Diet taboos after cataract surgery

Highly irritating foods, foods with clear allergens, tobacco and alcohol； The so-called "you can't eat fat" and "the more vigorous the supplement, the faster the recovery" are all misunderstandings. Most daily foods can be eaten normally as long as you don't feel uncomfortable after eating them.

Don’t believe it, I just received a 62-year-old Aunt Zhang in the clinic last week. She came in crying the day after the operation. She said that her daughter-in-law did not let her eat eggs, saying that eggs were hairy and would make her eyes "hairy" if she ate them. Even her favorite steamed seabass was banned. She was fed white porridge with vegetables every day, which made her weak on the third day. During the reexamination, her wound healing speed was much slower than that of the elderly at the same time.

In fact, the controversy about "hair substance" has always existed in clinical practice. There is no concept of "hair substance" in the Western medicine system. High-quality proteins such as eggs, fish and shrimp, as long as you are not allergic to them, can provide sufficient nutrients for corneal repair and recover faster.； However, traditional Chinese medicine does say that eating too much pungent, warm and hot foods such as dog meat, velvet antlers, and a large amount of longan in the short term after surgery will aggravate the upwelling of blood in the eyes and easily lead to increased conjunctival congestion. In fact, both views are reasonable. There is no need to argue about right or wrong. If you usually eat mutton, you will easily get angry and develop ulcers, so just eat less in the week before surgery. If you have no reaction since you were a snack, eating one or two pieces to satisfy your craving is perfectly fine.

Don’t think I’m lying. Last month, a 28-year-old young man with high myopia and cataracts underwent femtosecond-assisted cataract surgery. On the second day after the operation, he felt that he was fine. He went to eat spicy butter hot pot with his friends. While eating, he wiped his sweat and rubbed his hands. I looked at my eyes twice, and that night they were as red as rabbits, with secretions that made me unable to open my eyes. I went to the emergency room in the middle of the night. Fortunately, it was just conjunctival irritation and slight inflammation. After three days of antibiotic eye drops, it disappeared. If the wound was really rubbed open, it would be a big trouble.

Many people also think that they need to take a lot of supplements after surgery, such as pig's trotter soup, old hen soup, and a lot of red dates and longans. Last time, there was an old man with diabetes. His blood sugar soared from 6.8 to 13 a week after the surgery. The corneal epithelium did not grow for half a month, but it delayed the recovery progress. In fact, it doesn’t mean that you can’t eat foods high in sugar, oil and salt, but don’t eat too much. Especially for the elderly with underlying diseases. Their blood sugar and blood pressure are unstable. Eating too much oil and salty food will only aggravate the underlying disease and affect the recovery of the eyes.

Oh, by the way, smoking and alcohol must be strictly prohibited for at least two weeks. Don’t take any chances. Alcohol will dilate blood vessels throughout the body. There are already minor surgical wounds in the eyes. The dilation of blood vessels will not only increase congestion, but also increase the risk of infection.； Not to mention the smoke from smoking, which directly irritates the surface of the eye. I once saw an old smoker who couldn't help hiding on the balcony and smoked a cigarette after surgery. He shed tears for ten minutes on the spot, and the conjunctival redness lasted for three days before it disappeared. It was completely unnecessary.

As for whether seafood can be eaten, which is the most frequently asked question, doctors from different departments have different opinions. Most ophthalmologists and Western medicine doctors think that as long as you are not allergic to it, you can eat it casually. Steamed shrimps and fish are more nutritious.； However, doctors from the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine sometimes advise not to eat cold foods such as crabs and oysters in the first three days after surgery. They are afraid that some people’s gastrointestinal intolerance will cause diarrhea and increased abdominal pressure will affect eye wounds. In fact, this completely depends on the individual’s physical constitution. If you usually eat three or four crabs without diarrhea, you will be fine if you eat one crab after surgery.

In fact, cataract surgeries are now minimally invasive surgeries. Most of the incisions are only 2-3 mm. No stitches are needed. The recovery is very fast. You really don’t have to worry too much about diet. I chatted with the nurses in the operating room. Their families had cataract surgeries. They drank some warm millet porridge on the day after the surgery. The next day, they ate home-cooked food as usual, with less pepper and less salt. They ate fish, eggs, and vegetables. Within a week, they went out for a normal walk. They were not so particular at all. To put it bluntly, as long as you don't make yourself uncomfortable by eating, don't pretend to eat spicy or allergic foods, and eat whatever else you want, you will be in a good mood and recover faster.