A cataract is identified as a reversible surgery that has a BIG impact on one's ability to see and helps in improving the quality of life and functionality in day-to-day activities.

Though it is easy to accomplish, planning for such an operation entails a lot of care to achieve the best results.  In this sense, it is also important to remain aware of certain activities that should be refrained from before this cataract surgery to reduce risks and promote a good recovery.

What Activities Should Be Avoided Before Cataract Surgery

What Activities Should Be Avoided Before Cataract Surgery

When you finish reading this article, you should understand the dos and don'ts before cataract surgery to enhance the chances of your surgery.

Avoid Strenuous Physical Activities

A common thing that needs to be eschewed prior to cataract surgery is exercise or participating in any other moderately energetic activity.  This involves activities such as weight lifting and sports that increase blood pressure or exert the muscles.  Such activities may put much pressure on your eyes and, as a result, may lead to complications during surgery.

Thus, the preparation for cataract surgery needs to be carried out in a state of physical health with no fluctuations.  These include activities that can cause pressure on the eyes, lead to an increase in blood pressure, and dehydration, which should be avoided for one week before the operation. 

 This is important so that the body and eyes are fit for the procedure that needs to be taken in order to allow you to have better eyesight.

Things you should know before scheduling cataract surgery

Avoid Wearing Contact Lenses

Any person who uses contact lenses will be advised by their surgeon to avoid the use of contacts a few days before the procedure.  

This is because when one wears contact lenses, the contours of the eyes change in shape, and hence, one ensures that the surgeon gets the correct measurement of the eye during surgery.

Changing it to glasses during the days preceding the surgery allows the eyes to be normal, hence increasing the reliability of the measurements. 

 It is fundamental to define the age and lifestyle factors that influence cataract development and postoperative visual outcome with a view to defining risk factors for complications of cataract surgery, as well as the measures that would maximize postoperative benefit.

Additionally, your surgeon would clean your eyes and the surroundings while preparing for cataract surgery.  It helps maintain hygiene and decreases the risk of any post-cataract surgery complications that may arise, such as infections.

Avoid Alcohol and Smoking

Ideally, a patient should not smoke or drink alcohol at least 24 to 48 hours before cataract surgery. 

They help decrease the chances of developing other eye conditions later in life after a surgical operation of cataracts by not indulging in smoking and limiting the intake of alcohol for proper, better long-term eye health.

Avoid Any Blood-Thinning Medications

The reason is that many patients do have a prescription in the form of blood thinners for their health conditions.  The intake of such drugs, however, increases the risk of excessive bleeding during cataract operation. 

Because of this, the risks and benefits their discontinuation carries come under preoperative preparation for cataract surgery.  Your medical team will instruct you on this.  All rights reserved.

Avoid Eating and Drinking Before Surgery

You are usually asked to stop eating and drinking anything for at least 8-12 hours before the commencement of cataract surgery.  Therefore, for the best interest of the patient, consultation with the surgeon on the right time he will be fasting is recommended since this might vary depending on the type of anesthesia used.

Avoid Exposure to Sick People or Infections

During the period before your cataract surgery, it is highly desirable not to expose yourself to those situations or environments in which you can catch a cold, flu, or some other infection. 

 Because it is well-known that any kind of surgery puts some sort of stress on your organism, being sick can complicate your surgery and recovery.  Another complication that an infection can cause may be the postponement of the surgery, which will just delay the improvement of your vision after the cataract-related surgical procedure.

Please make sure to wash your hands frequently, avoid crowded places, and practice general hygiene in order to protect yourself from potential infections until surgery.

Delay Any Other Planned Surgeries

You shouldn't plan on having any other elective surgery or dental work before having cataract surgery, if at all possible.  It stresses the immune system to go through a series of surgeries in a short span of time, and doing this might make one more susceptible to complications after cataract surgery.

Your body cannot begin to heal until some personalized time has passed between surgeries.  By leaving time in between surgeries, you decrease the risk of infection, prolonging your healing time and other problems that can affect your health.  

Talk to your surgeon to see if he has any surgeries planned, and schedule your cataract surgery to take priority since it affects the health of your vision.

Avoid Driving Immediately Before Surgery

Although this may sound pretty obvious, it is worth mentioning that you need to make transportation to and from your cataract surgery appointment. Avoid flying precautions after cataract surgery. Because of the after-effects of anesthesia and methods associated with temporary blurriness post-surgery, you are not able to drive home on your own.

Driving right before surgery could also be hazardous in case you are anxious or nervous, which might meddle with your focus.