LASIK Recovery Time

What you should do during LASIK recovery time is no less important than the procedure itself. Even though you should be able to get back to your normal daily life after 24 hours, it usually takes a couple of weeks, if not months, approximately before you are fully recovered. You might have to face post-operative complications, such as arcs, starbursts, halos, regular and irregular astigmatism to apply more corrections to your vision.

There are certain restrictions as to what you can do after LASIK surgery. Here we explain what you should do and more importanty what you should not do during the recovery time:

• For the first three days, non-contact sports or non-routine physical activities are completely disallowed, as your eye is completely vulnerable at this time.
• For at least 7 days after surgery, avoid gardening, yard work, grass cutting, and dirty/dusty environments. The same goes for creams, lotions, or eye makeup (mascara, shadows, or eye pencil) for the first 7 days.
• You begin by wearing an eye shield at night during the four weeks following the surgery. This is to prevent you from rubbing your eyes in sleep, causing pain, irritation, and harming the healing/recovery process.
• For the same first four weeks, you need to desist from strenuous exercises and contact sports. This is to prevent risking damage to your eyes during the healing period. Ensure that sweat does not enter your eye. You can use a sweat band during light exercises or any other activities.
• Following surgery, for the next six weeks, you are not allowed to swim, be in a hot tub, or in a whirlpool. Water can enter and further damage and irritate your eye.
• Post LASIK surgery, your vision will take anything from two to three months to stabilize. During that period, you may suffer from halos, glare, and difficulty in driving at night. This is where patience is required, as you need to wait for two consecutive visits, at least a month apart, for your vision to become normal.

It is necessary that you go back to your doctor for post operative evaluations and examinations.

Read also:

Who Should Do LASIK?
LASIK Side Effects