Driving after cataract surgery: when it is safe and what the rules say

After cataract surgery you can drive again when your vision is back to normal and you meet the legal eyesight standard for driving. The NHS does not give a number of days. Its advice is to not drive until your vision is back to normal, and to not drive yourself home on the day, because the operation is usually done under local anaesthetic and the drops used to widen the pupil blur vision for a few hours.

Many people reach the standard within days, but that is a judgement about your own sight, not a rule about elapsed time. Your surgeon or optician can tell you whether your vision is good enough, and the simple number plate check described below is one way to test it yourself.

The NHS cataract surgery page says you should be able to go home on the same day, that you should not drive yourself home, and that most people recover quickly. After surgery your vision may be blurry for a few hours, because of the eye drops used to widen your pupils; your eye may hurt for a few days; you may need a plastic shield to protect your eye at night; and it may take several days for vision to improve.

It says you will usually need to take eye drops for about 4 weeks, that you may still need glasses for reading or seeing long distances, and that your prescription may be different to before surgery. The same page lists, as things to avoid until the eye is back to normal or your doctor says otherwise, rubbing your eye, heavy lifting, playing sports, eye make-up, getting water in the eye and swimming, as well as driving.

It also says to wear sunglasses if lights seem brighter than normal. That detail matters for driving, because bright or low sun can be a particular problem when the eye is recovering.

GOV.UK's driving eyesight rules say you must be able to read a number plate from 20 metres away (about the length of 5 parked cars), wearing glasses or contact lenses if you use them for driving. You must also meet the minimum eyesight standard for driving, a visual acuity of at least decimal 0.5 (6/12) on the Snellen scale, with glasses or contact lenses if necessary, using both eyes together or, if you have sight in one eye only, in that eye. You must also have an adequate field of vision, which an optician can test.

It says you could be prosecuted if you drive without meeting the standards of vision for driving. It also says you must wear glasses or contact lenses every time you drive if you need them to meet the standards. That is relevant after cataract surgery, because your prescription may change and an old pair of glasses may no longer meet the standard.

The DVLA's medical guide for professionals sets out the same minimums in more detail: in good daylight, reading the registration mark at 20 metres (or 20.5 metres for a car registered before 1 September 2001), visual acuity of at least Snellen 6/12 with both eyes open, and a minimum field of vision. It adds that any driver unable to meet these standards must not drive and must notify DVLA.

In its list of visual disorders, the DVLA's guide says cataract is often safe to drive with and may not need to be notified to DVLA, as long as the minimum standards for all drivers are met. It specifically notes that glare may counter an ability to pass the number plate test of the minimum requirements, even when cataracts allow apparently appropriate acuities. In practice that means a good reading on a chart does not by itself settle whether you can pass the number plate test in real conditions.

GOV.UK says you must tell DVLA if you have any problem with your eyesight that affects both eyes, or the remaining eye if you have only one, and that this does not include being short or long sighted or colour blind. It also says you do not need to say if you have had surgery to correct short sightedness and can meet the eyesight standards. Cataract is not named in that GOV.UK page, so the more specific DVLA guide above, and the DVLA's A to Z of medical conditions that it refers to, are the places to check whether your own situation needs reporting.

The NHS says that if you have cataracts in both eyes, they will be treated on separate days. Between operations your vision will depend on both the operated eye and the untreated one, and the same legal standard applies: you must meet the number plate test and the acuity requirement with both eyes together. Whether you meet it in the gap is a question for your optician or surgeon.

The sources read for this page do not give separate rules for driving between the two operations, so rely on a vision check rather than assuming.

A practical check is the number plate test: on a bright day, with your usual glasses if you wear them, can you read a number plate at about the length of five parked cars? If you are unsure, or you see halos or glare around lights, ask your surgeon, optician or the clinic before driving. The standard is a legal one, and GOV.UK says you could be prosecuted for driving without meeting it, so the responsibility for meeting it is the driver's.

Insurance is a related question. The sources read for this page do not set out an insurer's rules for cataract surgery, so it is sensible to ask your insurer if you are unsure.

If your vision suddenly becomes worse, do not drive. The NHS says to get help from NHS 111 if floaters suddenly appear or increase, you get flashes of light, you have a dark curtain or shadow moving across your vision, or your vision gets suddenly blurred, as these could be signs of a detached retina. It says to go to an optician if your vision gets cloudy or blurry, you are finding it hard to focus, your eye becomes red or painful, or you find it uncomfortable or painful to look at bright light.