LASIK Surgery Preparation: How to Prepare

Congratulations. You’ve finally made the decision to get permanent vision correction with LASIK eye surgery. According to NCBI, 20 to 25 million people have been given permanent vision correction throughout LASIK’s history. Currently, about 800,000 people get LASIK eye surgery each year, and the procedure has a 95 percent success rate. To give yourself the best chance of having a successful eye surgery, there are a few LASIK prep steps you need to follow before your surgery, on the day of your surgery and after your eye surgery.

What To Do Before LASIK Surgery

If you’re wondering how to prepare for LASIK, you’ll be relieved to know that it’s a fairly simple process that starts between three days and three weeks before your surgery date. Our eye doctor will let you know how far ahead you need to start preparing, according to your medical history and specific eye care and vision correction needs.

1. Remove Your Contact Lenses

The first step in your LASIK surgery preparation is to stop wearing your contacts. Our eye doctor recommends no contacts at least 3 days before LASIK. When you wear contact lenses, your cornea molds to the shape of the lens. In order to undergo LASIK surgery, your cornea must be its natural shape. As part of your pre-surgery instruction, our eye doctor will instruct you to remove your contacts a few days prior to the eye surgery. During this time, you’ll need to wear your glasses for vision correction.

2. Use Antibiotic Eye Drops Before LASIK

Our ophthalmologist will provide you with eye drops or a prescription for eye drops, usually Vigamox or Zymar antibiotic drops. These are to help prevent infection. You’ll need to read your pre-surgery instruction sheet, but the recommended usage for the drops is usually four times a day the day before your LASIK surgery.

3. Arrange for Someone To Drive You

It’s important that you arrange for someone to drive you to our clinic and back home. This can be a friend, family member, taxi or medical transport that specializes in giving individuals rides to and from doctor’s appointments. This is because it’s not safe for you to drive after your LASIK eye surgery.

What To Do on The Day of LASIK Surgery

On the day of your LASIK surgery, you’ll want to make sure that you are as comfortable and ready as possible. This means wearing loose-fitting clothes. If you’re chronically cold, you’ll want to bring a sweater as the surgery suite can be a little chilly.

1. Please Eat Normally

You can have breakfast, lunch and dinner on your surgery day. There is no need to fast. The surgery takes about 15 minutes.

2. Take All Your Medications

If you normally take medications to control chronic or acute conditions, you can take them the day of your surgery.

3. Skip the Makeup, Lotions and Perfumes

On the day of your surgery, you’ll want to avoid putting on any makeup lotions or perfumes as these can get into your eyes and cause complications.

What To Do After LASIK Surgery

After LASIK laser eye surgery, our doctor will give you a post-op instruction sheet and a kit containing all the eye drops and supplies you will need to promote healing and keep your eyes healthy during your recovery time.

1. Use Your Post LASIK Eye Drops

Within two hours after your LASIK eye surgery, you’ll want to start using your eye drops. This is usually a combination or Vigamox or Zymar and FML Forte or Pred. Specific directions for use and the eye drop medications will be in your LASIK post-op kit.

2. Keep Your Eye Shields in Your Eyes

Once your LASIK eye surgery is complete, plastic eye shields placed over your eyes. This is to stop you from accidentally rubbing your eyes or bumping them and accidentally dislodging the corneal flap. You can momentarily lift these up to put your eye drops in. You’ll need to wear the eye shields for the entirety of the first day and wear them for the first week while you sleep.

3. Do Not Rub Your Eyes

It’s very important not to rub your eyes for the first month, even though they may feel itchy, scratchy and watery. If you are concerned that you might rub your eyes, you can wear your eye shields or a protective pair of LASIK glasses for the entirety of the first month.

4. Remember to Go to Your Follow-Up Appointment

Your follow-up appointment is usually scheduled the day after your surgery. During this appointment, your eyes will be checked, and you can get any post-op LASIK care and recovery questions answered. Most people can return to their normal daily activities within 24 to 48 hours after the procedure. However, it’s important to not wear eye makeup, lotions or creams on your face for at least three days.

FAQ

How Long Do You Have to Wear Glasses Before LASIK Surgery?

You’ll need to switch from contact lenses to glasses anywhere from three days to three weeks before your LASIK surgery. Our eye doctor will give you an exact time frame.

Will I Receive Pre-Operation Directions?

Our eye doctor will give you a sheet of Pre-LASIK directions to follow up to your surgery time. Once your LASIK procedure is complete, you’ll be given a list of post-op directions to follow. If you have any questions before, during or after your procedure, our eye doctor is happy to answer them.

How Long Is LASIK Recovery?

The recovery from LASIK eye surgery lasts between four to six weeks. You may experience blurry vision for three to four hours after your surgery, which is why it’s not recommended that you drive yourself. Most people notice a dramatic improvement in their vision after 24 hours.

Does LASIK Eye Surgery Hurt?

LASIK eye surgery does not hurt. Just prior to the procedure, our eye doctor will place numbing drops in your eyes. You may also be given another medication, like Valium, to help you relax during the procedure. During the surgery, you may feel some pressure in your eye, and this is normal. After the surgery, you may notice some itching or burning, but it should be mild and will resolve as you heal.

How Long Does LASIK Eye Surgery Take?

LASIK eye surgery usually takes between 15 and 30 minutes. If you need both eyes corrected, they are usually done on the same day in the same session.

What Symptoms Should I Watch for During My LASIK Surgery Recovery?

Directly after your surgery, your eyes may feel itchy, scratchy, sore and watery. This should resolve from within a few hours to a few days. You may also experience blurry vision, halos and glare. A few patients also report starbursts, and most individuals experience symptoms of dry eye. If you experience discharge or pain, you should call our eye doctor for further instructions.

To learn more about vision correction surgery and to schedule an initial LASIK consultation, give us a call at 770-427-8111.