Recovering from LASIK Eye Surgery: What to Expect

Are you sick and tired of your glasses or contacts? Ready to be able to open your eyes in the morning and see clearly, without the need for vision aids? LASIK eye surgery can correct vision for patients with myopia or hyperopia. After you heal from your LASIK procedure, you may be able to say goodbye to your glasses forever.

At Smart Eye Care of Brooklyn, New York City, our expert team provides LASIK eye surgery to male and female patients. We guide you through every part of the process, from determining if LASIK is right to you, through to providing support during your recovery.

Here's what Edward Rubinchik, MD, Evelyn Icasiano, MD, Leon Aleksandrovich, MD, and William Kestin, MD want their patients to know about the recovery process after LASIK eye surgery.

How LASIK works

LASIK surgery works to reshape your cornea. Without distortions in your corneal shape, your nearsightedness or farsightedness will be reduced, or even completely eliminated. After healing, you can discontinue use of vision aids like glasses or contacts.

We use laser technology to create a small flap in the exterior of your eyeball, allowing us to access your central cornea for treatment. After laser reshaping, we replace the flap, and healing can begin.

Most patients report no discomfort during the procedure, but we use numbing eye drops, just to be sure. You may experience a sensation of pressure during treatment. The Smart Eye Care team will send you home following your surgery with full post-operation instructions, and provide support during your healing process.

Recovering after LASIK

For the first few hours after your procedure, expect your eyes to feel a little itchy or uncomfortable. You might also feel like you have something in your eye. We might suggest that you use over-the-counter pain medication, for your comfort. Even if your eyes are blurry or tearing in this initial healing stage, make sure not to rub your eyes, so that your surgical incision isn’t disturbed.

For the first few days following your LASIK surgery, your eyes will be sensitive to light, so plan to take some time away from device screens and full sunlight. Your eyes might also appear reddened or bloodshot for a few days. We may recommend medicated eye drops or artificial tears, to prevent infection and keep your healing eyes lubricated and comfortable.

The Smart Eye Care team will check up on your recovery within the first 24-48 hours. We check your improving vision, examine your healing eyes, and remove any eye shielding. We then set up regular check-ins for a period of six months following your LASIK surgery. If you experience severe pain, or worsening vision after surgery, we’ll make time to see you right away.

How long does LASIK recovery take?

After LASIK surgery, you may need to give your eyes some time to heal. 

• You should avoid contact sports and strenuous activity for at least 1-3 days following your LASIK surgery, and may need to wait for as long as four weeks to resume activities like boxing or martial arts 
• Hold off on using eye cosmetics, lotions, or creams, or wearing contacts, for up to two weeks
• Swimming and hot tubs are off-limits for 1-2 months following your procedure.

Your vision will continue to stabilize for 3-6 months following LASIK surgery. 

Continuing issues with glare can make activities like night driving challenging during this period, so you may need to make some longer-term adjustments while you heal. Some patients report persistent issues with glare or halos following surgery. We may be able to address some of these issues with re-operation, after allowing your vision to fully stabilize.

To join the hundreds of patients who have recovered their vision through LASIK surgery at Smart Eye Care, contact us today. You can schedule an initial consultation appointment by calling our Brooklyn, New York offices, or use the online booking tool at your convenience.