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What To Expect After LASIK Eye Surgery

June 4, 2013

What you should come to expect following your LASIK procedure.

LASIK eye surgery is a life changing experience for nearly every single person who undergoes the procedure. For some people, it is the first time they are able to see things clearly in front of them without glasses. For others, it is a huge lifestyle change that seems too good to be true. (“I never have to bother with putting in contact lenses again?!”)

LASIKHowever, because the LASIK procedure itself is so significant and requires a lot of research and understanding, many people often focus mostly on what they can expect before and during the procedure. For instance, how they should prepare themselves, what the procedure consists of, asking the doctor any questions they may have, etc.

While this is important for being comfortable with the procedure and understanding how LASIK works, it’s also important that people are not ignoring what they should expect and prepare for after the LASIK procedure is over. After all, this is the best part and often the moment people look forward to for months, even years!

To help you get a better idea of what you can look forward to following your LASIK procedure, as well as what the typical post-surgery routine looks like, here are a few things that you can expect after LASIK eye surgery:

Immediate Side Effects Or Vision Fluctuations

With nearly every LASIK procedure, patients reported having a few different minor vision fluctuations that they did not have before. For instance, dry eyes, sensitivity to lights, glare or halos. These side effects are very typical during the first couple of days following LASIK and they will begin to subside as the eyes heal.

Return to Functional Vision

Depending on what the LASIK procedure was treating (myopia, nearsightedness, farsightedness, etc.), there may be a difference in how long it takes for your eyes to return to functional vision following surgery. For instance, patients with myopia who undergo LASIK typically have functional vision in the first few days following surgery. If you are farsighted, LASIK may immediately improve near vision. However, it could take a few days longer to see distance objects clearly.

Check Ups With Your Doctor

Even if you find that your vision is crystal clear in the days following your LASIK procedure, it is still important to check up with your doctor and make sure that everything has properly recovered. Post-op visits help to check that you are not developing any vision-threatening problems or infections.

Decreased Dependency On Corrective Lenses

Many patients in their 30s and younger find that they may need reading glasses in the first few days after surgery to see words up close. However, this need can fade in the days that follow. If you are in your 40s or up and already have presbyopia, you may find that you now need over the counter reading glasses to correct this aging condition.  This is something that should have been discussed before your surgery during your initial consultation.   It is also important to remember that refractive surgery, such as LASIK, is not always 100% perfect and you may find that you may not have glasses-free vision. However, LASIK can still significantly reduce your dependency on prescription lenses.

To learn more about whether or not you would be a good candidate for LASIK eye surgery, or for further questions about what to expect following the procedure, be sure to contact OCLI today.

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