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Elderly parents
Original poster

How much support does an elderly parent need after cataract surgery?

32 replies

pol123417 · 14/09/2026 10:22

My mum (78) lives alone in apartment needs to have her cateracts removed.
I am planning on staying with her after the procedure overnight , will one night be enough, I thought she would be better in her own environment rather than staying with us (we have stairs and 2 messy teenagers!) Does anyone have experience of supporting a parent through this? I have read up about it but would love to hear real life experience , thank you

OP posts:
AshtonGardens · 14/09/2026 11:53

Sedatives were offered at the clinic I attended to anyone who was particularly nervous, so maybe check if this would be possible wherever you are going.

Original poster
pol123417 · 14/09/2026 10:42

She needs both eyes doing, but is only having one at a time. Thank you that is so reassuring, she will be terrified bless her, I said maybe she could see GP beforehand and they might give her something.
She had a small stroke last year but has recovered well and in pretty good health considering

OP posts:
ItsAlwaysTwins · 14/09/2026 10:41

My 90 year old mother in law had hers done recently. About a month between each one. We were available but she needed no help as she was perfectly capable of administering her own drops.

AshtonGardens · 14/09/2026 10:37

I had cataract surgery earlier this year and the number of older people telling me it was a breeze and they were up and about, better than ever the next day, was huge. Pretty much everyone I know over 70 seems to have had it done.

I definitely think she would be better in her own environment taking it easy, and as you usually only have one eye done at a time, she should be able to compensate if her operated eye is blurry for a couple of days.

Help with meals for the first week might be nice.

abbey44 · 14/09/2026 10:35

Is she having one eye done or both at the same time? I had mine done a couple of years ago, and my son came to stay with me for the first night. After that I was fine to look after myself. As long as it’s all straightforward and she’s not usually in need of extra care, I’d have thought one night would be fine.

Teenagerantruns · 14/09/2026 10:35

My dad had his done recently, my brother stayed for one night with the 1st one, the next he was alone he didn't really need anyone there.

Chasingsquirrels · 14/09/2026 10:32

My mum had hers done in her late 70s.
With one of them she was offered a last minute appointment and my dad happened to be in hospital.

A friend took her and I picked her up, she stayed with me that night but was then happy to stay at her home (alone as dad was still in hospital) after that.