LASIK is a type of eye surgery that improves your distance vision. It may even reduce or eliminate your need to wear glasses. It's a quick procedure that's done in your eye doctor's office, and recovery is fairly quick too. Here's what you may want to know about LASIK.
You Might Have Both Eyes Done At Once
There are some cases where your eye doctor might recommend doing the surgery on one eye at a time. However, it's possible you'll have both done at once. This is possible because the recovery time is fast. Also, it's more convenient for you since you'll only go through recovery once and you'll only need to take off from work once.
You Might Still Need Reading Glasses
LASIK isn't a guarantee you can get rid of your glasses, especially reading glasses. The surgery corrects problems with distance vision rather than near vision. If you wear reading glasses now, ask your eye doctor how LASIK will affect your near vision so you know what to expect once the surgery is over and your eyes have healed.
LASIK May Not Be Appropriate For Some People
Before you can schedule LASIK surgery, your eye doctor performs extensive testing on your eyes. The tests help the doctor determine if you're a suitable candidate for the surgery. If you have an eye disease or if your condition is too severe to be corrected with surgery, LASIK might not be an option for you. After you've completed all the tests, your eye doctor will know if the surgery is safe for you and if it's likely to help your vision.
The Surgery Isn't Painful
It may sound painful to have lasers used on your eyes, but you won't feel anything. The eye doctor puts in eye drops and waits for them to take effect before starting your surgery. You shouldn't have much pain after the surgery either. You'll have discomfort and burning, but it should be tolerable.
If you have pain, that could be a sign you've dislodged the flap by rubbing your eyes. It's important to follow your eye doctor's instructions for healing so you won't have pain or complications.
You'll Need Eye Drops During Recovery
Your eye doctor will probably prescribe antibiotic eye drops to control infection and steroid drops to control inflammation. Use these according to your doctor's instructions. You may also need to wear goggles when you shower or swim to keep water out of your eyes. You might need to avoid swimming for several days after the surgery, and you may need to wear sunglasses for a couple of weeks.
An important instruction after LASIK surgery is not to rub your eyes, so your eye doctor may give you goggles to sleep in so you can't touch your eyes while you sleep.
When you open your eyes in the morning, you enjoy a fresh look at the world around you. If you want to protect your eyes and ensure you always get to enjoy that wonderful morning view, then you really need to see an optometrist regularly. These eye doctors will assess your vision, detect issues early on, and recommend glasses or contacts, if needed, to ensure you're able to see sharply. The work of optometrists is important and meaningful, and we are happy to honor it on this website. Read the articles we've collected for more insight into this world of vision.