Postoperative Care Instructions After Eye Surgery

After an eye operation, the eye may be slightly red. To avoid infections, we advise using the eye drops and eye ointments that were prescribed after the operation as directed. 

It is generally advisable to wash your hands before administering the drops.

Dropper bottles should be shaken before administering. When administering the drops, it will help to put your head back and look up. The lower eyelid can now be pulled downwards with the other hand and the drop placed in the conjunctival sac. If you are not sure whether the drop has entered the conjunctival sac, another drop can be administered if you are unsure. There is no risk of an overdose here. 

To avoid injuries in the eye area and to prevent possible contamination of the drops or ointments, the tip of the drop bottle/ointment tube should not come into contact with the eyes, eyelids or fingers.

If you received local anaesthetic to the area behind the eye (retrobulbar anaesthesia), you may experience double vision or blurred vision in the first few days after the operation. This usually subsides after a few days.

Regardless of the type of anaesthesia, you may experience increased sensitivity to glare and the feeling of having something in your eye.

Please avoid rubbing the operated eye during the first two weeks after surgery. 

To prevent unconscious rubbing during sleep, the eye patch provided can continue to be worn at night without a bandage.

To clean the eyelids and the area around the eyes, it is best to use a separate flannel and lukewarm tap water. 

From the third day after the operation, you can shower, bathe and wash your hair without any problems.

During the first two weeks, you should avoid strenuous physical exertion and high intensity sports. However, you can resume all everyday activities from the first day after the operation. 

Due to the risk of infection, you should avoid using public swimming pools, especially indoor pools and saunas, for the first three weeks.

There are no restrictions regarding everyday reading, writing, watching television and screen work.

If the eye has been filled with a gas tamponade at the end of the operation, air travel or stays in the mountains must be strictly avoided for 4 to 6 weeks after surgery. 

Please consult your ophthalmologist before travelling by air.