Medically reviewed by Grace Zhang, MD — By Adam Rowden
After cataract surgery, people may require a different prescription for their glasses and contact lenses. A person may also need to protect their eyes with sunglasses or an eye shield for some time after surgery.
Cataracts cause the eye’s lens to become cloudy, causing vision problems. During cataract surgery, a surgeon removes the clouded lens and replaces it with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL).
An individual may also need to wear a protective eye shield when they sleep.
Cataract surgery can also causeTrusted Source a person’s eyes to become sensitive to light for a period of time. This means someone may wish to wear sunglasses or dark-shade glasses when outdoors to help reduce the amount of light they are exposing their eyes to.
In some cases, an individual may no longer require prescription glasses after cataract surgery. This is because the surgery can improve their vision. However, if they do still require prescription glasses, it may be a different prescription from the ones they previously used.
During the most common type of cataract surgery, a surgeon will implant a monofocal IOL. This has one focusing distance. It means that a surgeon will set it up to improve a person’s up-close vision, medium-range vision, or distance vision.
In most cases, people have their lenses set up for clear-distance vision. In this case, they may need to wear eyeglasses after their procedure for reading and up-close work.
If a person has astigmatism, they may require glasses for distance and reading after a monofocal lens implant.
Learn more about cataract surgery.
Individuals should wear their protective eye shield at night for at least 1 week after surgery.
They may also wear sunglasses after the procedure for as long as their eyes feel sensitive to light.
The eye doctor will advise when someone should wear eyeglasses with a new prescription.
Cataract surgery may improve a person’s vision. Around 90% of individuals Trusted Source can see better afterward. This means a person will typically require a new prescription to accommodate their improved vision.
A person will not usually need to wear their regular glasses after surgery as this will be an incorrect prescription for their newly corrected vision.
After cataract surgery, it can take a few weeks for vision to stabilize. A person should wait until their vision has stabilized before undergoing a new eye test to receive a new prescription.
People can usually apply for a new prescription around 6 weeks after their cataract surgery.
However, studies show that in some cases, a doctor may be able to prescribe glasses as early as 2 weeksTrusted Source after successful cataract surgery.
A person may also need to wear a contact lens in a single eye if they have had cataract surgery on just one eye.
It will take up to 6 weeks for vision to stabilize after cataract surgery. A person will then require a new prescription to determine which contact lenses they can wear. This means they should not wear contact lenses until they receive this new prescription.
The National Eye Institute also states that people should avoid touching their eyes for a few weeksTrusted Source after cataract surgery. This is so the eye has time to heal after the procedure.
This means they may wish to avoid using contact lenses until the eye doctor confirms that it is OK.
Learn more
View the articles below to learn more about what to expect after cataract surgery.
- Can cataracts return after surgery? What to know
- Finding a sleeping position after cataract surgery
- How soon after cataract surgery can you exercise?
- What foods should you avoid after cataract surgery?
- What to do and what to avoid after cataract surgery
- What to know about driving after cataract surgery
- What you should know about cataract surgery recovery
Cataract surgery is the only way to remove a cataract from a person’s eye. During the procedure, a surgeon will remove the clouded lens and replace it with an artificial IOL.
After surgery, a doctor will recommend wearing protective eyeglasses or an eye shield to help protect the eye and allow it to heal. They will also recommend wearing an eye shield at night while sleeping.
If a person still requires prescription glasses after cataract surgery, it will likely be a different prescription from the one they had before.
People usually have to wait up to 6 weeks before receiving their new prescription and begin wearing glasses again.
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