Can You Drive After Cataract Surgery – Cataract surgery can have serious implications for your driving abilities. While some people can regain their full driving capabilities, others will experience side effects such as glare, blurred vision, and impaired vision. In most cases, cataract surgery patients have no problems with daytime driving. However, some patients have difficulties with nighttime driving. Therefore, it is essential to avoid driving at night until you have regained full vision. Many people want to drive as soon as possible after surgery. While this is not always the case, most surgeons recommend waiting until your eyes are clear and you have regained all of your vision.
Driving After Cataract Surgery
It’s generally not recommended that you drive immediately after cataract surgery, since the procedure usually leaves your vision a little bit cloudy or blurry. But everyone reacts differently to cataract surgery, so it ultimately comes down to how your body handles the surgery and how quickly it begins healing. In most cases, vision is blurry for just a few days after the surgery.
However, we still recommend waiting to drive until you’ve seen your eye doctor after the surgery. Your ophthalmologist may want you to wait a few more days before getting behind the wheel.
After the surgery, you’ll likely be given an eye patch to wear at night and eye drops to help with the healing process. Within a few hours of the surgery, your vision should begin to clear up. But it’s still important to wait 24 hours before driving.
After cataract surgery, you will not be able to wear contacts for a few weeks. If you need prescription eyewear to see well enough to drive safely, you will need to wear eyeglasses.
It is typically recommended that people wait about a month to a month and a half before resuming normal activities such as driving, to allow their eyes sufficient time to heal completely. However, healing times vary from person to person, so your doctor will talk to you about your specific case and what you can expect. Thank you for choosing us for your cataract surgery needs!
Can you drive after cataract surgery?
If you want to be able to drive after cataract surgery, you’ll need to meet the DVLA’s visual standards for driving. This means being able to read a number plate from 20 metres away. You also need to be able to read the 6/12 line of an eye chart with both eyes open. You can get this test done at your optician’s.
It’s normal to be able to do both of these things again within 24 hours of cataract surgery. However, some patients will need new prescription glasses or contact lenses before they can drive again. In most cases, it’s best to wait four weeks after surgery before having an eye test for new glasses.
If you’re having cataract surgery, you won’t be able to drive for a while. You’ll need someone to drive you to your surgery and follow-up exams. Your doctor will let you know when it’s safe for you to drive again. It usually takes a day or two to recover, but some people need up to a week.
When Can You Drive After Cataract Surgery?
Cataract surgery usually allows patients to resume driving within 24-48 hours, though some may heal faster or slower than others. For most people, it is best to wait until the review appointment with the ophthalmologist before driving again. However, those with more complicated surgeries, such as those also dealing with glaucoma, may have a longer recovery time and should wait longer before getting behind the wheel.
After cataract surgery, it’s wise not to rush things
If you’re planning to have cataract surgery, it’s advisable to wait until both eyes have been treated before driving. The recovery period is typically short, lasting only a day or two. In some cases, people may experience slight swelling of the eyes after the procedure. If this is the case, it’s best to wait until the swelling has subsided before driving.
It’s important to be aware of your vision and make sure it has stabilized before driving again. Improper judgement can lead to dangerous consequences.
On the day of surgery
Following laser cataract surgery, it is necessary to secure a designated driver rather than driving oneself. Driving immediately after the procedure is not permitted due to the sedatives administered and the required recovery period. Patients should make arrangements prior to the procedure with a person they trust such as a friend or family member to transport them home and remain with them for at least a few hours afterwards. For this reason, alternate options such as taxis or hire services are not suitable substitutes.
Recovery time
Cataract surgery typically causes post-operative sedation effects that usually disappear within 24 hours. However, if you are feeling drowsy, having light-sensitivity or any other issues that might affect your capacity to drive safely, it is advisable to wait until your vision has recovered before getting back on the road. Light sensitivity and depth perception problems can sometimes delay the healing process; thus, it is important to monitor them in order to assess whether they are impairing your vision. Most of these symptoms should be temporary, and typically clear up within a short time-frame.
Check your glasses prescription
Before returning to driving after cataract surgery, we recommend checking to see if your current prescription eyeglasses are still sufficient for optimal vision. In some cases, the surgery can completely restore a patient’s vision and they may no longer need glasses, except in particular situations such as reading small print or under low lighting conditions. As a temporary solution between operations, it may be possible to remove one lens while allowing the other eye to view the world through a corrective lens; however, this should only be done if necessary and should not be used while driving. If glasses must be worn intermittently after surgery, make sure that your prescription is updated accordingly.
How Long After Cataract Surgery Can You Drive?
Driving immediately after surgery is not recommended. The effects of general anesthesia may linger on for a few hours, and it’s important to remember that blurry vision can last up to three days. On top of that, post-procedure itching, irritation, and soreness will all make focusing on the road more difficult than usual. At the end of the day, it’s always best to plan ahead and arrange for someone else to drive you home from your appointment.
How soon can you drive after cataract surgery?
Most patients can return to driving the day after cataract surgery. However, because cataract surgery usually involves mild sedation, you won’t be able to drive immediately after the procedure. You’ll need someone to drive you home.
The recovery period and clarity of vision after cataract surgery varies from patient to patient, so there is no definitive answer to the question: “How long after cataract surgery can I drive?”. At a minimum, patients should avoid driving for at least 48 hours following a procedure. After this time, a follow-up visit with your healthcare provider should take place in order to assess your visual acuity and determine if you are fit to resume driving.
What are some reasons to wait to drive again after cataract surgery?
Even though your doctor says it’s okay to drive again, you should only get back on the road when you feel comfortable enough to do so. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- If you’re experiencing swelling after surgery, it’s important to wait until it goes down before you start driving. Additionally, if your vision isn’t as clear as you’d like, you should wait to start driving.
- If you wear glasses or contact lenses for both distance and near vision, you may want to wait until you get new glasses before you start driving. An updated prescription will make it easier to read road signs, your GPS, and the gauges on your dashboard.
- If you’re experiencing light sensitivity after your surgery, it’s common and usually only temporary. In the meantime, try wearing darker sunglasses when you’re outside or driving.
- Most people have cataract surgery on one eye at a time, with the procedures scheduled a few weeks apart. Between surgeries, you’ll be able to see more clearly with your treated eye than with your untreated eye. However, this doesn’t mean that your depth perception will be affected.
If you’re experiencing difficulty with depth perception or you have trouble judging how close or far away objects are, you may want to wait until both eyes are treated before driving.
Will my vision be good enough to drive without glasses or contacts?
Cataract surgery is a common and successful procedure that can help people with vision problems. The success rate for people with healthy eyes is around 96%. After the surgery, most people will have a visual acuity of 20/40 or better. This is the legal level of vision required to drive without corrective lenses.
Can I use my old glasses for driving after cataract surgery?
If you’ve undergone cataract surgery on both eyes, it’s likely that your vision will be similar in each eye. However, you may still need to wear corrective lenses in between procedures. It’s tempting to try and “fix” your glasses by removing the lens that covers the newly-treated eye, but this isn’t advisable if you plan on driving. Always consult with your doctor before trying something new, as you may end up breaking your glasses in the process. If there’s a significant difference in clarity between your eyes, it’s best not to drive. If the issue is causing too much inconvenience, ask your doctor for a new glasses prescription to use until you have your second surgery.
Can I Drive After Cataract Surgery For One Eye?
Cataract surgery often includes medications that may reduce one’s ability to drive, such as Valium. It is generally advisable not to drive oneself home immediately following cataract surgery due to the residual effect of the medications and possible patching or covering of the operated eye. However, most patients are able to drive to their clinic for post-operative follow-up visits with the operated eye alone.
Recovery Time is Essential before Driving
Cataract surgery recovery times vary depending on healing ability and safety precautions taken by the patient. Light sensitivity is a common side effect that can cause discomfort while driving, but it is not permanent. It is normal to experience an adjustment period to changes in vision; however, many surgeons conduct cataract surgery on only one eye at a time. This may lead to depth perception issues. It’s best to wait until any light sensitivity and depth perception issues improve before resuming driving.
A final word on driving after cataract surgery
Cataracts are the leading cause of vision loss and are known for their gradual onset. Common symptoms include blurred vision, halos around lights and difficulties driving in low light or rainy conditions. Luckily, Cataract removal surgery can be a viable option to improve your vision experience – as long as you do not drive until your vision is fully recovered. The results may be staggering: everything from colours to road signs look sharper and even night driving will be improved significantly. Far from a short-term solution, this drastic change can provide long term benefits that make it worth the wait!