Cataract surgery recovery week by week: a UK 2026 timeline

Day of surgery (day 0)

You arrive 30 to 60 minutes before your slot. Pupil-dilating drops and topical anaesthetic are instilled at intervals over 30 minutes; you are taken to theatre in your own clothes; you lie flat on the operating table with a sterile drape over the eye and an oxygen tube giving fresh air under the drape. The procedure itself takes 10 to 15 minutes per eye and is essentially painless — most patients describe a warm pressure and a gentle wash of fluid, no needles into the eye.

After surgery you walk back to recovery, have a cup of tea and biscuits, are given written instructions, your drop bottles and a clear plastic shield. You are home about an hour later. You should not drive on the day of surgery. Vision on day 0 is typically blurry, watery and a little bright; the eye may feel scratchy as if there is a small grain of sand in it. This clears overnight in the great majority of patients.

• Wear the clear plastic shield at night for 7 nights to prevent accidental rubbing.
• Start drops as instructed (usually that evening).
• You can eat, drink, watch TV, read and use a phone normally.
• You can wash your face the next morning with a damp flannel — keep water out of the eye for 7 days.

Week 1: rapid healing

Most UK 2026 cataract surgery patients are seeing clearly within 24 to 48 hours. The first day after surgery you have a brief clinical check (in person or virtually) to confirm the cornea is clear, the IOP is normal and the IOL is well positioned. From this point on you can return to most normal daily activity.

What you can do

• Walk, shop, cook, drive (if you meet the DVLA standard from 24 to 48 hours)
• Read books, use a phone, watch TV, use a computer
• Wash, shower and wash your hair (keep direct water out of the eye)
• Return to a sedentary or light-duties job
• Travel by public transport or short car journeys as a passenger

What to avoid

• Rubbing or pressing the eye
• Swimming, hot tubs, saunas
• Heavy lifting (over 10 kg) and strenuous gym exercise
• Dusty, dirty or smoky environments
• Eye make-up and contact lenses

Week 2: settling and the second eye

By week 2 the antibiotic drops are usually finished and you are continuing the steroid drops on a tapering schedule. Vision is usually noticeably crisper than the un-operated eye and most patients are aware of a difference in colour rendering: the operated eye sees brighter whites and more saturated colours because the cataract was filtering them out.

Second-eye surgery is most commonly scheduled at 2 to 4 weeks after the first eye. This interval allows the first eye to settle, lets the surgeon refine the IOL power calculation if needed, and avoids prolonged anisometropia (a large difference in prescription between the two eyes that can make spectacles and balance uncomfortable). Some private clinics also offer same-day immediately sequential bilateral cataract surgery (ISBCS) for selected patients.

• Stop antibiotic drops (typically end of week 1)
• Continue steroid drops, often reducing from 4x to 3x daily
• Light gym and yoga generally fine; still avoid swimming and contact sports
• Many patients are back to work full time

Weeks 3 and 4: drops finish, vision stabilises

Steroid drops are tapered down to twice daily, then once daily, then stopped over weeks 3 and 4. Vision is now stable enough that you can begin to think about a spectacle update, though most surgeons advise waiting until at least the 4-week mark before going to your optician for new glasses.

• Steroid drops finished by end of week 4 in most regimens
• Full return to gym, cycling and most sport
• Eye make-up usually fine again from week 2–3
• Contact lens use can resume from week 4 if discussed with surgeon

Weeks 5 and 6: final spectacles and end-of-treatment review

By weeks 5 to 6 the refractive endpoint is reached. Your end-of-treatment review confirms a clear capsule, well-positioned IOL, normal intraocular pressure and optimised visual acuity. You are then discharged back to your high-street optician for a final spectacle prescription using the new IOL power.

If you had a monofocal IOL set for distance, you will need a light reading prescription. If you had an extended depth-of-focus (EDOF) or multifocal IOL, you may need no glasses at all, or only thin reading glasses for very small print. Toric IOLs correct astigmatism and can be combined with monofocal, EDOF or multifocal optics.

• Final glasses ordered from your optician
• Full return to swimming, contact sports and unrestricted gym
• End-of-treatment review at 4–6 weeks (varies by clinic)
• Long-term follow up: annual sight test with optician

Eye drops after cataract surgery (UK 2026)

UK 2026 standard aftercare uses two drops — an antibiotic for 1 week and a topical steroid tapered over 3 to 4 weeks. Some surgeons add a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) for 4 weeks in patients at higher risk of cystoid macular oedema (diabetes, retinal vein occlusion, complex surgery). Drops are spaced at least 5 minutes apart if more than one bottle is being used.

Indicative regimen — always follow the schedule given by your operating consultant. Common antibiotics: chloramphenicol or moxifloxacin. Common steroids: dexamethasone or prednisolone acetate. Common NSAIDs: ketorolac or nepafenac.

Activity restrictions and DVLA driving rules

Cataract surgery has surprisingly few hard restrictions, but the ones that exist matter:

• Rubbing the eye: avoid for 4 weeks. Wear the clear shield at night for 7 nights.
• Swimming, hot tubs, saunas: avoid for 4 weeks (infection risk).
• Heavy lifting (over 10 kg) and strenuous gym: avoid for 1 week.
• Contact sports (rugby, boxing, martial arts): avoid for 4 weeks.
• Dusty, dirty or smoky environments: avoid for 2 weeks; wear wraparound glasses if unavoidable.
• Eye make-up and contact lenses: resume from week 2–3 in the operated eye.
• Reading, screens, walking, light cooking: no restriction at all.
• Air travel: safe from 24 hours after surgery.

DVLA driving rules

You must not drive on the day of surgery. From 24 to 48 hours after first-eye routine cataract surgery, most patients meet the DVLA Group 1 visual standard (read a number plate at 20 metres in good daylight) and can drive. Group 2 (HGV / PCV) drivers face stricter binocular acuity and visual field standards and should defer driving until reviewed at the post-op check. You do not need to notify the DVLA after routine cataract surgery unless your vision falls below the standard.

Read more: Driving after cataract surgery UK 2026: DVLA rules & timeline.

UK 2026 cost: NHS vs private cataract surgery

NHS cataract surgery is free at point of care via your GP or optician referral, with current waiting times of 8 to 26 weeks across most UK trusts. Self-pay private cataract surgery is typically £2,495 to £3,995 per eye for a monofocal IOL including consultant fees, theatre, drops and post-op reviews. Premium IOLs (toric, EDOF, multifocal) add £800 to £2,000 per eye. Most major UK private medical insurers cover cataract surgery subject to excess.

Related guides:

• Can my optician refer me for private cataract surgery?
• Posterior capsule opacification (PCO) and YAG laser
• Why is my vision cloudy years after cataract surgery?