I’m posting on behalf of my sister, who recently had cataract surgery on both eyes—one on May 23 and the other on May 30. She had Alcon IQ Toric lenses implanted for distance.
Her recovery has been smooth except for two issues: periodic headaches and persistent dry eyes. The dry eyes started a few days after the second surgery and cause scratchiness, soreness, and a feeling like her eyeballs are too big for their sockets. The headaches, centered around her forehead and under her eyes, feel like eyestrain or tension headaches, different from her past migraines.
She’s using OTC artificial tears (Systane, Soothe, Refresh) about four times a day and taking flaxseed oil capsules. For the headaches, she meditates and takes her migraine meds (sumatriptan) and OTC migraine pills as needed.
She knows dry eyes are common after cataract surgery but would like to hear about others’ experiences. Did you have similar symptoms? Did you also get headaches? How long did it take for your symptoms to resolve, and what treatments helped?
She has a follow-up with her surgeon in a week and a half. Any advice would be appreciated!