Cataract Surgery Week 2: What to Expect

Week 2 usually feels uneventful, which is the point. The eye generally does not hurt, vision is clearly better than before surgery, and the day to day focus is on finishing drops and waiting for the prescription to settle. The American Academy of Ophthalmology says the smooth barrier underneath the eye's surface takes a few weeks to fully heal even though the surface sealed in the first 24 hours, so the eye is still healing under the hood.

Swimming generally opens back up around now. The American Academy of Ophthalmology says swimmers should wait two weeks before going in the water, because water can cause infection or irritate the eye. Confirm with your surgeon before you get in, including pools, lakes, and hot tubs.

Redness should be mostly gone. The American Academy of Ophthalmology notes it may take two or three weeks for the body to reabsorb blood from a subconjunctival hemorrhage, so a last patch of pink is still within the normal range. Glare and halos are often still present at night and are not a sign the lens is wrong.