Your Recovery After LASIK (Stop Annoying Your Friends!)

Your Recovery After LASIK (Stop Annoying Your Friends!)

 

Post Lasik recovery after Lasik

Don’t annoy your friends after LASIK

I’ve had LASIK myself.

Though an experienced Lasik surgeon for 16 years, this is written from my perspective as an actual Lasik patient.

Can I Drive after LASIK?

You cannot drive yourself home post LASIK eye surgery so you will need to have a friend take you home. Give them some notice so they can plan. The morning after LASIK is a different story.  Most likely you will be seeing fine by the next morning so you can give your friends a break and drive yourself.

However, if you feel light sensitive or if your vision is healing more slowly, then it would be wise to delay driving until you and your eye doctor feel it is prudent.  In this case, its back to asking your friend for help on more time.

Post LASIK and Dry Eyes

It is likely that you will have some dry eye symptoms during your LASIK recovery.  Dry eyes can make your vision inconsistent during the early healing phases.  One moment your will be able to see the cracks in crags on horse-tooth rock and the next it is a blob.

The clear moments show you how you will end up while the blurry moments arise because you have dry spots in the center of your eye.  These blurry moments are managed with tear drops.  Some need to use these frequently while other hardly need them.  I used the tear drops a couple times a day for the first few weeks and then didn’t need them.

After LASIK Reading Glasses

If you are younger than 44 then you will probably not need reading glasses during your LASIK recovery.  If you are older than that and set both of your eyes for distance vision, then you should plan on having some post LASIK reading glasses.

Often you need a stronger reading glasses strength the first few weeks than you will need once you heal so I would recommend an inexpensive pair of over the counter cheaters to get you by.

Your laser eye surgeon can help you choose the correct reading glasses after LASIK.  If you pick up a pair of LASIK reading glasses before your laser eye surgery, then you won’t have to ask your friends to read for you.

How Soon can I Work after LASIK?

I worked the day after Lasik and it worked fine, but in retrospect, I wish had had taken that day off and started the following day.  I say that because while I got along alright, there were several times when my eyes felt tired or dry that first day .

I would have preferred to take  short breaks to rest my eyes, but I had to press on because I didn’t want to make my patients wait.  If you have a job where you can pause periodically, then you will probably be fine to restart work the day after your eye surgery.

If you have a job where once you show up you have to run until the day ends, then it would be best to take that extra day off.  Either way, plan ahead so your friends at work don’t have to cover for you at the last minute.  That would be annoying.

When Can I Exercise after LASIK?

It is important to avoid trauma to your eyes after LASIK, especially for the first few weeks.

Avoid contact sports, swimming and using a hot tub for the first week after laser eye surgery.  After that, wear eye protection.

Also, you can bathe or shower, but keep your eyes closed when the is water around your face.

You can return to your normal exercise routine post LASIK after the first day as long as you could not anticipate being hit in the eye during your workout.  For example, it would be hard to get hit in the eye jogging, but skiing through the trees or horseback riding would pose a significant risk.

Your eyes will be more sensitive to wind and smoke.  They will let you know if you know if you need a break.

How Soon can I Wear Eye Makeup after LASIK?

I will ask you to not wear eye makeup after LASIK for one week.  For some patients, this is the most difficult and challenging part of the entire procedure.  Consider it a time to let your natural beauty shine!  The concern comes from makeup contamination with bacteria, allergy or reaction to makeup, or physically bumping your flap or scratching your eye during the delicate phase of healing.

How soon Can I Use the Computer after LASIK?

The Day of your LASIK it is best to avoid the computer.  Generally, you would be able to resume computer use the day after your laser vision procedure.  When you stare at a computer or a book, your blink rate decreases.  This means that you don’t blink as many times per minute so that you don’t loose your place.  This worsens dry eye.  You may need to have artificial tears handy while using the computer after LASIK and take frequent breaks to rest your eyes.

Annoying your Friends Post LASIK

During the first month, most LASIK patients are in a state of constant wonder at how clearly they can see.  They can’t help but point this out to their friends with statements like, “Oh my Goodness, can you see that mountain goat or can you read that sign way out there? This is annoying to your friends.

As a doctor I would recommend that you go ahead and be that guy or gal for a few weeks because you have earned it by being blind for all those years.  However, exercise some restraint as your eyes will recover faster than your friendships.

If you have any further questions about recovery after LASIK please schedule a time to meet with me or contact send me a note with your questions.

No Comments

Post A Comment