Whether you’re a keen exerciser or just enjoy the occasional stroll in the park, you'll want to know how soon you can start being active again after having cataract surgery. Apart from wanting to keep fit and healthy, you also know that exercise benefits your overall wellbeing and quality of life.

Following cataract surgery you’ll have the opportunity to discuss any concerns you may have. This could include asking your specialist how soon you can start exercising again, what kind of exercise you can do safely or what you should avoid for the time being.

It’s important to be informed so that your recovery is not compromised.

Recovery time after cataract surgery can range from 24 hours to a few days to a week, although this may increase if you experience any side effects. However, most people are able to get back to everyday activities quite quickly and some light to moderate exercise should be okay— perhaps a gentle walk or some low-impact stretching—as long as you’re not in any discomfort.

The heavier stuff

However, perhaps you’ve missed gardening or you can’t wait to get back to the gym, the golf course, yoga or swimming. If regular exercise is part of your lifestyle, and you tend to enjoy the more strenuous activities, please read on so that you can make the best choices for you and your ongoing recovery.

You shouldn’t do anything that’s physically demanding for at least one week following surgery and make sure you listen to your own body—what’s intense for one person may not be for another.

Are you a keen swimmer?

Unfortunately, if your exercise of choice is swimming, it’s strongly recommended that you keep away from it for at least two weeks after cataract surgery. Possibly even a month. Sorry!

Check with your eye specialist or GP about when you can swim again.

Water carries bacteria that are potentially harmful to your eyes when they are vulnerable to infection following surgery. You’ll actually need to be cautious around any and all bodies of water including the sea, rivers, streams, lakes and even hot tubs. Of course, swimming pools and hot tubs are chlorinated and this may also cause damage to your already sensitive eyes.

Don’t worry, you can still shower or bathe, wash your hair and your face as long as you take extra care. However, you shouldn’t face the shower spray and you should try to wash your hair with your head tilted backwards to avoid shampoo or soap getting into your eyes.

Give these activities a miss for at least four weeks:

• jogging/running
• aerobics
• weightlifting
• football
• cycling
• tennis
• even yoga (especially hot yoga) *

*this list is not exhaustive

Avoid exercise that involves your head going below your waist as it will put unnecessary strain and pressure on your eyes.

Doing strenuous or intense exercise can cause a rise in pressure in your eyes; they’ll undoubtedly heal faster if this pressure is kept low. In addition, as you perform these high intensity sports you may get dust or dirt in your eyes with the potential to cause a nasty infection. It’s incredibly important that measures are taken to prevent this from happening so that you can heal and return to the activities that you love without further delay.

Avoid lifting heavy objects for the first two weeks after surgery.

If you let your eyes have the time that they need to heal before returning to exercise, especially the demanding kind, you’ll reduce the risk of further problems. It’s important to remember that cataract removal and replacement with an artificial lens is still a surgical procedure even if it is quick and painless. Give your body the time it needs to heal.

What if I need cataract surgery on both eyes?

It just means that you’ll have to follow the recovery guidelines twice.

You’ll usually have the cataract that’s causing the most vision loss removed first and the second done 2-4 weeks later, ensuring that you have enough time to heal between procedures.

Think what you’ll be able to enjoy once both eyes have been operated on and have fully healed. The sky’s the limit.

We’re here to help

If getting back to exercise is important to you, please don’t hesitate to get in touch so that we can advise and alleviate any concerns that you may have.