Exercise guide
A detached retina is when the thin, light-sensitive layer at the back of your eye comes loose, and it needs treating quickly. After surgery to repair it, walking is usually fine within days, but harder exercise, heavy lifting and swimming wait a few weeks, and the first week or so is shaped by head positioning, called posturing. If your surgeon put a gas bubble in your eye, a few rules are absolute until it has gone: no flying, no high altitude, no scuba diving and no nitrous oxide.
Eye units agree on those gas rules, but their timings for lifting, swimming and sport differ, so your surgeon's instructions come first. This guide explains why the rules exist and how long the gases last, how to keep moving in your posturing breaks, which exercises to leave out while gas or oil is in your eye, and the symptoms that need help straight away. Most people get back to all their usual activities.
One operation reattaches the retina in about 80% to 90% of people, and around 1 in 10 need more than one. The National Health Service (NHS) says recovery takes about 2 to 6 weeks, and most people are eventually able to return to all their normal activities.
Eye units agree: no flying, high altitude, scuba diving or nitrous oxide ("gas and air") until your eye team confirms the gas has gone. That takes from about 1 to 2 weeks for air to up to 12 weeks for the longest-lasting gas. Two leaflets, from the Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre and Hull, put the altitude limit at 1,220 metres (4,000 feet).
Usually up to 7 to 10 days, for 45 to 50 minutes of every hour, with 10 to 15 minute breaks. The position depends on where the tear is, and trials found only small differences between positions, so your surgeon's instructions are the ones to follow.
Moorfields Eye Hospital says light, gentle exercise such as walking is safe after surgery, and the Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre suggests gentle exercises in your breaks to stay comfortable and keep your circulation going. While gas or oil is in your eye, don't lie on your back, including for exercise.
Leaflets give 1 to 4 weeks for strenuous exercise, heavy lifting and straining, and 1 to 8 weeks for swimming. The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) says full-contact sports such as boxing and martial arts aren't recommended after the operation.
Call the hospital or go to A&E (accident and emergency) if pain, redness or blurring gets worse after surgery. New floaters, flashes or a shadow in either eye need urgent help: about 1 in 8 people with a detachment get one in the other eye.
In a detachment, fluid gets through a tear in the retina and lifts it away from the back of the eye, "a bit like a bubble in wallpaper", Moorfields says. Without treatment, it usually leads to blindness in that eye, which is why RNIB calls it an emergency.
Most follow a posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), when the gel inside the eye shrinks with age and pulls away from the retina, sometimes tearing it. Moorfields says a detachment is unlikely to be caused by anything you have done. It's more likely if you're short-sighted, have had eye surgery such as cataract surgery, have had a blow to the eye, have a family history, or have had a detachment in the other eye.
About 12 in every 100,000 people a year worldwide, across 33 studies. RNIB says 10 to 15 in every 100,000 people a year, most often between the ages of 40 and 70.
Vitrectomy, the most common in the UK, removes the gel and fills the eye with gas, air or silicone oil, which holds the retina in place while the tear seals; Moorfields says the seal takes about 10 days to form. A scleral buckle is a small band sewn to the outside of the eye, usually left there for good. Pneumatic retinopexy injects a gas bubble without removing the gel, and isn't often done in the UK. Most operations are done under local anaesthetic.
Moorfields reports an 85% to 90% success rate with one operation, Norwich's leaflet gives about 80% nationally, and RNIB says around 1 in 10 people need more than one operation. How well your sight recovers depends on whether the centre of the retina came off, and for how long. RNIB says the eye usually takes 6 to 12 weeks to recover, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) says the retina may still be healing for a year or more.
After a gas bubble or oil, it's usual to develop a cataract in that eye within about a year. Our cataract surgery guide covers exercise after that operation.
In a UK trial of 239 people whose central retina had come off, 24 hours face down left fewer people with the retina slightly out of place at 6 months than positioning to support the tear (42% against 56%), with similar vision and less double vision. Reviews of 7 and 10 studies found little or no difference in vision or reattachment between positioning regimens, with low certainty, and face down brought more neck pain and rises in eye pressure. In 270 people with lower tears, 1 day face down did as well as a week.
In a 1984 trial of 108 people after buckle surgery, going straight back to full activity gave the same results at a year as 6 weeks of avoiding bending, lifting, straining, driving, sex, gardening, sport and work. It's old and involved no gas bubble, so it isn't a reason to ignore your leaflet, but it supports walking and normal daily movement early.
Source 24
In a pressure chamber, about a month after surgery, eye pressure doubled on average at 8,000 feet in 12 eyes with small gas bubbles, and rose less with a scleral buckle. On a low-altitude flight, one person with a large bubble had their eye pressure rise from 16 to 49 mmHg (millimetres of mercury), without pain. One man lost sight on a mountain trip at 6,210 feet, and a woman lost her vision, with pain, on a flight after surgery with an air bubble. A 2026 model suggested flying could be safe sooner than leaflets say, but it is theoretical, and standard practice is no flying until the gas has gone.
Nitrous oxide is 34 times more soluble than nitrogen, so it rushes into a gas bubble from the blood and makes it swell. A 71-year-old man lost all sight in his eye after an operation under nitrous oxide anaesthesia with gas still in the eye.
Source 32
Leaning on the elbows for days of face-down posturing damaged the nerve to the little finger in one reported case. Silicone oil broke into droplets within 3 months in a woman doing daily high-intensity CrossFit training, and the authors suggest stricter, longer limits with oil. An exercise band that struck the eye caused a large retinal hole and a detachment in a short-sighted teenager. These are single cases.
Posturing means keeping your head in a set position so the bubble floats up and presses on the tear while it heals. Positions include sitting upright, face down, and lying on one side, depending on where the tear is.
Your surgeon sets the position and how long to keep it, and leaflets differ:
Neck ache is common: Birmingham suggests a warm bath or gentle massage, and RNIB says a nurse at the eye clinic may have tips for managing your posturing. Our suggestions: change your arm position and pad your elbows rather than leaning on them for hours, and use every break to get up and move.
Only if your eye team agrees, and keep your head in position. The ankle circles page's dose is 10 slow circles each way with each foot, which you could repeat every hour (our suggestion), and the seated march page's is 1 to 2 minutes as a warm-up.
Head upright, in your 10 to 15 minute break: walk about your home, then do a few of these, or our 3-minute desk movement break workout, which uses the first five (our selection; skip anything your eye team has told you not to do). The shoulder rolls page's dose is 10 to 15 slow circles each way, once or twice through, as part of a warm-up, and the side neck stretch page's is to hold 5 to 10 seconds, 2 to 4 times each side.
3D demoSit to stand from a chairBeginner · A bench or box
3D demoSlow calf raiseBeginner · A wall
3D demoStanding marchBeginner · No equipment
3D demoThoracic rotationBeginner · No equipment
3D demoChin tuckBeginner · No equipment
3D demoShoulder rollsBeginner · No equipment
3D demoSide neck stretchBeginner · No equipment
3D demoSeated upper-back lift (sit tall, shoulders back)Beginner · A bench or box
3D demoSlow breathing (6 breaths a minute)Beginner · No equipmentThe bubble acts as a splint, holding the retina in place while the tear seals. Your vision through it is very blurred; as it shrinks, you'll see a line like a spirit level that moves down until the bubble disappears.
You'll be told which gas you have. Leaflets give:
Many units give you a wristband to wear until the gas has gone, so that anyone treating you knows it's there.
Eye units agree. South Tees explains that cabin pressure drops to about two thirds of normal, so the bubble expands to about one and a half times its size, which raises eye pressure, is very painful and can cause sight loss. You can fly once your eye team confirms the gas has gone. Moorfields gives fixed times: 2 weeks for air, 4 for SF6, 8 for C2F6 and 12 for C3F8.
Two leaflets, from the Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre and Hull, say no activities above 1,220 metres (4,000 feet) while gas is in the eye, and the AAO says no high altitudes. South Tees warns that the same thing happens, to a lesser extent, if you travel by road across mountains: the eye may hurt as you climb, and settle as you come down the other side. Our suggestion: plan journeys and walks that stay low.
Oil doesn't expand, so Birmingham and Norwich allow flying with it, but Moorfields asks you not to fly for 2 weeks after the oil goes in unless your consultant clears you. Ask your unit.
The UK Diving Medical Committee says diving with any trace of a gas bubble in the eye is ruled out.
Nitrous oxide is used as "gas and air" in labour and in A&E, and in some anaesthetics. With gas in your eye, it makes the bubble swell and can cause blindness. Tell any midwife, A&E team or anaesthetist that you have gas in your eye, and keep your wristband on until the gas has gone.
Units say don't lie on your back while gas or silicone oil is in your eye. That rules out exercises done lying face up for now: bridges, dead bugs, lying twists and stretches, legs up the wall, floor Pilates and the bench press.
If you practise getting up and down from the floor, stop at lying on your side until your eye team says the gas or oil has gone (our suggestion).
Source 5
The dates are your eye team's; this is the usual order.
Some people are asked to posture before surgery, to stop the detachment affecting more of the retina. Rest as you're told.
Source 17
Hold the position for most of each hour, and use each break to walk about and do gentle exercises. Moorfields says your mobility will be limited, but you can walk about in your break.
Our editorial starting point: walk on most days, building from about 10 to 30 minutes, indoors or on even ground while your vision is blurred. No strenuous exercise, heavy lifting, straining or swimming yet.
Most leaflets lift the limits on heavy lifting and strenuous exercise between 2 and 4 weeks: Hull at 2 weeks, Lothian at 3, and Birmingham and Calderdale and Huddersfield at 4. Our suggestion: start with light strength work and a steady exercise bike.
Back to your usual exercise and sport, step by step. RNIB says once your eye has healed, you can usually continue the sports or activities you enjoy.
The gas rules don't apply. Follow your leaflet for lifting and swimming.
Don't lie on your back while the oil is in. In one reported case, oil broke up early in a woman doing daily high-intensity training, so our suggestion is to ask your team before very hard training while the oil is in.
Within your leaflet's limits: walk on most days, building from 10 to 30 minutes, and keep strength light, 1 to 2 sets of 8 to 12, breathing out (our editorial starting point). The recumbent bike page's dose is 10 to 20 minutes at a moderate effort to start, building towards 30, once your strenuous limits end. Use a treadmill only once your balance feels steady, and do the balance moves next to a counter while the gas blurs your vision (our suggestions).
3D demoTreadmill walkingBeginner · Cardio machine
3D demoRecumbent exercise bikeBeginner · Cardio machine3D demoSit to stand from a chairBeginner · A bench or box
3D demoWall push-upBeginner · A wall3D demoSlow calf raiseBeginner · A wall
3D demoSemi-tandem stanceBeginner · A wall
3D demoSide-stepping (sideways walking)Beginner · A wallLeaflets differ:
Moorfields eye surgeons write that coughing or straining causes only a small, short rise in eye pressure. Lothian suggests drinking plenty of water and eating fibre, to avoid straining on the toilet.
From 1 to 2 weeks (the AAO) to at least 4 weeks (St Helens, Calderdale and Huddersfield) to 8 weeks (Hull). Never scuba dive with any gas left in your eye.
Avoid it while you recover. Long term, RNIB says full-contact sports that may lead to a blow to the eye, such as boxing, kick-boxing and martial arts, aren't recommended after retinal reattachment surgery. While the retina's strength is uncertain, the AAO also suggests avoiding bungee jumping, bumper cars and skydiving.
A direct blow to the eye can cause a detachment, and RNIB suggests eye protection for DIY, gardening and sport. For racket sports, that means eyewear made for them (our suggestion).
The NHS says most people are eventually able to return to all their normal activities.
Moorfields says most detachments are part of the natural ageing of the eye and unlikely to be caused by anything you have done. RNIB says retinal detachment does not happen as a result of straining your eyes, bending or heavy lifting, though a direct blow to the eye can cause one.
In a study of short-sighted people (61 with a detachment, 99 without), those who did heavy lifting at work had about 4 times the odds of a detachment. In 49,321 Swedish men, the heaviest lifting at work carried about twice the risk, even allowing for short sight. But among Danish working men, heavy lifters had no more detachments than other manual workers. None of these studies looked at exercise, or at lifting after repair.
We found no study showing that running or gym exercise causes detachment. What can is a direct blow to the eye, so wear eye protection for sports with a ball, racket or contact (our suggestion).
Source 17
RNIB says people can usually go back to their normal everyday activities after laser or freezing treatment for a tear, and the scar that seals it takes about 14 days to form. The AAO says flying is typically safe after laser for a tear, because no gas is involved. Our suggestion: ask your eye team before contact sport or heavy lifting in those 2 weeks.
PVD is common with age and isn't painful. About 10 to 15 in 100 people with it develop a tear, most often when symptoms first start and in the first 6 weeks. RNIB says most people with PVD can carry on with their normal day-to-day activities with no restrictions. Some eye doctors advise avoiding high-impact exercise in the first 6 weeks, though there's no evidence either way, so ask yours.
The AAO says you can fly with flashes and floaters, and flying won't make them worse, but get new symptoms checked first.
Source 36
RNIB says that with poor vision in one eye, your balance may be affected and you have less depth perception, so you may misjudge steps and kerbs. Our suggestion: take stairs slowly, hold the handrail and walk on even ground until your vision clears.
Source 17
RNIB says it's unlikely your vision will be good enough to drive safely while you have a gas bubble, and many eye doctors think it unwise even if your other eye meets the legal standard. Ask your eye team when you can drive.
Until your eye team lifts each limit.
Bridges, dead bugs, lying twists and stretches, legs up the wall, happy baby, floor Pilates and the bench press.
Barbell squats and deadlifts, the bench press, heavy leg presses, overhead presses and kettlebell swings.
Burpees, jump squats, box jumps, skipping, jumping jacks and jogging: Calderdale and Huddersfield say no high-impact exercise for 4 weeks.
Our move pages already say to leave out head-down positions, such as downward dog and inversions, after recent eye surgery until your eye team says they are safe.
Swimming after your unit's wait (1 to 8 weeks), no scuba diving with any gas in the eye, and no contact sport while you recover.
Our suggestions. While posturing, the 3-minute desk break fits inside your hourly break. After posturing, the chair workout and the walking workouts, with light weights only until your lifting limit ends; the bike ride when strenuous limits end; the strength and balance workout once lifting is allowed, stopping its floor practice at lying on your side while gas or oil is in; the swim workout after your unit's swimming wait. Skip routines that lie you on your back while gas or oil is in your eye, such as floor stretching and Pilates workouts.
A 3-minute standing break to repeat every 30 to 60 minutes at your desk: sit-to-stands, calf raises, marching, an upper-back turn and chin tucks.
3 minBeginner5 movesA bench or box, A wallA 20-minute seated workout for older adults who cannot stand for long: marching, leg and arm strength, posture, and sit-to-stands that lead back to standing.
20 minBeginner11 movesA bench or box, Something with weightA steady 30 to 45 minute cardio session at talk-but-not-sing pace: walk, cycle, row or cross-train, counting toward weekly activity guidelines.
40 minBeginner3 movesCardio machine, A wallA 10-minute routine for straight after a meal: an easy walk, a few simple standing moves from blood sugar trials, then a short walk to finish.
10 minBeginner6 movesCardio machine, A bench or boxA steady bike ride for a first triathlon or fitness: 5 to 10 minutes easy, a ride you can talk through, optional short faster bursts and an easy cool-down.
45 minBeginner4 movesCardio machine, A wallA 40-minute strength and balance session for over-65s, built from the Otago home programme and NHS exercises, using a chair, a counter and a step.
40 minBeginner18 movesA bench or box, Something with weightA 30 to 45-minute beginner pool swim: a shoulder warm-up on the side, easy lengths, a main set of repeats with rests, and an easy swim down, any stroke.
35 minBeginner5 movesOther / check instructionsThis is general information, not a diagnosis. In the US, call 911 where this page says 999, and see an eye doctor urgently where it says NHS 111.
The NHS says call the hospital or go to A&E if the pain, redness or blurriness gets worse after surgery. Leaflets also list:
Severe eye pain or loss of vision while going uphill, such as in a car over hills or mountains, or after any anaesthetic, needs urgent help: tell the staff you have gas in your eye (our wording, from the leaflets).
Get help from NHS 111 if floaters suddenly appear or increase, you see flashes of light, a dark curtain or shadow moves across your vision, or your sight suddenly blurs. These can be signs of a detached retina. The NHS says you can get a detached retina more than once, and about 1 in 8 people with one get one in the other eye. If a dark shadow or curtain spreads across your vision, or you suddenly lose vision, go to A&E without delay.
Ask for an urgent GP (general practitioner) appointment or get help from NHS 111 if you have blurred or double vision, flashing lights or shapes, a dark shadow moving across your vision, pain in one or both eyes, or an eye that's red and painful. Go to A&E or call 999 if you suddenly can't see from one or both eyes, or suddenly have severe eye pain.
Source 43
Moorfields says get help immediately if you notice new floaters, flashing lights, or a change in vision like a curtain coming across.
Source 40
Numbness or tingling in your ring and little fingers can come from leaning on your elbows: change position, pad your elbows and tell your eye team (our suggestion). For neck ache, Birmingham suggests a warm bath or gentle massage.
Call 999 (911 in the US) for chest pain, severe difficulty breathing or someone who collapses during or after exercise. Our heart disease guide lists the signs.
The number on your discharge leaflet first (the eye ward or eye casualty), then A&E or NHS 111. RNIB's helpline is on 0303 123 9999.
Moorfields calls posturing the hardest part of the recovery, but the most important. RNIB suggests telling your eye doctor or GP if you're worried about coping, as they may be able to arrange some help. Our suggestion: plan your breaks, and line up audiobooks, radio or company for the long stretches.
If you feel you can't keep yourself safe, call 999 or go to A&E. For urgent mental health help, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option, or call Samaritans free on 116 123, any time. In the US, call or text 988.
Most detachments come from age-related changes in the gel inside the eye, and RNIB says straining, bending and heavy lifting don't cause them. Studies of heavy lifting at work disagree, and none looked at exercise. A direct blow to the eye can cause one.
Positions vary (upright, face down, or on one side), usually for up to 7 to 10 days, for 45 to 50 minutes of every hour, with 10 to 15 minute breaks. In the best trial, a day of face-down positioning made small differences to where the retina settled, not to vision.
The gas lasts weeks: from about 1 to 2 weeks for air to up to 12 weeks for C3F8. Don't fly until your eye team confirms it has gone.
South Tees says the same thing happens, to a lesser extent, if you travel by road across mountains. Two leaflets say no activities above 1,220 metres (4,000 feet), and a man lost sight on a mountain trip at 6,210 feet.
Oil doesn't expand, so many units allow flying with it, though Moorfields asks for 2 weeks unless your consultant clears you. Ask your unit.
Moorfields says light, gentle exercise such as walking is safe after surgery, and you can walk about in posturing breaks. In an old trial after buckle surgery, full activity straight away did as well as 6 weeks of restriction.
Coughing and straining cause only a small, short rise in eye pressure. Leaflets still advise avoiding heavy straining for 2 to 3 weeks, and preventing constipation.
RNIB says once your eye has healed, you can usually continue the sports or activities you enjoy; the exception is full-contact sport such as boxing and martial arts. The NHS says most people are eventually able to return to all their normal activities.
The AAO says you can fly with flashes and floaters and flying won't make them worse, but get new symptoms checked first, ideally before the flight.
Source 36
Walking is usually fine within days. Harder exercise and heavy lifting usually wait 1 to 4 weeks, and swimming 1 to 8 weeks, depending on your eye unit, and your eye team sets the dates. With a gas bubble, flying, altitude and scuba diving wait until the gas has gone.
Yes. Moorfields Eye Hospital says light, gentle exercise such as walking is safe after surgery. While posturing, walk about in your hourly breaks, and take care with steps and kerbs while the gas blurs your vision.
Usually up to 7 to 10 days, for 45 to 50 minutes of every hour, with 10 to 15 minute breaks. The position depends on where the tear is, so follow your surgeon's instructions.
Cabin pressure falls to about two thirds of normal, so the bubble expands to about one and a half times its size and eye pressure rises, which can cause severe pain and sight loss. You can fly once your eye team confirms the gas has gone.
From about 1 to 2 weeks for air to up to 12 weeks for the longest-lasting gas. You'll be told which gas you have, and you may be given a wristband to wear until it's gone.
Not while gas is in your eye. Two NHS leaflets say no activities above 1,220 metres (4,000 feet), and another warns that driving across mountains can cause eye pain. Scuba diving is ruled out too.
Most leaflets say no heavy lifting or straining for 2 to 4 weeks. Then build up gradually with moderate weights, and while gas or oil is in your eye, avoid exercises lying on your back, such as the bench press.
Not while gas or silicone oil is in your eye: units say don't lie on your back. Choose seated or standing exercises instead.
Leaflets range from 1 to 2 weeks to 8 weeks, so follow yours. Never go scuba diving with any gas left in your eye.
Most detachments come from age-related changes in the gel inside the eye, and RNIB says straining, bending and heavy lifting don't cause them. Studies of heavy lifting at work disagree, and none looked at exercise. A direct blow to the eye can cause one, so wear eye protection for contact and racket sports.
Avoid it while you recover. RNIB says full-contact sports such as boxing, kick-boxing and martial arts aren't recommended after retinal reattachment surgery.
Nitrous oxide ("gas and air" in labour or A&E, and some anaesthetics) makes the gas bubble swell and can cause blindness. Tell any midwife, A&E team or anaesthetist that you have gas in your eye, and keep your wristband on.
Exercise education, not a diagnosis or treatment plan, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Stop and get advice for chest pain, unusual breathlessness, dizziness or fainting, or new pain, and check with your doctor or midwife first if they have told you to limit activity. Health disclaimer.
