.
Please contact your ophthalmologist immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms:
Bleeding
Sudden intense pain
Changes in vision