Postoperative Instructions

Common Retina Operations Include:

Most retina operations are done on an outpatient basis.

Prior to the surgery, please consider these important facts:

You will likely need to see your doctor for a history and physical exam (within 30 days).
You should not eat or drink anything, including water, after midnight the night before surgery.
If you are on heart or blood pressure medications, please take them as usual before the surgery with the tiniest sip of water possible.
You will need someone to bring you home from the hospital, and you should not stay alone that night.

Please arrive at the hospital at least 2 hours prior to the surgery.
You will be interviewed by several members of your healthcare team
Most eye surgery is done under local anesthetic with IV relaxing medications. General anesthetic (being put to sleep) rarely is needed.
During the operation, you will be awake but relaxed. You can hear the nurses and doctors talking, and you can tell the doctor if you are experiencing any concerns.

You will stay in the recovery room for an hour or two. The eye will be patched, and you should be comfortable.
Many retina operations involve the use of gas bubbles or oil bubbles in the eye. If this is true in your case, you may be asked to position a certain way following the surgery. The nurse will go over this in detail with you.
When you go home, you can eat and drink as much as you feel comfortable. Many retina operations make you feel less hungry or even a little nauseous. This is to be expected.
You will be given eye drop prescriptions to fill that day. You don’t need to start the drops until the next day. Please bring these drops with you to the doctor.
You may take a bath or shower as usual. If the patch falls off, please simply leave it off.
It is normal to have some moderate discomfort and nausea. The doctor will give you pain medications to help with this discomfort. If you have significant discomfort that isn’t relieved with pain medications, you should call Edina Retina Consultants at (952) 345-8200 and speak to your doctor.

Retina operations are not like cataract surgery. The vision often takes weeks or months to fully improve following the surgery.
DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED IF YOU DON’T SEE WELL IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE SURGERY. PATIENTS WITH GAS BUBBLES IN THE EYE CAN’T SEE ANY DETAIL AT ALL UNTIL THE GAS BUBBLE RESORBS.
You will have eye drops to use over the first several weeks following the surgery. The doctor will give you detailed instructions on when to take them.
If positioning is required following the surgery, it usually is required for 5–7 days.
Most people do not feel able to return to work for at least 1 week and sometimes up to 2 or 3 weeks following the surgery.