After Surgery

In the recovery room, a nurse will check your blood pressure again, give you something to eat or drink, and monitor you for a half hour to an hour or so. Then you can go home and take a nap. You'll receive special sunglasses to wear on the way home, since your pupil will be dilated and highly sensitive to bright light.

It will take an hour or so for your eye to recover from the anesthetic drops. During this time, it's normal for the affected eye to see only black and possibly a few shadows. When your vision returns, it will be blurry but will gradually improve over the course of the day.

At home, use the prescribed eye drops as instructed, first washing your hands thoroughly with regular soap. You probably won't have any discomfort at all. Most patients don't even need Tylenol, but it's okay to take an over-the-counter pain pill if you're slightly uncomfortable.

By evening, if you're rested and your vision allows, go out for dinner with friends. They'll be amazed that there's no redness or puffiness in the eye that was operated on and that you can already see well enough to be out and about. You'll go to the doctor's office for a short follow-up visit the day after surgery. Your vision will be fairly good, but, to be on the safe side, have someone drive you to and from the appointment.