Cataract Surgery Recovery: 8 Activities to Avoid and What to Do Instead

A cataract develops when the lens of your eye turns cloudy. A cataract can affect your vision, making it hard to see clearly especially at night. Luckily, cataracts can be removed with surgery. 

Cataract removals are one of the most commonly performed eye surgeries in the world. Surgery can restore your vision but afterwards you’ll need to follow certain restrictions. The list of what to do and what not to do can seem overwhelming. And you might be wondering if it’s really necessary to follow all those dos and don’ts after cataract surgery. 

Let’s take a look at eight common activities you’ll need to avoid after cataract surgery and why you should keep these activities firmly in your don’t list.    

Why do you have to avoid certain activities after cataract surgery?

During cataract surgery, your ophthalmologist will replace your cloudy lens with an artificial lens. 

Cataract surgery is safe and effective. But, it’s still an operation. That means your body needs to heal afterwards. And during that healing time, you’re at risk for developing health issues from surgery. 

You should avoid certain activities after cataract surgery. This will help speed up your recovery and lower your risk of developing common complications, such as: 

• Increased eye pressure: Surgery can cause the pressure in your eye to increase. A buildup of pressure inside your eye can cause the incision in your eye to open. This can put you at risk for an eye infection and lens dislocation. This will affect your vision, require many eye drops to heal, and you may need a repeat surgery.

• Infection: During cataract surgery, your ophthalmologist makes a small incision (cut) in your eye. Until that incision fully heals, you can develop an infection. Eye infections are serious and can lead to permanent vision loss. 

• Bleeding in the eye: The small blood vessels on the eye’s surface may break during surgery. In rare cases, you can bleed inside of the eye after surgery. That bleeding can cause vision loss. 

• Inflammation: After cataract surgery you can develop inflammation around your eye. This can affect how your incision heals. 

Here are eight dos and don’ts following cataract surgery. Keep in mind that you won’t have to give up these activities for very long, but you’ll need to avoid certain activities longer than others.

1. Driving

You won’t be able to drive for at least 24 hours after your cataract surgery for two reasons:

• You got anesthesia. You’ll need anesthesia during your cataract surgery. Anesthesia can take several hours or an entire day to completely leave your body. Even if you feel fine, your reaction time and attention are still not normal right after anesthesia. That means you shouldn’t drive, operate machinery, or make important decisions after anesthesia. 

• Your vision is still blurry. Some people notice clear vision as soon as they wake up after their surgery. Other people don’t. After cataract surgery, it’s normal to have blurry vision for 1 to 2 days. This will affect your ability to drive among other things.

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Since you won’t be able to drive for a day or two, make sure you set up a ride to and from your surgery beforehand. You can ask a friend or family member to help you with transportation or use a ride-share service or taxi. It’s also a good idea to stock up on essentials like food and medications before your surgery. You’d also want to set up a ride for your follow-up appointment. 

“Your eye doctor will likely place a patch over your eye after surgery; they may tell you to remove the patch after a few hours or remove it the next day during your post-op visit,” said Dr. Nishika Reddy, a GoodRx contributor. “Driving with a patch on the eye is not recommended, which is another reason you will need a driver the day after surgery.”

You’ll have a follow-up appointment with your ophthalmologist 24 to 48 hours after your surgery. At that time, you may get the all-clear to go back to driving. 

2. Showering and bathing

After your cataract surgery, you’ll probably be looking forward to a nice shower or bath. But you won’t be able to shower or wash your hair right after cataract surgery. You’ll be able to take a shower the day after your procedure, but you’ll want to keep your face and hair dry for at least 24 hours after your surgery. This gives your incision a chance to start healing. 

And for about a week after your surgery, you’ll need to face away from the water (showerhead) while washing your hair and taking a shower. The goal is to keep water off your face as much as possible. This will help you avoid infections.

The goal is to avoid getting water in your eye. This can make washing your face difficult. Instead of washing your face in the shower or at the sink, use a damp washcloth to wipe your face. You can also use products to clean your face that don’t need to be washed off like micellar water or cold cream. Some people wear an eye patch made of hard, clear plastic while they shower to keep water out of their eye.

It’s a good idea to avoid eye cosmetics and makeup for the first week after your surgery. Cleaning these products off at the end of the day can be challenging if you can’t wash your face.

3. Bending over

Bending over for long periods of time can increase pressure inside the eye. This can cause your surgical wound to open and put you at risk for infection. There’s also a risk of dislocating your lens. Until your eye heals, which keeps your new lens firmly in place, you want to avoid increasing the pressure inside your eye. 

That means limiting how much time you spend bending over after cataract surgery. Avoid any activity that puts your head below your waist for 48 hours after cataract surgery. Instead of bending at your waist, use a squatting motion to lower yourself toward the ground. 

If you’re unable to squat, you’ll need to adjust things ahead of time so that you don’t have to bend over. This can mean putting certain objects, like potted plants you might need to water, on counters instead of the ground. You can also move frequently used objects like pots and pans, cleaning supplies, or clothing items from lower cabinets or shelves to counters or higher shelves. If someone lives with you, ask them to help you with objects that are lower down so you don’t have to bend over. 

4. Housework

You can do housework after cataract surgery, but you need to avoid any activities that require you to bend over. Bending over can increase the pressure inside your eye and cause your new lens to move. 

Try to also avoid working with any chemicals or products that might splash into your eye. This can trigger an infection or irritation while your eye is still trying to recover. 

You might be able to do light housework like dusting or wiping down countertops. But you won’t be able to do heavier work like mopping floors, cleaning toilets, or changing sheets for about a week. You may be able to do laundry if you don’t need to bend over to get clothes in and out of your machines. 

Try to plan ahead and get some of these items off your to-do list before your surgery. You can also consider hiring a service to clean your home in the week after your surgery. 

5. Exercising

You’ll need to avoid strenuous activity after cataract surgery. This will help keep the pressure in your eye from getting too high. 

You want to take it easy the day of your surgery, since you’re still recovering from anesthesia. But you can walk and go up and down the stairs in your home the day after your surgery. You should stay away from all other activities including running, golf, and even sex for 1 week after your surgery. 

You should wait 4 weeks before going back to any water-based activities like swimming, diving, or water aerobics. This will help you avoid infections and increased eye pressure. 

6. Lifting heavy objects

Lifting anything over 15 pounds for a week after your cataract surgery is a don’t. The effort required to lift an object will increase your eye pressure. The heavier the object, the more you strain and the pressure in your eye will go up. This can dislodge your lens.

You can ask someone to move or carry objects for you while you recover. You can also try different methods to lower the weight of your everyday items. For example, you can split your groceries so that you only have a few items in each bag. You can also carry smaller loads of laundry at a time. If you buy certain items in bulk, try to stock up before your surgery so you don’t have to worry about heavy deliveries while you recover. 

7. Using screens and reading

You don’t have to take a long break from screens or print after your cataract surgery. You may experience some blurriness after your cataract surgery. It can take up to 48 hours for your eyes to adjust to your new lens. But as long as you're comfortable, you can go ahead and read, watch TV, and work on your computer.

“If you have only had surgery on one eye, you may benefit from taking your old lens out of your glasses,” Dr. Reddy said. 

“While awaiting surgery on the other eye or a new pair of glasses, you can use the frames with one lens popped out so that you can perform your daily activities,” she said. “Ask your eye doctor or local optical shop if you need help removing this lens.” 

8. Sleeping on your stomach or side

It seems like there’s a best sleep position for everything, from neck pain to the common cold. It turns out there’s also a correct sleep position for people recovering from cataract surgery. 

For the first week after cataract surgery, you’ll need to sleep on your back. Sleeping on your side or stomach can put pressure on your eye, which increases the risk of lens movement. 

You can place pillows around your sides to stop you from rolling onto your side or stomach while you’re asleep. You’ll also wear an eye shield in case you roll over in your sleep. This will create a barrier between your eye and the pillow and mattress so you don’t put pressure on your eye. 

What symptoms should you watch for after cataract surgery?

Avoiding these activities can protect you from developing problems after cataract surgery. But even if you follow all the recommendations, complications can still happen. So it’s important to stay alert. If you notice these symptoms, call your ophthalmologist right away: 

• Moderate or severe eye pain

• Vision loss

• Significant eye discharge

• Swelling of your eyelids

• New floaters or flashes of light in your vision

Why trust our experts?

Written by:

Brian Clista, MD

Dr. Clista is a board-certified pediatrician who works in private practice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He previously served as a National Health Service Corporation Scholar in the inner city of Pittsburgh for 11 years.

Edited by:

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH, is a medical editor at GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified pediatrician with more than a decade of experience in academic medicine.

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