Common symptoms you may experience

About 30 to 90 minutes following your procedure, you may experience some discomfort as the anesthetic drops begin to wear off. Please take the medication provided or an over the counter pain reliever to reduce discomfort.

Other temporary symptoms may include: burning, light sensitivity, watery eyes, runny nose, gritty, foreign body sensation like something is in the eye, irritation and eye redness. Frequent use of lubricating drops will help with these minor irritations.

Activities

Keep the eyes closed as much as possible the day of your procedure. This will speed the healing of the ocular surface and restore your vision faster.

Watching television and reading is permitted the day after surgery.

Do not drive until you have been authorized to do so by your doctor.

No swimming, hot tubs, or whirlpools for two weeks.

Do not scuba dive for one month.

Showers and baths are fine, but keep your eyes closed to avoid getting water or shampoo in them for one week. Do not wear eye makeup for one week.

Avoid a dusty/dirty environment for one week. It is preferable that you do not smoke, since it will irritate the eyes.

It is best to wait for at least 1 to 3 days before returning to work to allow your ocular surface tissue to heal adequately.

You may return to your normal exercise routine after three days and once you feel comfortable. However, do not return to high-impact sports, such as boxing, until authorized by your doctor. Always wear protective eyewear.

If you must travel by plane soon after surgery, use extra lubricating drops for moisture.

Your recovery

Your vision may be blurry and may fluctuate for 24 hours following your procedure. Your vision may be blurry longer depending on the amount of laser treatment done. This is normal.

It is important to remember that your distance vision will clear first and your reading vision last, unless you are over the age of 40. In patients over 40, reading glasses may be needed to read small print unless correction for monovision was performed.

Night glare is also more apparent during the first couple weeks of your recovery. Star bursting and halos around lights usually occur in patients with more severe degrees of myopia and large pupils. Night glare usually resolves or returns to the pre-procedural level once both eyes have healed.

Infection is a possibility, although the risk is minimal if post-operative medications are taken and instructions followed. Symptoms of infection may include: increased eye pain, redness, blurred vision and discharge. Do not hesitate to contact us if you feel your eye is not healing correctly.