If you’re used to being physically active, you’re probably worried about how surgeries — minor or major — can affect your consistency. The last thing you want is to get into a slump after a medical procedure, something that makes you want to become healthier through being active physically.
To narrow down our discussion, let’s delve into the rules of physical activity after an eye procedure such as a cataract extraction with IOL (intraocular lenses), LASIK (laser in-situ keratomileusis), and other eye procedures.
What will your doctor tell you?
Your doctor would be explaining everything to you from pre-surgery preparations to post-surgery instructions. Your best bet in recovering well and not having to come back due to complications with the procedure is to listen to what your doctor has to say. Here are some things you’ll hear:
1. To avoid stressful activities
This may sound like it’s putting the nail into the coffin of physical activity post-surgery, but as your doctor goes down to the specifics, you’ll realize that they’ll only tell you to avoid intense exercise and heavy lifting.
Good news, right? You don’t have to be in a slump after the procedure because you can still do some light exercise routines to keep your body moving.
2. Follow instructions on avoiding infections
Most eye procedures involve making incisions, so that means you have a part of your eye that is open to bacteria. Subsequently, you’ll be prone to infections because of the opening. A way to avoid infections is to avoid getting sweat into your eye when you do your light exercise routines.
You can wear protective gear or secure a patch around the affected eye to make sure no drop of sweat sneaks in. You’ll risk a longer recovery period where you can’t follow your normal daily schedule.
Following doctor’s orders on antibiotics should also help you a lot during recovery. Improper use can lead to infection or resistance.
3. You can’t swim anywhere
Yes, you can’t bathe in a tub, too. Swimming pools or open water areas such as lakes and the sea are both filled with various bacteria that won’t help your recovery. If you use swimming as a form of exercise, you can still use the routines you know because it’s 100 percent possible to do swim exercises without being in the water.
When can you go back to being physically active?
If you went through an eye procedure that requires a short time for recovery and when your doctor gives you a timeline, you can go back to becoming active when you get the green light. Just remember to take caution, your eye’s been through a lot, after all.
If you’re only worried because you might be in a long slump if you stop exercising after the procedure, you can still do light exercises such as walking. But since your vision won’t be as good until you fully recover, you need to walk with someone to guide you, or you can walk around your yard to make sure you don’t get into an accident.
Resist the urge to drive to the gym for your light exercise routine, you’ll risk a car accident because of your poor post-procedure vision. As much as possible, stay indoors to avoid external hazards that you won’t see coming.
As with all types of surgery, the recovery phase is a time to let your body heal and adjust to the changes. We’re sure you can give yourself a break after managing to go through a procedure. You braved through and it surely wouldn’t hurt to rest without worrying about your body for a few days.
