Although Lasik surgery has revolutionized many peoples’ lives by allowing them to live without the need for glasses and/or contact lenses this kind of surgery is actually relatively ‘low impact’ in surgical terms.
It can, for example, take as little as half an hour to have a Lasik operation and many people see improvements in their vision in hours or days (do be aware, however, that it may take longer for the full benefits to be seen).
The actual impact of this kind of surgery is partly low because it can be done with local anesthesia rather than a general anesthetic. This means that your body does not have to recover from the rigors of a general which simply gets you up and running a lot quicker.
So, what can you expect after surgery? For a start, do realize that your eyes may feel a little sore and scratchy for a few days. They may water a lot and feel like you’ve got something in them but try not to rub them as this can cause damage. If things get real uncomfortable then you can always take some form of pain medication.
You may find that your doctor asks you to wear an eye shield at night and during the day for the first few days after your procedure. If this is the case then do wear one. Night problems especially can happen simply because it’s real easy to rub your eyes if they itch or burn in the night without knowing that you are doing it!
Although you may see an immediate visual improvement after your operation you may also have some short term visual side effects as well. Again, these should pass after a few days but they can be disconcerting when you have them. You may, for example, find it hard to look at lights or you may see glare and haloes around objects when you look at them.
Most of these recovery issues will pass within a few days of your surgery as your eye heals and your vision starts to settle. You should be having regular check ups with your doctor anyway so do mention them as they occur and, if they don’t improve, then make an appointment to discuss them.
Although this kind of surgery doesn’t take it out of you in the traditional sense, you may want to take a few days off work just to let your eye(s) settle down and to get over the initial discomfort/issues. You should also avoid wearing contacts, playing contact sports and even driving until your doctor tells you that these are OK to do again.
A quick recovery from this kind of operation may also depend on what you do yourself to make things better. So, for example, if your doctor tells you to use eye drops to make sure that your eyes don’t get infected then make sure to use them religiously. The last thing you want here is an eye infection which could hold back the progress that could be made after this kind of surgery.