Is blurry vision normal after cataract surgery?

What's normal

The American Academy of Ophthalmology says it is very common to have blurry or unclear vision in the days and sometimes even weeks after cataract removal, and that most of the time this is caused by normal swelling in the eye which occurs as a part of surgery. Anti-inflammatory drops prescribed by your surgeon are what treat that swelling.

Improvement is usually fast at first and then gradual. The AAO says most people see better within a few days, with full healing taking about 4 to 6 weeks, and the National Eye Institute says most people are completely healed at 8 weeks. Vision also tends to be blurrier for near or far tasks until you get a new glasses prescription, which the AAO says is generally measured once vision stabilizes at 2 to 3 weeks.

Blurriest on day 1, clearly better within a few days, mostly settled by 2 to 3 weeks, fully healed around 4 to 8 weeks.

When it stops being normal

The American Academy of Ophthalmology advises consulting your doctor if the blurriness does not subside after a week. People with existing cornea disease may take up to a month, so tell your surgeon if that applies to you.

Blur that is getting worse instead of better, or blur combined with increasing pain, a very red eye, or new flashes and floaters, is not the normal pattern. The National Eye Institute lists vision loss as a reason to contact your doctor right away. StatPearls notes that endophthalmitis, a rare eye infection, presents with decreased visual acuity, red eye, and pain in the early weeks after surgery and needs urgent treatment.