To be panicking post cataract surgery

[LastDayOfWinter]

Had it done at lunchtime and when I administered my first round of eye drops at 7.30pm and removed the dressing I was devastated that my eye feels I'm blinking in a bag of sand and my vision is ridiculously blurred /almost non existent.

AIBU in my immediate post op expectations

That's very normal. It takes six weeks to fully settle and is always worse initially, unless the cataract was a rock. Give it a few days

I've had cataract operations in both eyes. I can confirm that the 'gritty' feeling is quite normal and will pass. Your vision will improve gradually; tomorrow is forecast to be sunny and your eyes will initially be very sensitive to sunlight so sunglasses are advisable.
Now I feel brilliant! I have worn glasses/contact lenses all my life but now need them only for reading.

ok maybe my expectations were a tad too high. Just hadn't expected such poor vision and so much gritty/blinking pain

That is really normal. I had one eye done last year and was warned it would feel like that. Eye felt like it was being sandpapered the erst of the day. It was much better already the following morning.

The drops they put in to dilate for the op are very, very strong. It can take up to 72 hours for your pupil to start to behave normally again, so you may feel very headachy as you get too much light in on that side. It all passes.

I deliberately chose to be left equally short sighted to my good eye, but the clarity I now have in my cyber eye is amazing. My archery scores have improved scarily.

Perfectly normal, like you I panicked after the surgery . My very patient surgeon reassured me that my eyes would settle down in a couple of days . Perfect vision ever since ! Just do keep using the drops . Hope you feel better soon .

Yes, definitely too soon. Give it time.

You absolutely MUST keep up with the drops exactly as prescribed.
Almost all problems after eye surgery are due to infection when the drops aren't used properly.

Definitely give it a few weeks to notice a difference.

The dilating drops can take up to a week to wear off, and you have had surgery on your eye, so it will feel sore and gritty for a day or two. Keep taking your drops regularly so that things heal. Did they put a bandage contact lens on? They can make things very blurry until they're removed.

However, if the pain persists beyond a few days you need to get it checked asap. With mine I developed uveitis afterwards and it was very sore. I also had a few other issues but they were related to previous eye issues.

Good luck with healing. I have near perfect vision in the eye that's been treated and am waiting for the cataract in my other eye to be done in a few weeks.

Such encouraging messages, perhaps I was being unreasonable. Drop regime adhered to all day and I've had the 24hr post surgery check. Professionals happy and report no infection. The 'gritty' feeling is my eyelid crossing the site of incision. My vision in cyber eye is hazy rather than really blurred today and if it never got any better at least I can see something unlike yesterday which was f**king scary and I'm forcing my brain by using it as much as possible. DCs had a good laugh at my expense this morning as I wondered around at breakfast in my jim jams and huge sunnies

I had one eye done, I find the antibiotic drops make my eyes very itchy and sore so was given non-irritating ones.

After using the drops my vision was more blurred than before I put them in.

The most alarming thing I found was that my eye was crossed, however it righted itself.

Once you have used the course of drops you will forget all about it.

Is this laser surgery or new plastic lenses? I have been told that at some point fairly soon I shall need replacement surgery, but no more detail than that. This thread is a useful insight if I understand correctly.

Well I have my first eye booked in for the beginning of May so I shall keep this in mind. I am so damn sick of blurry vision that this would have scared this shit out of me too.
Hope your recovery goes smoothly OP

Completely normal, pleased don't worry. Your cornea will be swollen and the gritty feeling is also normal. Remember you've had an op on your eye.

It should feel better tomorrow. A lot of pain or massive amount of redness isn't though.

It was multi focal lens replacement surgery. I had a small early cataract which was making my sight foggy and I hated my reliance on my reading glasses.

Now I'm glasses free typing this - that in itself is amazing

No grit sensation today just a slight flickering in the outer periphery vision as if too much light is entering my eye (apparently this stop) as my brain adjusts

Congratulations on your improved vision! . Cataract surgery is amazing. Just keep up with the full treatment of drops - it really is vital.

Update: After a few days my vision started to become blurry. At a two week check they confirmed I had become short sighted and needed a .75 correction. Confirmed again a week later. They then inserted a contact lens for a week to correct the vision as a test. I had my sight it was lovely. Went back again this week to have the contact lens removed and was told I needed additional surgery as I had refractive surprise and possibly PCO. Then told I cannot have laser surgery LASiK until 3 months post surgery so have complimentary glasses for driving until then. This happens to around 5-10% of patients.

Bizarrely I still happy as my sight for close up work is flipping' marvellous and I know the distance stuff will be sorted.