Getting surgery for glaucoma can be life-changing. It lowers the pressure in your eye and prevents vision loss when other options, including eye drops or laser treatment, prove insufficient to maintain your eyesight. Some of the most common surgical treatments for glaucoma include trabeculotomy (removing a small part of the eye drainage tubes), deep sclerectomy (widening the drainage tubes in the eye), and trabecular stent bypass (placing a tiny tub in the eye to increase fluid drainage).
While you may feel relieved after surgery, you shouldn’t be complacent. You must still practice post-surgery care to keep your eyes healthy while healing. With that said, here are a few tips to care for your eyes after glaucoma surgery:
Do not rub or touch your eyes
Glaucoma surgery involves making a small hole to drain excess fluid and lower eye pressure. This means that an open wound on the eye can get infected while you recover—and avoiding touching or rubbing your eyes after surgery becomes extremely essential. Keep your hands and other foreign objects away from the eye area. If you need to touch your eyes, thoroughly wash or disinfect your hands first.
Otherwise, bacteria can infect or enter the hole made during surgery. You’ll know your eye is infected if there’s redness, pain, discharge, and vision reduction. Although post-operative infections are uncommon, they can still lead to blindness in a short amount of time. If you observe these symptoms, consult your doctor immediately.
Shield your eyes from the sun
Your eyes will be more sensitive after surgery, which means they’ll also be more susceptible to UV damage that can cause pain and discomfort. Not to mention, you’ll be more sensitive to glare. Similar to how patients recovering from cataract surgery are advised to do, then, you must also wear sun protection—primarily sunglasses—to ensure the success of your operation. However, simply wearing one lying around the house won’t do, as they may not be equipped to shield your eyes from sun damage sufficiently.
Instead, consider purchasing sunglasses certified to provide 100% UV protection to guarantee full coverage from the sun. You can browse for a pair online, so you can choose from a wider range of brands, from Persol and Arnette, and lens technologies that can further protect and enhance your eyesight, like photochromic and mirror lenses. This way, you can get sunglasses that suit your preferences while simultaneously keeping your sensitive, post-surgery eyes safer.
Use eye drops as instructed
Before surgery, you might’ve used eye drops to alleviate the pressure in your eyes. For instance, you may have used pilocarpine drops to reduce fluid buildup. However, you may be advised to stop using these specific eye drops if your vision improves after incisional surgery.
Yet that doesn’t mean you should stop using eye drops altogether. Your optometrist will likely ask you to buy antibiotic drops like Zymar to address possible post-surgery inflammation. Be sure to use them exactly as prescribed for the best effect. Otherwise, your body may build an immunity to the drops and you’ll risk worsening the infection and delaying proper healing.
Avoid strenuous activities
Heavy lifting, manual labor, and strenuous exercise do not seem to affect your eyes at first glance. However, such activities can put extra stress on your eyes, causing pain during your recovery. Doing them can also be risky if you still experience blurry vision after the operation.
If your job requires manual labor or screen-intensive work like writing, reading, or typing, take a few days off to rest and heal your eyes. In the meantime, you can do relaxing activities at home that won’t tax your eyes, like listening to music or podcasts.
Proper recovery from glaucoma surgery is necessary to ensure a high success rate. Practice these tips above as you continue to heal from your recent operation.
