As a summary of “red flag” scenarios, here’s when you should promptly call your eye doctor (day or night). Severe pain – not just scratchiness, but true pain not relieved by Tylenol, etc., or pain that’s increasing rather than decreasing. That’s not normal and could signal high pressure or infection. Significant loss of vision – if suddenly you cannot see as well, or a portion of your vision goes missing (like that curtain sign for detachment), or things were clear and now very blurry and getting worse. A lot of redness and swelling – some red is normal, but if your eye becomes very red, lids puffy, with perhaps discharge, and especially with pain or decreased vision, that’s urgent. Persistent nausea and vomiting – this can be a sign of very high eye pressure (acute glaucoma), especially if the eye hurts and vision is off. Though rare after cataract, it could happen if pressure spikes from retained viscoelastic, etc. Flashes and floaters new onset – as discussed, could indicate retinal tear/detachment, so even if vision is still okay, call and report that to be seen quickly. No improvement or getting worse – if a week has gone by and you feel not improved at all or worse than day 1, it’s worth a call. Also, any gut feeling that “something’s really wrong” – you know your body. The doctor expects calls for these things. They usually provide an after-hours number or service for emergencies. Don’t wait until your next appointment if these happen on a weekend, for example. Quick action can save vision. On the flip side, if it’s mild issues (like slight irritation or a question about drops), those can wait for office hours. But things like “pain 8/10 and vision foggy” at 10pm on Friday – call the on-call doctor. Typically, they’ll either say go to a specific hospital ER where an ophthalmologist can treat you, or meet you next morning first thing, or in some cases come out at night to their office if critical. They might also instruct you to do something like increase steroid drops in case of inflammation vs. see them. But you won’t be bothering them – cataract surgeons want to know if a patient might be having a complication so they can intervene. So remember: any symptom that is severe, sudden, or scary – don’t hesitate to reach out immediately.