Cataract surgery can be life-changing – but immediately after surgery it’s likely you’ll need to tweak your health and beauty routine to help your eye recover safely and well.
Keeping bacteria out of the eye, to avoid infections and reduce any complications is vital.
Keep reading for 10 health and wellness tips that will help, and get you back to normal life before you know it…
It can take up to six weeks for your eye to heal fully after cataract surgery.
It’s important not to touch your eye too much during that time to avoid any complications which might lead to infection, or a longer recovery time.
Certainly don’t rub!
While you can take a bath or shower as soon as you get home after cataract surgery if you want to, you need to be careful washing your hair for the first few weeks.
Keep your eyes closed to stop water or shampoo getting in your eyes.
It is essential that your face is completely free of make up before you have any eye surgery. Fake eyelashes and lash extensions have to be removed, and you should not wear them again until you have finished using your eye drops after your operation.
After the operation, you should avoid eye makeup and any skincare products that go above or under your eyes for at least a week. Makeup on the rest of your face is fine, as long as you ensure that the product doesn’t come into close contact with your eye.
Makeup brushes and sponges, and products themselves, can secretly hide lots of bacteria – especially if they’ve been hanging around for a while. Mascara is a known culprit for hiding bacteria inside the tube – that’s why they have discard by dates on them.
Thoroughly cleaning your current collection of brushes and sponges will minimise your risk of infection.
Cataract surgery is often quick and routine, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to take some time to rest and recuperate. For the first few weeks, you’ll need to avoid activities which involve prolonged periods of bending over or lifting heavy objects.
Short walks as exercise are OK for the first week or so, but only if you feel like it – but perhaps avoid windy days when dust could get in your eye.
Did you know that 4.7 million adults in the UK swim at least twice a month?
It’s widely recognised as a great way to improve your mental and physical wellbeing, but after cataract surgery it’s recommended that you stay out of the pool until you have completed all your eye drops – and you might want to wear goggles when you get back in too.
This applies to hot tubs, steam rooms and saunas as well – but don’t worry, you’ll be back in the water in no time!
Some physical pursuits are higher risk than others, particularly those involving direct contact, such as football and rugby, and those with free-flying objects such as tennis and badminton. Naturally, any extreme sports such as abseiling, or winter sports like skiing, are also risky and should be avoided.
It’s important to remember that even simple activities like housework and cooking can pose risks after cataract surgery. While it’s good to know that housework can count as exercise, it’s equally important to avoid any tasks that might strain your eyes or overall well-being. Focus on only the most essential housework and give yourself permission to rest and recover without feeling guilty. Your health and recovery should be your top priority during this time.
This is good advice all year round – because the sun doesn’t always have to be shining for you to accidentally catch some (UV) rays. Research has found that your eyes are 10x more sensitive to the sun than your skin is – and UV rays can damage your eyes in lots of ways, including increasing your risk of getting cataracts in the first place.
If you’ve had cataract surgery, lights seem very bright in the first few weeks so protecting your eyes from the sun is even more important, and your sunglasses will also act as a barrier between bits of flying debris and your eye while it heals. So, while wearing sunglasses on a cloudy day might raise a few eyebrows from those not in the know, your eyes will definitely thank you for it.
Hundreds of thousands of people have cataract surgery every year, and most return to their normal lifestyle very quickly.
To give yourself the best possible chance of a speedy recovery, it’s important you follow guidance on how to keep your eye clean – and to use your eye drops as guided by your surgical team. If you have any other questions, speak to them – and best wishes for a speedy recovery.
*Dirty makeup sponges harbor dangerous bacteria (medicalnewstoday.com)
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