Caring for Your Eyes After LASIK Surgery

Care After the First Night of Surgery

The symptoms after LASIK surgery on the first night include eye irritation, feeling like there is dust in the eye, or wearing dirty contact lenses. Patient may experience increased or decreased tear production depending on the individual. Here are some recommendations for the first night:

1. Patients should rest and sleep a lot, but they can open their eyes for necessary routines, looking through the small holes of the eye shield           

2. Patients who had surgery during the day should take a short nap for at least 2 – 3 hours after surgery     

3. Patients who had surgery in the evening should go to bed early, taking mild sleeping pills given for after dinner

4. After surgery, patients will receive an eye shield over the operated eye, which is transparent and has small holes for vision. Patients must not remove the eye shield at all costs (except when instructed by a doctor to apply medication). It prevents patients from rubbing their eyes. If there are excessive tears, they should only wipe outside the shield. If the shield is loose, patients should secure it with extra plaster            

5. Patients can perform daily routines but must prevent water from entering the eye at all costs, should not wash face (use a damp cloth instead), but may shower and brush teeth

Care During the First Week After Surgery

During the first week, the following practices are recommended:

• Apply medication to prevent infection and use artificial tears, which can be used frequently as desired
• Wear eye shield before sleeping to prevent accidentally rubbing the eyes
• Be careful not to let water or dust particles enter the eyes
• Do not rub the eyes under any circumstances
• Avoid wearing makeup, especially around the eyes, for at least 2 weeks
• Wear sunglasses when in bright areas to reduce eye irritation and pain
• Vision may not be stable due to possible dry eyes
• After a week, upon examination, patients are permitted to wash face, shampoo without needing to cover the eyes before sleep
• Swimming is allowed about 2 weeks after LASIK

The Importance of Post-LASIK Care

To ensure the treatment is successful and follows plan, it’s essential to:

• Undergo follow-up exams to monitor treatment outcomes. Generally, patients should have at least 5 follow-up visits: 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 1 year after surgery to measure vision, eye examination, discuss symptoms, side effects, and consider treatment options, such as for dry eyes, and whether the vision adjustment meets expectations. After the one-year mark, it’s recommended to have annual eye exams
• Ensure good communication and planning between patient and doctor, especially if the treatment results don’t meet expectations or goals

Follow-up and Post-LASIK Care

• Follow-up appointments after LASIK are to track if the treatment aligns with the plan, such as checking for under or overcorrection and any side effects. The need for any additional treatment, like for dry eyes, will be assessed
• Further treatment might be needed if initial treatment doesn’t go as planned
• If patients experience issues with daily vision use, some medications may be prescribed to aid wound healing, or temporary glasses may be recommended until the vision stabilizes, considering further laser enhancement to adjust remaining vision discrepancies

Post-LASIK Behavior and Care

1. Avoid rubbing the eyes at all costs. Patients may experience itchiness as they cannot wash their face yet. If feeling itchy, clean your hands thoroughly and gently touch the corner of the eye with the tip of your finger only           

2. Prevent water from entering the eyes (until the one-week check-up with the ophthalmologist). Prefer having hair washed at a salon, avoid face washing, and use wipes instead. Showering is fine as usual

3. Apply antibiotic medication prescribed by the doctor to prevent infection, four times a day            

4. If experiencing dry eyes or irritation, artificial tears (preservative-free) can be used as frequently as needed       

5. Wear the eye shield before sleeping every night for a week, including naps, to prevent unconsciously rubbing the eyes            

6. Patients can work as usual but should rest their eyes periodically when working     

7. Avoid makeup around the eyes, no swimming for 2 weeks, and no diving for 4 weeks