Your eye is a precious organ with many more delicate details working behind the scenes to allow you to see. Sadly, sometimes these pieces can become faulty and hurt your vision. For example, if you have high eye pressure, the nerve connecting your eye to your brain becomes damaged, known as glaucoma. It is a common disorder, and thankfully there are treatments for taking care of it. Read on to learn what patients can expect after glaucoma surgery. Feel free to share this information with your patients.
No Driving
One of the things patients may not initially consider when choosing to get glaucoma surgery is that they’ll be unable to drive during their recovery period. They’ll need someone to bring them home after their surgery and to the doctors for follow-up appointments. Patients should stock their homes with all their essentials before surgery so they won’t need to worry about going out or having someone get them the necessary supplies. Typically, patients will be able to drive themselves again after about a week, but they shouldn’t try and rush things. They should let their body recover and find the point where they are comfortable again.
Some Minor Discomfort
After surgery, patients will face minor discomfort and blurred vision for anywhere between a few days and six weeks. They’ll experience minimal pain, so they likely won’t need strong pain medication to deal with the discomfort. During this recovery period, patients must report any sudden loss of eyesight, which could indicate surgery complications. Feelings like inflammation, itchiness, swelling, redness, and tearing up are typical side effects, so unless these get out of hand and last throughout their recovery, patients won’t need to report them.
Exercise Restraint
Discomfort is normal after surgery, but rubbing and itching their eyes is not advised. Doing this can cause severe damage to a patient’s vision and potentially create worse problems than glaucoma. Eye drops are essential to recovery, and patients must ensure their hands are clean before using them so that no contamination can occur. It’s also necessary to wear protective eyewear so nothing can get in the eye. Protective eyewear such as sunglasses is also essential outdoors to reduce the strain the harsh light can bring.
Patients can expect a lot after glaucoma surgery, but so long as they know what to expect and how to handle themselves, their recovery will go well. It may not be the most straightforward recovery, but it is preferable to dealing with glaucoma and potentially losing their vision. At Automated Ophthalmics, we can help your clinic diagnose glaucoma and other eye conditions with our wide array of ophthalmic supplies. Visit our website today to learn more!