When can I swim after YAG laser capsulotomy?

The four-week swimming rule people remember comes from cataract surgery, not from the laser. The AAO explains that after cataract surgery, water can cause infection or irritate the eye and swimming in any type of water may be restricted for up to 4 weeks to protect the eye. That advice exists because there is a surgical incision on the surface of the eye that water and bacteria could reach.

A YAG capsulotomy does not create that kind of wound. The laser passes through the front of the eye and makes its opening in the capsule behind the lens implant, leaving the surface intact. For this procedure the AAO's guidance is that typically there are no activity restrictions after a posterior capsulotomy, with the standing advice to ask your surgeon to be safe.

A couple of practical notes anyway. If you were given drops to use for a few days, keep to that schedule. And if you are still noticing floaters or glare, be careful with open water or diving where poor visibility could put you at risk. If anything about your eye feels different after swimming, such as pain or a sudden vision change, call your ophthalmologist rather than waiting.