Blurry – How long will my vision be blurry for after cataract surgery?

When you’ve had cataract surgery, you may initially have blurred vision. You may also experience some sensitivity to light, itching, aching and eye-watering. These symptoms are all completely normal and should get better within a few days. Most patients’ vision is back to normal within a day of their cataract surgery. 

In some cases, after cataract surgery, your vision might remain blurry for a couple of weeks. This isn’t unusual, so don’t worry. Just keep taking your eye drops and ensure that you don’t rub or touch your eye. This will allow it to heal properly and give your eye time to adjust to the replacement lens that is inserted during cataract surgery. 

Cataract surgery can cause your eye to water more than usual, which may lead to your vision becoming blurry. If you notice your eye feels sticky, you can bathe it to remove any residue. You’ll usually be provided with a pack of sterile swabs by your surgeon, for using when bathing your eye. When bathing your eye, boil some water to sterilise it, wait for it to cool enough to use comfortably, then use your sterile swabs to bathe your eye with the water. This should remove any gunk from your eye and help to reduce the blurring of your vision. 

You can repeat this as often as is necessary, and your eye should stop watering within a few days to a week or so.