Cataract surgery is an outpatient procedure completed in under an hour. Cataract surgery has a high success rate in improving your eyesight and should allow you to return to your normal activities, like driving, following a few simple weeks of recovery.

Your cataract surgery recovery begins immediately following your procedure. At the completion of your cataract surgery, a lightweight protective shield will be placed over your eye, held in place with surgical tape. This shield will decrease the risk of injury from inadvertently rubbing or accidentally bumping your eye. Most patients are able to go home within a few hours of the procedure. You will be required to have a friend or family member drive you home following surgery.

In general, you should be able to watch TV, do some light computer work and shower or bathe within a few hours of returning home after your procedure. While home, you may be allowed to remove your eye shield, but you should wear it when sleeping for at least a week to prevent eye injury. Full recovery from cataract surgery should be complete in about a month, although it can take up to three months for your eye to be completely healed.

Cataract surgery should not affect how you sleep, aside from wearing the protective eye shield to avoid rubbing the eye. Rubbing your eye can aggravate the chances of infection. You may also want to avoid sleeping on the side of the operated eye for the first 24 hours.

For more information about recovery following cataract surgery, contact The Eye Clinic Surgicenter by calling 406-252-6608 or visiting theeyeclinicsurgicenter.com.