All about LASIK Surgery Treatment & Recovery

What are the symptoms observed after LASIK surgery?

The following are the symptoms that might be seen after eye surgery.

• Eye discomfort
• Itchiness, irritation, blurriness, or burning sensations in the eyes
• Dryness in the pupil
• Tiny bleeding areas or veins on the white area
• Sensitivity to light- streaks, glares, etc
• Problems with night vision.

The severity of the symptoms depends on person to person. Usually, itching & burning sensation in the eyes last around 4-5 hours after the LASIK surgery.

The blurry vision usually gets better in a week. In some cases, dryness in the eyes may last up to 6-12 months

For how many days you should rest after Lasik Surgery?

The foremost thing after you undergo surgery is, you must keep your eyes shut for 2-4 hours. This is the immediate recovery process. On average 1 week to 10 days is required for recovery after laser treatment for eyes, but in some cases, it may stretch up to 6 weeks or more to completely recover. You will have to follow up with your doctor the next day, and then in 1-2 days when your eyes feel good, you may re-join your work.

How to Follow-up after LASIK surgery?

After LASIK eye surgery, it’s important to follow up with your surgeon. In general, after your surgery, you will have to book a follow-up appointment within 24 to 48 hrs. The doctor will check your eyes & test your vision, and if needed you will be given medicated eye drops to prevent inflammation & infection.

The next six months after the surgery, are very crucial. You may observe some fluctuations in the vision like a blurred night vision system or dry eyes. To keep track of your recovery you may need to have several follow-ups & visits to your eye surgeon. You must not neglect your follow-up appointments for a full & healthy recovery.

How much time do you need to recover after the LASIK surgery?

After laser eye treatment, the next 24 hours are very crucial. You need to rest your eyes and monitor the symptoms. You are advised not to drive immediately after the treatment. Also, you must avoid reading, watching screens, using a computer, or like that, and take a nap to relax your eyes completely.

How to manage the recovery after the LASIK surgery?

Most patients are satisfied and happy after laser treatment for the eyes. Most patients achieve accurate vision without glasses or contact lenses. However, some may feel 80-90% accuracy in vision and may require wearing glasses or contact lenses.

However, cases have been seen where the patients after six months of surgery experience unfortunate optical symptoms like double images, blurry vision, glares, itchiness, etc. If you experience any unusual sensations in your eyes, consult your doctor immediately. They may provide you with the medication or suggest you some precautions to help you out. Else you might just worsen the situation.

In case you continue to have blurry vision after a few weeks of the LASIK surgery, consult your doctor you might require to wear glasses or a contact lens. But in any case, you should not use contact lenses without consulting your doctor. You must at least wait for 3 months before wearing contact lenses. You can wear glasses after the treatment.

When to consult your doctor after the LASIK surgery?

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, make sure to take clinical help immediately and consult your doctor.

• You experience severe pain in the eye.
• You feel a poking sensation in the eyes.
• Temporary symptoms like blurriness, & foggy vision last more than 24 hrs and are worsening.
• Do you feel any unusual symptoms or bleeding in the eyes?

What precautions must you take to avoid any unusual circumstances after the LASIK surgery?

In addition to resting for the first 24 hours, you may also take the following precautions to have a speedy recovery for the next 2-4 weeks.

• Wear sunglasses during daylight
• Wear a patch of eye shield at night (the eye surgeon may place this eye shield)
• Avoid using shampoo & soap near the eyes during taking a shower.
• Avoid polluted, dusty, or smoky surroundings. Dust particles may disturb your eyes.
• Avoid touching your eyes often. Do not rub your eyes vigorously.
• Do not use makeup or beauty products around your eyes.
• Do not swim or use hot tubs. Do not let your eyes soak in treated water.
• Your doctor may advise you on certain medications to ease the pain, such as
• Lubricating eyedrops like Artificial tears for reducing dryness in the eyes.
• Tylenol (acetaminophen) is a pain reliever to reduce the pain and discomfort in the eyes.

Note: Here you must register a thing that precautions are better for your speedy recovery, but in case you feel unusual do consult your doctor immediately. Do not take any medication without a doctor’s consultation.

What are the restrictions after the LASIK surgery?

There are a few restrictions also for a few weeks that you must follow to have a full recovery. Those are listed below:

Activity Restrictions

Although you can get back to your routine work within 1-3 days after the procedure. But you should avoid heavy exercising or strenuous activity for at least a week.

Other restrictions that your doctor may advise you to follow for up to a month or longer depending on the eye condition are:

• Avoiding driving at night
• Sports like football, for at least a month and after that wearing protective sports goggles for a few more weeks.
• Wearing safety goggles when involved in risky activities.

How should you clean your face after Lasik surgery?

• It is advised that you should not wash your face for at least 24 hours post-surgery.
• You should also avoid water & soap getting into your eyes for at least a week after the surgery. Water & soap can cause infections, irritations, harm the cornea, and other eye issues. Hence you should do the following to wash your face carefully.
• You should avoid applying soap to your forehead. From the forehead, the soap can quickly get into your eyes.
• Apply facewash carefully on the face skipping the eye area.
• Don’t splash water on your face. Instead, politely wash you’re a face with small amount of water.
• After washing your face, pat dry your face. Don’t rub the towel harshly on your face, you might accidentally hurt your eyes.

Conclusion

It can be rightly said, LASIK surgeryfor eyes is a life-changing experience in most cases. Often people experience clear vision soon after the surgery without wearing glasses or contact lenses.

However, it doesn't guarantee a permanent solution, you might get improper vision as you grow old. You might need to use glasses or contact lenses a few years after the surgery as you grow old. But to have a complete recovery, you need to continue your follow-ups with your doctor and follow all the preventive measures suggested by your doctor.