Eye safety is essential to protect your eye as it heals after cataract surgery. Typically, your cataract surgeon will give you a large pair of sunglasses after your cataract operation to reduce your sensitivity to light and shield your eye so you don’t inadvertently rub or bump your eye as it is healing.
Clifford W. Brooks III, MD, warns, however, that post-cataract surgery sunglasses are not true safety glasses and should not be worn in high risk situations that warrant a higher degree of eye protection. Dr. Brooks is an ophthalmologist at Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.
In this month’s issue of Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery, Dr. Brooks and colleagues report the case of a male cataract surgery patient who ruptured his eyeball 3 months after surgery in a fall while playing tennis. The patient was wearing the protective sunglasses given to him after cataract surgery, and damage to the sunglasses during the fall is the suspected cause of the severe eye injury.
Dr. Brooks and his colleagues warned that the large sunglasses given to patients after cataract surgery are not designed for activities that pose a risk of significant impact or injury to the eye.
The authors also said patients should be counseled to use protective sports eyewear or other safety eyewear specifically designed and approved for the sport or activity they participate in.
SOURCE: Globe rupture with post cataract-surgery safety sunglasses. Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery. July 2010.
Tags: cataract surgery recovery, eye injury, eye protection, safety eyewear