Follow This Advice for a Great Post-Operative Recovery
In the days leading up to your LASIK surgery, you’ll likely have some questions:
How will I wash my face?
Can I go swimming the weekend after my LASIK surgery?
Will I be able to make my weekly pick-up basketball game?
The LVC team frequently addresses questions from our patients about life in the immediate hours and days following your laser eye surgery. We’re happy to do so! A patient asking questions is a good sign as it shows that you are already thinking about what you need to do to make sure your LASIK surgery is a success.
Post-LASIK Care Tips
While we ensure success in the LASIK surgical suite, you must take some responsibility for your surgery’s successful outcome. We make it easy by clearly outlining some dos and don’ts following your procedure in our post-operative instructions.
We’d also like to share a few general tips. Keep in mind that this advice is not hard to follow and the recovery period is very short. Most patients fully resume normal activities within 1-2 weeks.
Follow the precise schedule given for your prescription eye drops. You will leave the LVC office with a prescription for eye drops. These drops will help keep your eyes lubricated, which is very important during your recovery. You must use these drops directly as indicated by your doctor.
Avoid rubbing your eyes. Most of the specific post-LASIK care tips exist to stop you from doing one thing: rubbing your eyes. Your eyes need time to heal, and rubbing may cause irritation. Irritated eyes are not only painful but would likely require another trip to your eye doctor to look for any potential signs of infection.
Here are some tips to avoid rubbing your eyes when showering or bathing:
- Keep your eyes closed in the shower when washing your face and hair.
- Gently pat the areas around your eyes with a towel.
- Be extremely careful not to let any soap or shampoo come in contact with your eyes.
Protect your eyes. In the days following your surgery, your eyes will be more susceptible to injury. For example, your LASIK recovery period is not the time to risk a fellow teammate accidentally elbowing you in the eye during a basketball game. While we do not recommend any vigorous physical activity for a few days, when you do return to sports or recreational activities, wear the appropriate eye protection gear.
Clear your travel schedule. It is not a good idea to schedule your LASIK surgery right before planned work travel or a vacation. Not only will you need time to rest, but you will need to avoid swimming in pools, oceans, or lakes, as well as getting into a hot tub, for at least one week. Also, in the off chance that you were to have an issue or concern during your recovery, you will want to be close to your LVC team.
While we hope these tips help, success following your LASIK surgery really comes down to following your doctor’s instructions. We know that you will have a great post-LASIK recovery!
