What Happens After the Lasik Procedure?

After you are fully prepared, the Lasik procedure takes less than fifteen minutes to complete for both eyes. This will seem a remarkably short time to have a permanent change to your vision, and in this regard Lasik seems almost too good to be true. In addition, most Lasik patients notice improved vision immediately or within a few hours after the Lasik procedure has been performed.

This does not mean that you should expect to walk out of the Lasik clinic with perfect vision and without any need to treat your eyes carefully for the next several days. It also means that some Lasik patients will need more time to see the total results for the Lasik procedure, sometimes as much as six months for their vision to stabilize permanently. Anticipate good vision, and take the time and care for the operation to produce its best result.

Usually the Lasik physician will give the post-procedure patient a protective shield for their eyes. This should be worn as long as the physician specifies, and usually only at night for one or two nights. He may also recommend sunglasses during the day if you experience sensitivity to light after the Lasik procedure is done. Discuss these options in detail at the Lasik center before the operation, so you know how to best take care of your eyes.

Many patients at the Lasik centers often get eye drops to keep their eyes moist for some time after the Lasik procedure is done. Again, this varies by patient and by physician, so ask about your particular situation, especially if you are prone to eye dryness on an occasional basis even before the Lasik procedure. Also, it might be helpful to keep any ceiling fans or other air circulation devices off in the household for the first few days.

Most clients can return to work and normal daily activities the day after the Lasik procedure is done, and do not require any extra assistance from other friends or family members. There is usually little to no post-operative discomfort after Lasik has been performed. It is recommended that patients go to sleep as quickly as possible after the Lasik surgery in order to minimize any post-operative discomfort. Upon waking, improved vision from the Lasik corrections should already start to be visible.

This improved vision may not be the final product of the Lasik procedure. The improvement to nearsightedness after Lasik is usually quick and dramatic, though there may be some problems in reading easily for the first few days after the Lasik operation. This is perfectly normal, and should clear up before the week is out.
Patients that use Lasik to improve their farsightedness usually find a dramatic improvement the day after the Lasik surgery. It might be that there is a temporary blurring of objects in the distance, but this will resolve itself. If this condition remains for more than a few days, the Lasik physician can recommend and prescribe temporary glasses until vision is stabilized.

These are all typical post-operative recommends for a Lasik patient, in order to feel comfortable with what to expect after the Lasik procedure. As with any medical treatment, get all of your questions answered by the staff of your Lasik center for your individual case.

Technorati Tags: Air Circulation, Ceiling Fans, Eye Drops, Eye Dryness, Family Members, Fifteen Minutes, First Few Days, Good Vision, Household, Lasik Center, Lasik Patients, Lasik Procedure, Occasional Basis, Perfect Vision, Permanent Change, Regard, Short Time, Six Months, Sunglasses, Vision Care

My Grandfather and Lasik

When I came home from college for the Thanksgiving holidays, I was very surprised to hear that he had undergone a Lasik operation for his vision. It came to my attention immediately, as he was wearing sunglasses on a rainy Maryland afternoon. Apparently one of the possible temporary side effects of the Lasik procedure is a sensitivity to light. After talking with him privately, he hadn’t actually had any of the side effects that his Lasik physician had described, but was having a wonderful time making the family think that he did. What a character.

Granddad is one that always enjoys new gadgets, people’s sympathy, and the chance to tell another story to anyone willing to listen. It almost seems that the Lasik procedure was tailor made for him, especially since his Lasik operation was essentially trouble free. In addition to the sunglasses, the doctor that performed his Lasik surgery gave Granddad a pair of goggles to wear at night so that he would not rub his eyes in his sleep. Granddad also wore them at breakfast and for most meals, saying that a possible squirt in the eye from a grapefruit or wine glass was not allowed in the Lasik manual. I should mention that we don’t usually drink wine, and that he was not given a Lasik manual.

Two of the more common temporary side effects after Lasik surgery are sensitivity to light or to glare, especially at night, and some possibility of fluctuating vision for several days after the Lasik procedure. I have never seen a man milk so much out of a combination of one or both of these symptoms, though he never had either one.

He couldn’t clear dishes from the table because his fluctuating vision may have him drop the plates, and he couldn’t drive to the convenience store at night because… well, you get the idea. I do wonder why I was told the real story of his Lasik procedure, but I guess a secret partner makes the stories all the sweeter.

As it turns out, the only real post Lasik symptom that he actually had was dry eyes, and he had eye drops for that. As it turned out, he needed to get a second type of eye drops from his Lasik physician since he needed a thicker prescription to get through the night comfortably. Granddad was surprised that he seemed to be a model Lasik patient at his age, though his doctor said he had done a number of very successful Lasik surgeries for clients into their seventies, and even a few in their eighties.

I am surprised that Granddad bothered to look into a Lasik operation, for I never noticed that he had a problem with his glasses. He says it was because Lasik would reveal the handsome man he is more clearly to the ladies, though he has been a widower for twelve years and seemed fine with that.

He did say though that the clarity of vision that the Lasik procedure gave him is better than any he has had in over thirty years. Perhaps that is true, for my post Lasik grandfather is more interested in things and more active than I have seen him in the last few years. Perhaps Lasik is a part of that.

Technorati Tags: Convenience Store, Dishes, Drink Wine, Goggles, Grapefruit, Having A Wonderful Time, Lasik Operation, Lasik Procedure, Lasik Surgery, Man Milk, New Gadgets, Secret Partner, Sensitivity To Light, Squirt, Sunglasses, Sympathy, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Holidays, What A Character, Wine Glass