With the growth of age, the elders in the family began to suffer from cataracts one after another.
At present, there is no specific drug treatment for cataract, and the surgical technique for cataract is very mature. Most patients will choose surgical treatment.
Cataract surgery is fast, recovery is fast, and the curative effect is good. Many patients can completely cure cataract through surgery. Because patients undergoing surgery generally only need to be hospitalized for a short period of time, the care and nursing of their families after returning home is very important for recovery.
As a patient, should we pay attention to what after returning home from hospital? As a family member, how to take care of patients who have just undergone cataract surgery? Let’s answer your questions.
After leaving the hospital, you must remember to do these things.
1. Be sure to drop eye drops and apply eye ointment regularly according to the doctor’s advice.
Use eyedrops on time
After cataract surgery, doctors often prescribe eye drops and ointments containing antibiotics and glucocorticoids.
The function of these drugs is to prevent bacterial infection and reduce corneal edema and inflammatory reaction after surgery. They are the most important ocular drugs after surgery.
Be sure to see clearly the usage and dosage of the doctor’s advice posted on the outer package or written on the discharge summary.
- Generally speaking, eye drops are dropped during the day, 3-4 times a day, or sometimes doctors will adjust the frequency of medication, such as once every 2 hours. Apply eye ointment once before going to bed; Different eye drops should be dropped every 5-10 minutes, one drop at a time is enough, and more drops will only be wasted. Eye ointment and eye drops are only dropped on the eye where the operation is performed.
Click to see how to drop eye drops correctly.
This kind of eye drops generally only need to be used for 2 weeks, up to 1 month. As long as the doctor said that it could be stopped during the reexamination, it should be stopped in time and should not be used for a long time without authorization.
Pay attention to special circumstances
After the operation, many patients will have obvious eye foreign body sensation, mild tears, jealousy and other discomfort, mainly caused by the surgical incision on the eye surface, which is a normal phenomenon.
At this time, the doctor may prescribe some auxiliary eye drops, mainly some artificial tears or components that promote epidermal growth, to improve symptoms. Generally speaking, this kind of eye drops or gel is also dripped 3-4 times a day, of course, it is still subject to the doctor’s advice.
2. Be sure to go to the ophthalmology clinic for reexamination.
Generally, the time points that must be consulted by a doctor after the operation are: the first day, the first week, the first month, the third month and six months after the operation.
The first day and the first week after the operation are especially important.
Generally, after three months, all aspects of the eye condition are basically stable. If the doctor does not give special instructions, you do not need to think about going to an ophthalmologist frequently, but you can check your eyesight and diopter regularly.
If the following special changes occur, we need to be alert to complications such as infection after surgery, and we must look at them as soon as possible:
- The eyesight drops obviously, eye pain, headache, nausea, vomiting, red eye, obvious tears secretion, black eyeballs turn white and yellow, etc.
At home, these things must not be done.
1. Do not remove gauze by yourself on the day of the operation, and do not stick gauze by yourself after returning home from hospital.
On the day after the operation, the eyes will be pasted with blindfold and gauze, which has a protective effect. Do not remove them by yourself or get wet by water. Generally, the doctor will remove the blindfold for examination on the first morning after the operation.
After removal, there will be a nurse to help replace the clean gauze. When leaving the hospital, the gauze can be removed by oneself on the day after returning home. Don’t reuse it again. You don’t need to stick new gauze again, because the gauze you stick can’t be sterile, not only can’t prevent infection, but also may become a pollution source, leading to infection.
2. Avoid rubbing eyes or sewage entering eyes
It is very important to pay attention to eye hygiene. Under no circumstances can you rub your eyes. If tears flow out, you can only wipe off the tears on the skin surface and cannot wipe the inside of the canthus yourself.
After the operation, you should avoid splashing soapy water or shampoo and other liquids into your eyes. You can consider lying down in the barbershop to wash your hair. Never take part in water activities such as swimming and soaking in hot springs, especially within two weeks after the operation. Once infection occurs, the consequences will be unimaginable.
It takes at least 3 months for cataract surgery wounds to heal completely, so it is still necessary to avoid contact with sewage and be cautious during this period.
3. Avoid heavy physical work and vigorous activities
Some people will implant an intraocular lens into their eyes during surgery, and its position often takes several months to stabilize.
Therefore, the operation should avoid heavy physical labor and strenuous exercise, so as not to cause abnormal position of intraocular lens due to eye pressure, violent shaking or trauma. In particular, high antagonistic exercise should be avoided, or sports requiring the use of ball games and other equipment. Avoid sudden sitting up, bowed their heads, bent down, lifting heavy objects, squeezing eyes hard, chewing too hard food, etc.
Precautions in Daily Life
1. There is basically no need for special attention on diet, but everything is as usual.
Allergic constitution people should avoid eating food that may lead to allergy. Generally, we suggest patients to quit smoking and drinking, which is conducive to wound healing and reduce the occurrence of complications. It is recommended to eat less spicy and more vegetables and fruits to keep defecation unobstructed and reduce the chance of eye pressure caused by external force.
2. Use less eyes and rest more.
Short-term vision instability after surgery, may be clear and blurred for a while, with eyes more easily tired. It is suggested to keep adequate sleep and regular work and rest. You can also watch TV or newspapers on weekdays, but you should pay attention to more rest, which is conducive to wound healing, and can relieve discomfort such as foreign body sensation after surgery.
Some patients still feel blurred after surgery and may need to wear glasses or replace the original glasses. However, don’t worry, it will take 3 months before the eyesight can be re-matched.
3. Patients with chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes should adhere to treatment and control blood sugar and blood pressure.
It is generally recommended to maintain the original medication plan unless the doctor has special instructions.
Finally, we should also remind everyone that the situation of each patient may be different. If you suffer from other eye diseases, have undergone other operations at the same time, or have had surgical complications, you may also have different requirements in nursing, and you should pay more attention to follow the doctor’s advice at this time.