Is it normal after cataract surgery to have a very red eye?

Red eye: During cataract surgery, a small amount of bleeding can occur of the white area of the eye (ie subconjunctival hemorrhage). These go away in 1-2 weeks just like a bruise. If you hve blurred vision or discomfort, then the red eye may be something different. In any case, i would recommend seeing your eye surgeon as soon as possible for evaluation.

Possibly: Some redness is to be expected from the eye drops used and local irritation of the surgery and inflammation. Sometimes bruising over the white part of the eye can appear very red or purple. The seriousness of redness after the surgery largely depends on the date from surgery, the visual acuity, and pain or discharge. Certainly a phone call is warranted to the eye surgeon to address it.

Possibly: Some patients have a subconjunctival hemorrhage (bleeding under the conjunctiva) at time of surgery which can look quite red. But new onset of redness in the first 1-3 months postop, especially if any drop in vision, pain, increased light sensitivity all merit a call to your surgeon to discuss the symptoms to see if an urgent evaluation is needed.

Yes: Very red eye after cataract surgery is not uncommon & can be due to: subconjunctival hemorrhage (blood vessel pops open during surgery: very common), blepharitis, allergic (very common from drops), return of inflammation, viral or bacterial infection (very uncommon). See eyeMD to determine underlying cause & to rule out a dangerous bacterial infection. More info: eyedoc2020@blogspot.com