How to Help Patients Recovering from Eye Surgery

Recovering from eye surgery can be difficult. The eyes are among the most sensitive places of the body to have surgery on. As such, they require the appropriate degree of care to optimize their recovery. Consider some of these ways you can help your patients recover from their eye surgery.

Avoid Touching the Eyes

Though it may seem obvious, the fact of the matter is that it is critical for all individuals who come out of eye surgery to avoid touching their eyes as much as possible. This means not only not rubbing their eyes, but also making sure to avoid putting anything near their eyes throughout the day.

Avoid All Strenuous Activity

Strenuous activity can end up putting an uncomfortable amount of pressure on the eyes. When one does heavy lifting or any serious labor, blood surges around your eyes, which could result in all types of complications during the healing process. In order to be as safe as possible, tell your patients to avoid any heavy lifting while they are recovering from the surgery.

Avoid Head Pressure

Similarly, patient should avoid putting any pressure around their heads. These can involve being upside down or bending over. Try to keep yourself as upright as possible with your eyes facing upward when you are laying down. Pressure on the eyes means putting unnecessary strain on the blood vessels around them.

Avoid Sneezing or Coughing

If it is at all possible, help your patients avoid sneezing or coughing after the surgery. Vomiting should be avoided as well, as this can be especially harmful because of bending over. Sneezing and coughing focus the muscles around your eyes to shut harder, which can put strain on the eyes themselves through involuntary contractions.

Use the Appropriate Medication

It is vital for medical professionals to prescribe the appropriate medications for individuals recovering from eye surgery. These include single dose cataract surgery steroids, which can help the eyes heal and reduce the risk of error during the healing process. Patients should be instructed to report back if they feel any issues during the recovery process, especially after taking eye medication.

Time is often the best healer when it comes to major surgeries like this. Those who have had such a procedure performed should be sure to take plenty of time to themselves to feel better. Staying hydrated and keeping their eyes closed until the healing is complete will help streamline the recovery process.