The First Day
Following the surgery you should go home and rest.
You may experience some discomfort.
If you have had LASIK it may last for a few hours and with PRK it
may last for a few days. We will provide you with pain medication
to be used as needed as well as ophthalmic drops to promote healing.
You can expect your vision to be
a fairly blurry. In the case of PRK the vision may worsen over the
first three days. With LASIK there is usually a dramatic improvement
in vision in the first 24 hours.
It may be a good idea to not plan
on driving until you feel vision has improved. This may be a week
with PRK and a few days with LASIK. Sensitivity to light is normal
and will improve.
You should:
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Wear good sunglasses. |
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Avoid rubbing your eyes. |
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Avoid swimming, water parks etc. for a couple
of months |
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Showers are fine, just avoid splashing your
eyes with water for a few weeks. |
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Avoid dusty or smoky environments. |
The First Week
When you leave the New Vision Laser Center you will be given complete
instructions including an appointment for the next day. A typical
post-operative follow-up schedule includes examinations the day
after, a week after and one, three, six and twelve months after,
with annual checkups after that. You can discuss with your New Vision
Doctor the alternatives if you cannot keep up the follow-up schedule.
With LASIK your vision improves
more quickly and you may feel comfortable enough to drive in two
days. You will be using drops for about ten days
The First Year
After PRK and LASIK it can take as much as three months for your
vision to stabilize.
Recovery is generally faster with LASIK than PRK and stability can
be achieved as soon as two weeks.
With LASIK, although the flap is
relatively secure in one week, we advise you not to rub your eyes
hard for a month.
Enhancements
In a small percentage of patients, there may be a need for an enhancement
procedure, to further reduce any refractive error that may have
been left behind after the procedure. Generally, any enhancement
necessary will be carried out after 2-3 months, after vision has
stabilized. |