Is blurry vision normal after trabeculectomy?

What's normal

Blurry vision is one of the most expected findings after trabeculectomy. The American Academy of Ophthalmology says your vision may be blurry for several weeks and that you may need a new eyeglass prescription once your eye heals, usually in 6 to 8 weeks. The Glaucoma Research Foundation describes vision changes such as blurred vision for about six weeks after surgery, after which vision usually returns to the same level as before. BrightFocus Foundation gives a similar range of two to six weeks for the eye to recover vision.

There are several reasons at once. The eye is inflamed, the drops themselves blur vision, the surgery changes the front surface shape of the eye so your old glasses are wrong, and the eye pressure is often much lower than the eye is used to. As the pressure and the surface settle, the blur usually settles with it.

Typically worst in week 1, clearly improving by weeks 3 to 6, with a new glasses prescription usually measured around 6 to 8 weeks per AAO.

When it stops being normal

A sudden decrease or loss of vision is different from slow blur and should be treated as an emergency. The American Academy of Ophthalmology lists vision loss among the risks of trabeculectomy and says to contact your doctor right away if the eye is red or painful.

Blur that is getting worse rather than better, or blur that arrives with pain, redness, and discharge, needs a same day call. EyeWiki notes that in blebitis vision may be mildly reduced, while in bleb associated endophthalmitis it is markedly decreased.