A frequently asked question prior to eye surgery LASIK is, “When should I stop wearing contact lenses prior to LASIK?”
Most doctors would advise you to refrain from wearing contact lenses for a specified period of time before your LASIK treatment. Indeed, most doctors will specify a period of time during which patients should be without contact lenses prior to collecting pre-operative measures.
The amount of time that your doctor suggests you refrain from using contact lenses varies per doctor. The reasons why the doctor advises patients to avoid contact lenses are almost certainly the same. This is why eye surgery LASIK patients are required to refrain from wearing contact lenses.
1. Contact lenses produce corneal edema, which may impair the accuracy of critical eye measures taken before surgery.
2. Contact lenses may irritate the eyes. Dry eyes might impair the healing process after surgery.
When to Discontinue Contact Lens Wearing
We recommend that patients refrain from wearing soft contact lenses for five days ahead of their pre-eye surgery LASIK examination. If the patient is currently wearing toric contact lenses, the Clear Choice specialists recommend that they be removed for ten days prior to preoperative measurements. Our contact lenses are astigmatism-correcting contact lenses. This form of contact lens often fits the eye more snugly, and the patient’s eyes take longer to return to their normal, unaffected shape. Our doctors recommend that patients refrain from wearing contact lenses for fourteen days before the procedure day for both soft and toric lenses.
Exceptions to The Generally Accepted Rules
Different types of contact lenses will take varying amounts of time. If you wear stiff gas permeable contact lenses or hard contact lenses, our physicians will prescribe a longer time off of lenses than if you wear soft contact lenses. Most individuals who wear a hard or gas permeable contact lens will require a minimum of six weeks without contact lenses. Doctors recommend taking a week off from contact lenses for every decade spent using hard lenses. For the majority of the time necessary to remain lens-free, the Clear Choice physicians will assist the patient in transitioning to soft lenses. However, the doctor may require the patient to be contact lens-free at times.
Ironically, the doctor may occasionally urge that patients wear contact lenses prior to eye surgery LASIK to experience a certain form of vision, such as monovision. The patient may attempt it for a little period of time, such as an hour or two. Alternatively, the patient may try the monovision contact lenses before the requisite contact lens-free period.
Rest Your Eyes Following eye surgery lasik
While eye surgery LASIK is incredible and requires little recovery time, it is still a surgical operation. As with any operation, it is critical to begin your recovery on a positive note. The greatest thing you can do after your eye surgery LASIK operation is to return home and sleep.
You may have some little discomfort when the numbing eye drops wear off. Resting your eyes after the use of over-the-counter pain medication is the most effective strategy to alleviate any discomfort you may have. Even if you are unable to fall asleep, closing your eyes and relaxing for two to three hours after eye surgery LASIK is beneficial.
Take It Slowly
You may feel wonderful after eye surgery LASIK. Many people perceive an immediate improvement in their vision after the surgery!
However, this does not imply you should immediately begin engaging in intense activities. Along with your eyes, your body needs recovery after eye surgery LASIK.
You should rest for at least a day or two after eye surgery LASIK. This is not the time to begin training for a marathon, binge-watching movies for twelve hours, or spending hours on the web.
Rather than that, you should make an effort to relax your eyes and prevent excessive usage of any digital gadget. Avoid aimless phone browsing or binge-watching television.
While your eyes adjust to their new normal, your vision may be cloudy or fuzzy. If feasible, take a day or two off work to avoid prolonged exposure to screens. You should unwind, unwind, and take some time off!
For At Least A Week, Avoid Using Eye Makeup
Nobody likes to go a week without makeup, but it is required after eye surgery LASIK. This is because makeup provides an ideal environment for germs to thrive.
Your eyes will be more susceptible to infection and problems after eye surgery LASIK. Applying cosmetics in close proximity to your eyes increases your chance of infection. This comprises eye shadow, mascara, and eyeliner. Additionally, you should avoid wearing fake eyelashes.
In an ideal world, you should avoid wearing eye makeup for at least a week after eye surgery LASIK. Your doctor will advise you when it is okay to resume wearing eye makeup.
Adhere to All Prescribed Eye Drops and Medications
To ensure the best possible outcome after eye surgery LASIK, you will be administered eye drops that reduce inflammation and prevent infection. Additionally, you will be recommended to use preservative-free artificial tears to aid in the relief of dryness. It is critical that you follow the directions correctly!
This may need taking these drops multiple times a day or even every hour in certain circumstances. Failure to take them may result in significant problems or a lengthier recovery period after the treatment.
Notify your doctor if you have had eye surgery LASIK and are experiencing dry eye symptoms. Your eye drop regimen may need to be adjusted to provide the most effective treatment for your symptoms.
Maintain Consistent Attendance at All Follow-Up Appointments
Following eye surgery LASIK, there are follow-up visits.
Eye surgery LASIK demands a certain level of patient responsibility. If you are unable to keep all follow-up appointments with your eye doctor, eye surgery LASIK may not be suited for you.
These follow-up sessions are critical because they enable your doctor to monitor your healing progress. If you have a problem or your eyesight appears to be deteriorating, they can detect it early.
The majority of eye surgery LASIK patients will have a follow-up visit within 24-48 hours of the procedure. Following this appointment, common intervals are one-week post-surgery, six weeks post-surgery, and one-year post-surgery.
The frequency of follow-up sessions is determined by whether or not there were any issues during the surgery that required attention.
After eye surgery LASIK, you should continue to get a yearly dilated eye exam to verify your eyes remain healthy. Simply because you no longer require glasses or contact lenses does not mean you can skip your annual eye exam!
