When can I get back to normal life after glaucoma treatment?

When can you get back to normal life after glaucoma treatment? It depends on the treatment, with eye drops you’re back to normal life straight away. With glaucoma laser treatments it’s usually the day after. Your vision may be a little blurred on the day of the treatment. Then, you can generally go back to work straight away. You might have a little bit of stinging in the eye that you need to be aware of, and we give you eye drops to reduce that stinging.

We advise you to take one to two weeks off from work after a trabeculectomy glaucoma operation. This is because for some patients, vision may be blurred for a short while and your eye may be a little gritty and watery. You can wear sunglasses for comfort if the sunlight is too bright. If your eye is uncomfortable, normal over the counter painkillers may be used if required. Sometimes, your glasses will need changing after the eye has completely settled following the operation.

Also, there is an intensive postoperative eye drop regime when you are instilling drops frequently for a few weeks, and therefore, we recommend you do this at home. You might be able to work from home, e.g. read or use the computer. You can still drive if the vision in your other eye is normal. We recommend you avoid sporting activities and swimming, usually for two weeks.