Can I Play Golf After Cataract Surgery?

The short answer to this question is yes, you absolutely can play golf after cataract surgery. However, it’s important to know that even though a cataract operation only takes a few minutes to perform, it still causes tissue trauma that needs to be allowed to heal. 

So while golf will definitely be back on the agenda, you will need to allow adequate time for recovery to take place.

Cataract Surgery, Golf, and Other Sports: What You Need to Know

• How cataracts affect your game
• Can I play golf after cataract surgery? After two weeks, you probably can…

How cataracts affect your game

While cataracts take many years to develop, when they do eventually start to have an impact then they can cause subtle differences to your golf game. Your technique, naturally, plays a huge part in your ability to hit straight and true—but this requires you to first be able to see a clear passage to where you want the ball to land…

As cataracts progress, you lose certain visual abilities. These include:

• Colors become yellowed.
• The world isn’t quite so clear.
• It becomes more difficult to judge distance.
• Your vision might become blurred.

When it comes to golf, you may well find it harder to track the flight of the ball—especially if it’s overcast. You may also find that, as cataracts progress, they make it more difficult for you to judge depth. The loss of this perception makes it more difficult for you to know how hard to hit the ball.

Your brain-eye connection changes as cataracts become more formed, and it’s this that can cause many subtle (or not-so-subtle) reductions in your golf game. But… Fear not! Because the answer is a simple one. All you need is cataract surgery and, once recovered, you’ll be back on the links in no time.

Can I play golf after cataract surgery? After two weeks, you probably can…

While you’ll need to take care during the recovery period, you’ll be glad to know that the vast majority of people can be back on the golf course after a couple of weeks or so. In fact, as long as you take care to follow your surgeon’s instructions regarding bending forward (because this puts pressure on the eye), the gentle exercise you get from walking around on the golf course will actively aid recovery.

However… This two-week timescale isn’t set in stone. You must follow your ophthalmologist’s recovery instructions to the letter. If you’ve needed a more complex procedure or you have coexisting medical conditions, then you might need to wait a little longer. 

Another element to consider is that you shouldn’t be picking up anything heavy for a few weeks—and that includes your golf clubs. But hey… It’s a good excuse to get someone else to do the heavy lifting for a while (or to hire a golf buggy rather than walk from hole to hole…)

Whatever the trajectory of your recovery, you’ll soon be back on the green within a few weeks—and enjoying the improvement in your game that your brand-new vision provides.

Need Cataract Care? Get the Best Treatment at the WBEC

Whether you’re keen to get back to golf as fast as possible or you’ve got the most complex of cataract needs, the West Boca Eye Center offers world-beating clinical expertise for cataracts and every eye condition.

Perhaps your newborn has been diagnosed with congenital cataracts… Maybe you have multiple coexisting conditions that make your surgery more complex or you want the latest, cutting-edge treatment that means you’ll be perfecting your golf swing before you know it. When it comes to treating cataracts, our clinical team is one of the best in the world.

Discover more about why so many people entrust their precious eyesight and cataract surgery to the WBEC at https://westbocaeyecenter.com/services/cataract-surgery/