Recovering After LASIK in Los Angeles

LASIK surgery has helped millions of people eliminate corrective eyewear and greet each morning with clear, crisp vision. Recovery after LASIK is typically quick, with most patients back to work within a few days. At Laser Eye Center^™, we offer all-laser, bladeless LASIK, which speeds up healing time and reduces some risks, such as flap complications.

Laser Eye Center^™ is the premier LASIK and cataract surgery center in the Los Angeles area. We are SoCal’s most trusted name in laser vision correction and other eye procedures. Laser Eye Center™ has more than 30 years of proven success, and our senior ophthalmologists have trained some of the most renowned eye doctors in the region. Our eye surgeons have performed more than 500,000 successful procedures and can unlock clear vision for you so that you can experience life with excellent eyesight after Modern LASIK.

First 24 to 48 Hours After LASIK

LASIK recovery is relatively quick. At Laser Eye Center^™, we perform all-laser, bladeless LASIK, which further reduces recovery time significantly.

Our practice will provide detailed recovery instructions after your Modern LASIK procedure. It is normal to experience the following symptoms for a few hours or up to two days after LASIK surgery:

• Scratchy and/or burning sensations
• Mild discomfort
• Tearing
• Feeling like something is in the eye
• Light sensitivity
• Blurry or hazy vision 
• Glare
• Halos 

Preservative-free, artificial tears can reduce irritation and dry eyes and help the eyes recover after LASIK, and over-the-counter pain medicines can manage temporary discomfort. Prescription eye drops are used to help reduce the risk of infection and control inflammation during LASIK recovery. Instructions from Laser Eye Center^™ will outline how often to use prescription eye drops and certain over-the-counter products.

In the extremely rare instance that your symptoms worsen instead of getting better or you experience significant pain, it is important to call the number on your recovery instructions immediately. Don’t wait until your follow-up appointment to discuss severe pain or worsening vision. You are able to see without glasses within just a couple of hours of surgery and vision typically starts to stabilize within a few days after LASIK, and the procedure has a very low complication rate.

You should rest your eyes as much as possible the first two to four hours after LASIK. Taking a nap or listening to an audiobook, podcast or radio station can help you pass this time with your eyes closed. Our team will provide an eye shield to wear over your eyes during this time and when you sleep for the first two weeks to protect your eyes while they heal.

Our eye surgeons will test your vision and how your eyes are healing the day after your procedure and continue to see you for regular follow-up visits through the first year after LASIK, as necessary. Most patients are cleared to resume driving at the initial follow-up appointment and may return to work immediately. You can shower the day after LASIK but avoid getting soap and water around the eyes and don’t submerge yourself in water.

We recommend patients avoid reading or using electronic devices for the first two days after LASIK. Normal daily activities can often resume after the 48-hour mark.

One to Two Weeks After LASIK 

Blurry vision, vision changes, dry eyes, light sensitivity, glare and halos may occur for a few weeks after LASIK as the eyes continue to heal. As with any surgical procedure, patients should avoid strenuous activities and swimming in bodies of water for the first week of LASIK recovery. Be sure not to rub or touch your eyes as you heal or while administering the eye drops because the corneal tissues are still sensitive, and you don’t want to disrupt the corneal flap healing.

Do not use makeup, face cream, lotions or other products around the eye area for two weeks. Continue to wear your protective eye shield at night and during naps to prevent accidentally rubbing the eyes. While light exercise can resume a few days after LASIK, strenuous exercise and contact sports should be avoided for several weeks. Do not attempt to wear contact lenses and stay away from sunlight or bright indoor lights (or wear sunglasses).

One Month After LASIK 

Your vision should be more stable now with less sensitivity to light. Most patients can resume regular activities by this time. We further recommend wearing swim goggles and protective eyewear during sports to continue protecting your eyes.  However, hot tubs, pools, rivers, lakes, oceans and other bodies of water that may contain contaminants or chemicals should be avoided for the first month. Steam rooms and saunas may also pose a risk.

Six to 12 Months After LASIK

While your perfect vision without glasses would be attained in the first couple of hours, it takes three to six months for the eyes to completely heal, and your vision would continue to improve and stabilize during this time after LASIK. By six months, most patients have clear, crisp eyesight and experience little to no light sensitivity. Dry eyes and other visual disturbances typically resolve around this time as well. Our ophthalmologists may recommend dry eye treatment for ongoing symptoms six months post-op.

While 99% of our patients at Laser Eye Center^™ achieve excellent vision, in rare instances certain individuals may require a touch up laser surgery procedure to fine-tune their sight during the first year after LASIK.

Presbyopia

Some patients may need prescription eyewear for reading, especially as they get older. Adults 40 and older may develop presbyopia, a refractive error caused by the natural hardening of the eye’s lens. However, our state-of-the-art technology can address presbyopia with monovision LASIK or other vision correction procedures, such as refractive lens exchange. This will free you of the need of reading glasses.

How Laser Eye Center^™ Improves the LASIK Experience

Laser Eye Center^™ uses the most advanced technologies for unparalleled results and reduced risk. We use Contoura^® Vision Correction, a topography-guided technology that improves the traditional LASIK technologies by offering more individualized results.

Our Modern LASIK approach features the lowest touch-up rate among all LASIK technologies on the market. The all-laser, bladeless LASIK approach enables our surgeons to create a thinner, more precise corneal flap with a uniform diameter, length, thickness, angle and hinge during LASIK. Combined with Alcon’s EX-500 laser (the gold standard in Modern LASIK), these technologies lead to the best-corrected vision in 99% of patients and allow our laser eye surgeons to perform LASIK on patients with high refractive errors and thinner corneas. 

Schedule Your LASIK Consultation at Laser Eye Center^™

If you’re interested in LASIK, contact Laser Eye Center^™ to investigate your vision correction options and achieve perfect vision without the use of visual aids. Schedule a LASIK consultation with one of our senior ophthalmologists in Los Angeles, California, at (800) 805-2737.