LASIK Eye Surgery

LASIK is eye surgery that uses lasers to correct your vision. You might want to consider LASIK if you don’t want to wear glasses or contacts to see clearly.

The name LASIK stands for: laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis. It means your surgeon uses a laser to reshape your cornea. This improves your vision so you can see clearly without glasses or contacts.

LASIK treats common refractive errors that make your vision blurry because your eyes can’t bend light as they should, including:

• Nearsightedness
• Farsightedness
• Astigmatism
• Presbyopia

LASIK is only for adults over 18. You can usually get it only if your eyes have stopped developing and your vision prescription hasn’t changed much in a year or so.

Talk to an ophthalmologist if you’re interested in LASIK. They’ll explain everything you need to know and what you can expect.

Benefits/risks of LASIK surgery

LASIK is a safe, effective way to correct your vision. Some of the main benefits are:

• A high success rate: Almost everyone who gets LASIK ends up with vision that is 20/40 or better. That’s good enough to pass the eye exam for a U.S. driver’s license without glasses or contacts. Nine in 10 people have 20/20 vision after LASIK surgery.
• You won’t need to wear glasses or contacts as much: After LASIK, you may not need them at all. Or you may only need them in certain situations, like driving at night or reading.
• You’ll notice results quickly: You should notice an improvement in your vision soon after surgery, usually in less than a day.
• It lasts a long time: LASIK permanently changes the shape of your cornea, so the results last for several years. But because your eyes naturally change as you get older, you may still need reading glasses later on.

Like all surgeries, LASIK has a risk of complications. Severe issues are rare, but can include:

• Weakened or damaged corneas
• Infections
• Worsened vision (this is usually treatable)

How does LASIK work?

Your eye doctor will do a full eye exam before you have LASIK. This will make sure your eyes are healthy enough for surgery. Don’t wear lotion, makeup, perfume or any cosmetic products on your face the day of your surgery. Plan ahead for someone to drive you to and from your appointment. You won’t be able to drive right after surgery.

You’ll be awake during LASIK, but you won’t feel any pain. Your surgeon may give you a mild sedative to help you relax.

During LASIK, your surgeon will:

1. Put numbing drops in your eyes. This makes sure you don’t feel pain during the surgery.
2. Place a suction ring and speculum around your eyes. These devices hold your eyes open. This won’t hurt, but you may feel some pressure. It’s normal for your vision to get dimmer, too.
3. Cut a thin flap in your eye. This lets your provider access your cornea.
4. Reshape your cornea with the laser. You’ll need to stare at a light aimed at your eye. You may hear a clicking sound or notice an unusual smell. This isn’t the laser burning your eyes. It’s simply a chemical reaction from the laser shaping your cornea.
5. Put the flap back in place. You won’t need stitches. Your eye starts healing right away on its own.

LASIK is a fast surgery. It usually takes half an hour or less. You’ll look at the light from the laser for fewer than 30 seconds.

You can go home soon after surgery. Your care team will monitor you for a few minutes to make sure you’re safe before they tell you it’s OK to leave. When you go home, you’ll need to wear an eye shield for a day or two to protect your eyes while the surgery flap heals. Your care team will also give you a few types of eye drops, including:

• Lubricating drops to help manage the feeling of dry eye (a common LASIK side effect)
• Antibiotic drops to prevent infections
• Steroid drops to reduce inflammation

They’ll tell you how often to put drops in your eyes and how long to use them.

LASIK eye surgery recovery

LASIK recovery time is very fast. It usually only takes a few days for your vision to clear up and improve. But it can take up to a few weeks for your eyes to heal completely. Don’t resume driving before your eye doctor says it’s safe.

Your surgery care team will give you a more specific recovery timeline, but in general, you should:

• Wait three days before exercising or doing other physical activities.
• Wait two weeks before putting lotion, makeup or other cosmetics near your eyes.
• Wait a month before resuming intense physical activities (like contact sports).
• Wait a month or two before swimming or using a hot tub.

Side effects of LASIK

You’ll probably have some side effects after LASIK surgery. These are usually mild and should get better on their own. Some of the most common LASIK side effects include:

• Dry eye
• A gritty feeling or mild irritation (usually only for a few hours after surgery)
• Blurry vision (this usually gets better in a day or two)
• Reduced night vision
• Red or pink spots on the whites of your eyes
• Light sensitivity

Most side effects will clear up in a week or less. Dry eye is the most common issue. Your surgery team will give you eye drops to help manage it. It’s rare, but some people have dry eyes for up to a year after LASIK.

When should I call my healthcare provider?

You’ll have a follow-up visit with your surgeon a day or two after surgery. They’ll examine your eyes, check your vision and make sure everything is healing correctly. They’ll tell you how often you’ll need eye exams after that.

Contact your surgery care team if it feels like side effects are getting worse, not better. Visit a doctor right away if you have severe eye pain.