When you have cataracts, it means that the natural lenses of your eyes are cloudy or opaque. This can cause a significant decrease in vision, both centrally and peripherally, and it may also cause you to see halos around bright lights when driving at night.

Eye surgeons can remove cataracts and replace them with plastic intraocular lens implants, which will enhance your vision. While cataract surgery is considered a minimally invasive procedure, you'll need to take steps to keep your intraocular pressure from getting too high following your procedure, as this will help promote healing. Here are some things your ophthalmologist may recommend to help maintain normal intraocular pressure following cataract surgery.

Avoid Strenuous Chores

Eye surgeons typically recommend avoiding strenuous chores such as vacuuming, washing the floor, and moving furniture until your eyes heal from your surgery. Strenuous activities, as well as stooping, bending over, and climbing stairs, can raise your eye pressure, which can increase your risk for poor healing, blurred vision, or even infection following your cataract surgery.

While it may be fine to quickly bend down to pick up an object off the floor or tie your shoes, prolonged activities where your head is lowered or where you are pushing and pulling can significantly increase your intraocular pressure. 

Check Your Medications

Certain medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, can heighten your risk of developing elevated intraocular pressure. In fact, many physicians recommend avoiding these medications if you have glaucoma, which is a vision-robbing eye disease that causes high eye pressure. Medications that can increase your eye pressure following your cataract surgery include decongestants, which are medications used to treat sinus congestion.

Other drugs that may raise intraocular pressure include certain antihistamines, which are used to treat allergy symptoms such as a runny nose and watery eyes, some blood pressure medications and diuretics, medications used in the treatment of migraine headaches and certain neurological disorders, and medications used in the treatment of high cholesterol. In addition, tell your eye surgeon if you take medications to manage Parkinson's disease, as these medications can also cause high intraocular pressure.

While certain medications can cause elevated intraocular pressure, do not stop taking them until your primary care physician tells you that you can safely discontinue them. Discontinuing medications used to manage high blood pressure can put you at risk for a cardiovascular event or cause severe hypertension. 

To learn more about how to keep your intraocular pressure within normal limits after your cataract surgery, talk to your ophthalmologist. When eye pressure is kept from getting too high, you are more likely to experience a speedy recovery period.

To learn more, contact an eye surgeon.

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