What To Do Before LASIK Surgery

If you’ve decided you want to ditch your glasses and contact lenses forever, LASIK surgery can help significantly improve your vision. Whether you’re still looking into your LASIK options, or you’ve already booked your procedure, you probably still have a lot of questions. If you’re wondering what happens before LASIK surgery, this guide has all the info you need. Find out what to do and what not to do before LASIK.

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10 Things to Know Before LASIK

Your vision is essential to your daily life, so it’s understandable that you’d want to learn more about this eye procedure. There are a number of things to know before LASIK, as well as steps to take to ensure excellent results. Whether you’re more concerned about LASIK pre-op instructions or you want to know what things to do before LASIK eye surgery, read on to learn how to prepare for your surgery.

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What You Should Know Before LASIK Surgery

1. Are You a Candidate?

Did you know not everyone qualifies as suitable LASIK candidates? Each patient is unique, so it’s essential to have a consultation with an eye surgeon to find out if you qualify for LASIK. They’ll make the determination based on a number of criteria, including:

  • General health
  • Current prescription
  • Corneal thickness
  • Pre-existing eye conditions

It can be frustrating to learn you don’t qualify for LASIK, but keep in mind that technology is always changing and improving. You may not be suitable for LASIK surgery now, but you may qualify for other procedures, like PRK, or you may qualify for LASIK in the future.

2. Stop Wearing Your Contact Lenses Before LASIK Surgery

If you wear contact lenses, part of your LASIK pre-op instructions will be to stop and switch to wearing glasses before the procedure. Prolonged use of contact lenses alters the shape of your cornea. It can take several weeks for your cornea to return to its natural shape after you stop wearing contacts. Measurements are taken before LASIK surgery to determine the amount of corneal tissue that will be removed, and not allowing your cornea to return to normal can lead to inaccurate measurements, potentially impacting the success of your LASIK procedure. As such, you should be prepared to stop wearing:

  • Soft contact lenses at least 2 weeks before your initial LASIK evaluation
  • Hard contact lenses at least 4 weeks before your initial LASIK evaluation
  • Toric soft lenses or rigid gas permeable lenses at least 3 weeks before your LASIK evaluation

Make sure your eye surgeon knows which type of contact lenses you wear so that they can give you clear and accurate instructions about when to stop wearing them

3. No Makeup, Perfumes, or Lotions

On the day of your surgery and several days afterward, it is important to avoid any makeup, perfumes, or lotions, as directed by your doctor. All of these products can leave debris on your eyelashes and if any of this gets into your eye, you risk infection both during and after the procedure. Your eye surgeon may also require you to thoroughly clean around your eyes and eyelashes in the period leading up to LASIK surgery. This will help to remove any debris or residue as well, reducing the risk of infection. Follow the directions you’re given to ensure successful vision results.

4. Arrange Your Transportation

Before your LASIK procedure, make arrangements for transport to and from your surgery. This is important because you may be given some medicine to help you relax before the procedure. This medicine may stay in your system for a period of time and may affect your ability to drive. You may also experience blurred vision in the first hours after the surgery, making driving unsafe for you. Plan ahead and make sure your transportation is pre-arranged so you can relax after your surgery.

It is also advisable to arrange transportation to and from your first follow-up visit after surgery. You may still have some residual blurry vision, or other temporary side effects, which could impact your driving.

5. Wear Protective Eye Shields After Surgery

One of the things to know before LASIK surgery is that your eyes may feel a little strange after surgery. Your eyes may be teary, or feel itchy or dry, or you might feel a slight burning or like something is in your eye. All these sensations are temporary and normal, but it’s essential that you not rub your eyes after surgery so you don’t dislodge your cornea flap as it heals.

To protect your corneas and allow them to heal correctly, you’ll need to wear protective eye shields for a short period of time—especially while you sleep. These will keep you from accidentally rubbing your eyes and or putting pressure on them while you sleep, which could damage the healing corneal flap.

6. Bladeless vs. Conventional LASIK

Conventional LASIK uses a blade to create the corneal flap, while bladeless LASIK doesn’t use any blades at all. At Dello Russo Laser Vision, we provide cutting-edge bladeless LASIK, using an IntraLase laser to make the initial corneal flap for the procedure. We offer bladeless LASIK because it allows for precise measurements and control during the procedure, along with a lower risk of the adverse effects that can come with a blade in conventional LASIK.

7. LASIK Is Painless

Many people worry about the pain associated with a surgical procedure, but LASIK is a pain-free procedure. You’ll receive numbing drops in your eyes just before the surgery starts, and though you may feel slight pressure as the flap is created during the procedure, it won’t hurt. After LASIK, you may experience some slight discomfort for a few hours, but it’s easily addressed with over-the-counter pain relievers.

8. You’ll Be Awake for the Procedure

You’ll be awake for the whole outpatient surgery, which is fine because it’s an incredibly quick and easy procedure. The IntraLase laser prepares the cornea in just 30 seconds, and the entire surgery will take less than 30 minutes. Our staff will be there with you to ensure you feel comfortable and at ease.

9. You’ll See Results in a Matter of Hours

Most patients notice improved vision within the first few hours following the surgery. Some even notice improvement immediately upon sitting up after the procedure! Keep in mind that some blurred vision is completely normal right after surgery, but in most cases, patients can return to normal activities the next day. Follow your doctor’s instructions to ensure your eyes heal quickly and correctly.

10. Your Eyes Might Feel Dry After LASIK

One of the best things to do before LASIK eye surgery is to make sure you have artificial tears on hand because some patients experience dry eyes while their eyes heal after the procedure. This is normal, but your doctor may prescribe eye drops for a few months to ensure your eyes stay lubricated and prevent infection and inflammation.

Visit Dello Russo Laser Vision for Your LASIK Surgery

Now that you’ve learned what things to know before LASIK and what not to do before LASIK, you’re ready for your procedure! Make an appointment for your free initial LASIK consultation with Dello Russo Laser Vision. Our skilled doctors will assess whether you are eligible for LASIK surgery. They will also answer any questions you have and advise you about your LASIK recovery timeline so you’re clear on what you need to do before LASIK surgery, and after. Get started by contacting us today!