After eye surgery, the most important things you can do are rest your eyes, use your prescribed drops on schedule, protect the surgical eye from water and contact, and avoid bending or heavy lifting for the first one to two weeks. The specifics vary depending on the type of procedure (cataract, LASIK, retinal surgery), but the core recovery principles overlap significantly. Here’s what to expect and how to take care of yourself during each phase.
The First 24 Hours: Rest Is the Priority
The day of surgery is about doing as little as possible. You cannot drive yourself home, so arrange a ride in advance. Once home, keep your eyes closed or resting as much as you can. Avoid all screens, including your phone, for the first 24 hours. Most people spend this initial period napping, listening to music, or catching up on podcasts. This uninterrupted rest gives the surgical site its best chance to begin healing without added strain.
Your surgeon will likely send you home with a protective eye shield. Wear it while sleeping to prevent you from accidentally rubbing or pressing on your eye during the night. Most surgeons recommend keeping this shield on at night for at least the first week.
Some discomfort, mild burning, or a gritty feeling is normal during this period. Your doctor may recommend preservative-free artificial tears to ease dryness and irritation, especially if you had laser surgery. If you need to use lubricating drops more than four times a day, preservative-free formulas are better for sensitive post-surgical eyes.
Using Your Eye Drops Correctly
Medicated eye drops are the backbone of your recovery. You’ll typically be prescribed an antibiotic drop to prevent infection and an anti-inflammatory drop to control swelling. The timing and consistency of these drops matter more than most people realize. Missing doses or stopping early can compromise healing.
If you’re using more than one type of drop, wait three to five minutes between each one. This gives the first drop enough time to absorb rather than getting washed out by the next. A simple way to stay on track is to set phone alarms for each scheduled dose or use a written checklist you can mark off throughout the day.
Showering, Washing, and Hygiene
You can shower and wash your hair the day after surgery. The key rule is keeping water, soap, shampoo, hair spray, and shaving products out of your eye, especially during the first week. Tilting your head back under the shower so water runs away from your face is the easiest approach. Some people find it simpler to wash their hair in a sink with their head tilted backward, salon-style, during those first few days.
Avoid rubbing your eyes for at least the first week, even if they feel itchy. When drying your face, pat gently around the eye area rather than wiping across it.
Physical Activity: What’s Safe and When
The biggest physical restriction after eye surgery is anything that raises the pressure inside your eye. High eye pressure can interfere with the incision before it fully heals. Two things reliably increase eye pressure: heavy lifting and putting your head below your waist.
During the first 48 hours, avoid bending over entirely. If you need to pick something up off the floor, bend at the knees and keep your head level. For the first one to two weeks, avoid heavy lifting and intense workouts. Here’s a general timeline for returning to activity:
- Light exercise (walking, stretching, stationary bike): 3 to 7 days
- Moderate exercise (jogging, light weights): about 1 week
- Heavy lifting and intense workouts: 1 to 2 weeks
- Swimming pools (with goggles): 1 to 2 weeks
- Eye makeup (mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow): 1 week
These timelines come from LASIK recovery guidelines, but cataract and retinal surgery patients often need to wait longer for strenuous activities. Your surgeon’s specific instructions take priority over general guidelines.
When You Can Drive Again
Do not drive on the day of surgery. Most people receive clearance for daytime driving within a few days to a week, as long as their vision meets the legal threshold, which in many places is 20/40 or better on a standard eye chart. Your surgeon will confirm this at your first follow-up appointment.
Night driving takes longer. Your eyes need additional time to adjust to low-light conditions, and glare or halos around lights are common in the early weeks. Most people resume comfortable night driving within two to four weeks. Start with short, familiar daytime routes before working your way up to longer trips or nighttime travel.
Screen Time and Reading
After the initial 24-hour rest period, you can gradually reintroduce screen time. Start with short sessions of 15 to 20 minutes and take breaks if your eyes feel tired or dry. Brightness settings on your devices should be turned down, and keeping artificial tears nearby helps manage any dryness that screen use can trigger.
Reading books and printed material follows the same principle: short sessions with frequent breaks in the first few days, gradually increasing as your comfort improves. Most people are back to normal screen and reading habits within a week, though some dryness or mild fluctuations in vision clarity can persist longer.
Warning Signs That Need Immediate Attention
Some discomfort after eye surgery is expected. What’s not normal is worsening symptoms. Contact your surgeon right away if you experience any of the following:
- Increasing pain rather than mild, improving discomfort. Severe pain can indicate rising pressure in the eye or the beginning of an infection.
- Worsening or suddenly reduced vision in the operated eye.
- Increasing redness, swelling, or discharge.
- Flashes of light, a sudden increase in floaters, or a shadow creeping across your peripheral vision. These can signal retinal detachment, which may occur weeks or even months after surgery and requires immediate treatment. People who are highly nearsighted are at greater risk.
The general rule is straightforward: if something is getting worse instead of better, that’s your cue to call.
Follow-Up Appointments
Most surgeons schedule your first follow-up within 24 to 48 hours of the procedure. This visit checks for early complications and gives your doctor a chance to assess how the eye is healing. Additional appointments are typically scheduled at about one week and then one month after surgery, though the exact schedule depends on the type of procedure and how your recovery is progressing.
These visits are important even if everything feels fine. Some complications, like slowly rising eye pressure or subtle signs of infection, don’t always produce obvious symptoms in the early stages. Bring a list of any symptoms you’ve noticed, even minor ones, so your surgeon can address them while they’re still easy to manage.