When can I bend over and lift things after YAG laser capsulotomy?

After cataract surgery, the AAO advises avoiding lifting weights or other heavy objects and not putting your head below your waist, such as in yoga positions, because those raise eye pressure while the eye heals. Many people assume the same rules apply to the follow-up laser. Published AAO guidance does not carry them over: for a posterior capsulotomy it states that typically there are no activity restrictions, while asking you to check with your surgeon.

The difference again comes down to there being no incision. Bending and straining raise pressure inside the eye, which matters when a wound is still sealing. The YAG laser leaves the surface of the eye untouched, so there is no incision for a pressure surge to stress.

Eye pressure is still worth knowing about after this laser, just for a different reason. The AAO's clinical guidance reports a temporary pressure rise of more than 10 mmHg in roughly 15 to 67 percent of eyes, usually handled with a drop given right after treatment and a pressure check the same day. That is a treatment effect, not something bending causes. If you have glaucoma, ask your ophthalmologist whether they want any extra caution in the first days.