When can I exercise after blepharoplasty?

General information about typical recovery, not medical advice. Every eye and every surgery is different, and your surgeon's instructions override anything on this page. Read our full disclaimer.

Short answer

Published guidance is to avoid lifting, bending, straining, and exercise during the first 10 days after surgery, then return gradually with your surgeon's approval.

EyeWiki, published by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, advises avoiding lifting, bending, straining, and exercise during the first 10 days after upper eyelid surgery. ASOPRS similarly advises keeping the head elevated in early recovery. The reason is bleeding. Anything that spikes blood pressure in the head, including straining, heavy lifting, and head-down positions, raises the risk of bleeding into the tissue around a fresh incision.

Bleeding is not a theoretical worry here. Retrobulbar hemorrhage, bleeding behind the eye, is the complication surgeons build these restrictions around, and AAO puts its risk after lower eyelid surgery at less than 1 in 20,000. Small, but it is the reason the first 10 days are conservative.

Walking on flat ground is usually fine early and is often encouraged, since it is not straining. What is out early: weights, high-intensity cardio, yoga inversions, bending to pick things up off the floor, and anything that leaves your face red and pounding.

When you restart, build back over a week or two rather than resuming your old program in one session. If your lids swell noticeably after a workout, you went too hard too soon.

When	Typical guidance
First 10 days	EyeWiki: avoid lifting, bending, straining, and exercise. Flat walking is usually fine.
After day 10, with clearance	Ease back into light cardio and light resistance work.
Weeks 3 to 4	Most people are back to a full routine by now if the surgeon has cleared them and swelling is settled.

Call your surgeon now if you notice any of these

Sudden severe pain in or behind the eye, especially with swelling that keeps getting worse. AAO states that severe pain, decreased vision, and progressive swelling may represent retrobulbar hemorrhage and should be brought to immediate medical attention. Go to an emergency room now.
The eye pushing forward or bulging, or lids so tight and swollen you cannot open them. Proptosis is a documented sign of retrobulbar hemorrhage, which EyeWiki describes as a rapidly progressive, sight-threatening emergency.
Any decrease or loss of vision, or vision getting worse over hours instead of better. Loss of vision is listed by AAO among the possible complications of eyelid surgery, and EyeWiki notes intervention for retrobulbar hemorrhage needs to happen within about 2 hours of onset.
Nausea and vomiting together with eye pain and pressure. StatPearls lists pain, proptosis, nausea, vomiting, and reduced vision as the presentation of retrobulbar hemorrhage, which it calls a surgical emergency.
New double vision. Double vision is listed among the complications of lower eyelid and transconjunctival blepharoplasty by StatPearls. Call your surgeon the same day.
Signs of infection: spreading redness, warmth, increasing swelling after the first few days, yellow or green discharge, or fever. Infection is listed by AAO among the possible complications of eyelid surgery.
Bleeding from an incision that does not stop with gentle steady pressure, or a firm lump under the skin that is growing quickly.
Not being able to close the eye fully once the early swelling has gone down, or an eye that feels raw, painful, and very light sensitive. Early incomplete closure is common and usually resolves within days per StatPearls, so closure that is not improving needs to be checked.
Any wound that opens or separates, or a suture that has come loose and is scratching the eye.

These warning signs after blepharoplasty can point to problems that need same-day care. Do not wait for your next scheduled visit. If you cannot reach your surgeon's office, use their on-call line, or go to an emergency room.

Sources: American Academy of Ophthalmology; American Academy of Ophthalmology (EyeWiki); StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf

Sources

Upper Eyelid Blepharoplasty (EyeWiki) American Academy of Ophthalmology (EyeWiki). Accessed 2026-08-25.
Eye and Brow Lift American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Accessed 2026-08-25.
Lower Eyelid Blepharoplasty American Academy of Ophthalmology. Accessed 2026-08-25.

When can I exercise after blepharoplasty?

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