Recovering from LASIK Surgery

Your Recovery

After the procedure, your vision will probably be a little blurry at first. But it should clear in a few days. Know that your eye still needs time to heal. During that time, a shield may be placed over your eye to protect the cornea. This shield should be worn according to your doctor’s instructions. Your doctor may also give you one or more types of eyedrops to help control pain, prevent infection, and promote healing. Your doctor will give you a schedule for using your eyedrops. To help prevent complications, be sure to follow the schedule exactly.

Tips for Your Recovery

To help get the best results, follow your doctor’s instructions. The tips below may help you.

Do’s

Have someone drive you home after LASIK. You won’t see clearly enough to drive. Use your eyedrops exactly as directed and keep all follow-up visits with your eye doctor. Wear sunglasses when you’re outdoors-your eye may be sensitive to bright light until it heals. Protect your eye from getting bumped as it heals.

Don’ts

Don’t rub or bump your eye. Touching or rubbing your eye may prevent the healing layer of cornea from reattaching properly. Don’t plan to return to work until your doctor says it’s OK, usually in a day or two. Don’t drive until your vision clears. Don’t go swimming, sit in a whirlpool or hot tub, play active sports, or wear eye makeup until advised by your doctor.

Your Follow-up Visits

After the procedure, your eye doctor regularly checks that your cornea is healing properly. Depending on how your eye heals, a second LASIK treatment (called enhancement) may be needed to bring your vision even closer to normal. In some cases, glasses or contacts may still be needed, but with a much weaker prescription. Your doctor may wait to see the results of your first LASIK before treating your other eye.