After cataract surgery, how long do i need to wait before i can drive? i am semi-retired, 64 years old and a school bus driver part of the year. i'm preparing to have cataract surgery. how long after my surgery should i wait before it is safe for me to go

Most : Most patients are able to see well enough to drive within 1 day of their cataract surgery. There can be exceptions. For example, a patient with a strong eyeglasses precription before surgery may have a large change in their eyeglasses precription after cataract surgery. This patient would not see well with their old eyeglasses in the surgical eye. Temporary eyeglasses may be prescribed a few days after surgery, with the final prescription to follow at 4 or 5 weeks post-op. There are intraocular lens implant options to reduce the need for eyeglasses reviewed in the link below.

Driving: Returning to driving your personal vehicle depends on the vision on your fellow eye and how quickly your vision returns as you heal allowing you to feel comfortable. Driving a school bus requires a cdl, so you have to wait until both eyes meet the 20/25 requirement.

Maybe the next day: The true answer depends on the vison in your non operative eye, the day one post op vision in the surgical eye, and your level of visual comfort. Many of my patients wait 2-3 days to drive, but some feel comfortable the next day. Some of my patients pop the lens out of their glasses on the operative side and drive with only one lens until they receive their ner rx..

Discuss with doc: You should discuss this with your surgeon. Your vision should recover very quickly after cataract surgery unless there are special circumstances. Most patients can drive almost immediately, however, there can be some challenges using both eyes together if the un-operated eye has a high prescription.