What can you expect immediately after lasik vision surgery? Unfortunately, you’re not going to open your eyes and suddenly be able to see perfectly. Remember, the entire lens of your cornea was cut and flipped back. No stitches are used to replace this flap as it will heal on its own.
Most people describe the feeling after lasik surgery as having sand in their eyes. Your eyes may even burn or itch quite a bit. In some cases the discomfort may require a mild pain reliever. It’s very important you don’t rub your eyes, even though they may be begging you to do so, because you may dislodge the cornea flap. Remember no stitches are there to hold it in place. You also may notice your eyes are very sensative to bright lights.
The good news is, most of these symptoms go away reletively quickly. You’ll notice considerable improvement within a few days. If you don’t, make sure you call your doctor just in case something isn’t healing correctly. If things seem to get worse, call your doctor immediately. Regardless of how you’re feeling, plan on taking off a few days from work.
Your doctor visits will start about 2 to 3 days after your surgery and periodically over the next 5 to 6 months. It’s very important your eyes heal properly and the only way to know is with proper eye exams.
Your doctor may prescribe some eye drops or artificial tears to help sooth the healing process. Also, plan on not wearing any eye make-up or lotions for the first couple of weeks. Obviously swimming at this point would greatly increase your risk of things going wrong.
If you’re used to playing non-contact sports, you can mostly like start those up within the first few days. Remember, you have healing cornea that you don’t want to jar in any way. You’ll definately not want to engage in any aggressive contact sports for the first month.
Assuming you’re taking proper precautions with your eyes, what can you expect in regard to your vision? It’s not unusual for your vision to take 3-6 months to return to their relaxed normal station. You may also experience a glare at night which can become very distracting. Make sure you consult with your doctor before driving at night.
If, at any time, your vision seems to be getting worse, call your doctor immediately and have your eyes examined. You don’t want to risk infection of any type.
