Father has Cataracts- how long will he be recovering/ out of action after op

[Mell99]

Anyone got any practical experience of cataracts and likely impact on life after the op?

My 82 year old father has cataracts in both eyes and is due to be operated on at some point shortly (although when is unclear currently) I am slight unclear about what will happen after he comes home and how long he is affected

Presumably he will come home from the hospital and have to rest but will he be able to care for himself at that point or wil he effectively be without sight? And how long will he likely be out of action? And more importantly how long will be unable to drive for?

Any advice gratefully received!

My husband was barely affected at all. An eye patch for 24 hours and needing me to drive him home, was pretty much all I recall. I was astonished how simple the whole out patient procedure was, and this was 15 years ago!

One of many similar results when I googled. Almost certain that he'll be able to drive 24 hours later.

allaboutcataracts.co.uk/faq/can-you-drive-after-cataract-surgery/

Watching. Dh is due to have it soon.

They only do one eye at a time, btw. So no, he won't be without sight at any point.

DM had the two done in different days but it was quick and she easily recovered (80)

My mother said the benefit was immediate. I think she needed looking after that day but that's all.

My mum had hers done when she was a similar age. They did one eye at a time. About 48 hours I’d say. Really good results too.

Eye patch for the first day.
4 weeks of eye drops (antibiotic and steroid to help heal)
Will probably see clearly straight away, some people it can take 3 days.
No swimming for 6 weeks.

FIL needed help putting in the eyedropper as his hands shake. Apart from not listening to instructions and double dosing the eye drops he had no problems.

My Dad is 82 and has had both of his done. The day of the op was simple enough, he just felt a little off colour and tired. His sight recovered really quickly with one eye but the other one took several weeks. The biggest PITA was the eye drops twice a day for 4 weeks - I live a 14 mile round trip away, and work full time and he just couldn't do them himself.

In hindsight I wish I'd pushed for carers twice a day....... or paid for them myself.

Is he having a GA?

My mum (78) had hers done a few weeks ago. She needed a lift home but managed everything else fine by herself.

That would be highly unusual.

@saraclara I had it for my cataracts because I'm a scaredy-cat.

Mum had hers done at 75. Operation took minutes, came out with an eye patch on which came off the followng morning - then had to be worn overnight for a week - but essentially to stop her stratching at it in her sleep. They didnt want her alone overnight as there is anaesthetic involved (only local) but she drove home from mine 24hrs later no problem.

My elderly Dad driver the same day but he's a bit of an idiot 🤦🏻‍♀️