LASIK treatment is a non-surgical method of improving one’s vision. It’s quickly becoming one of the most popular methods for an eye surgeon to improve the eyesight of patients who don’t want to deal with contacts or glasses. Below, we look at how long to wait after Lasik for eyelid surgery.
LASIK can be just the ticket before a patient has had a blepharoplasty or eyelid surgery. However, there is a wait that occurs after their LASIK treatment has healed before it’s deemed safe for one to pursue eyelid surgery.
How Long to Wait After Lasik for Eyelid Surgery
If you’re interested in receiving LASIK treatment after your blepharoplasty, take a look at this guide that describes how long you should wait before treatment.
LASIK Basics
Lasik is a vision correction technique where a powerful laser is used to hit the patient’s eyes to correct their eyesight. This operation may improve the eyes’ ability to focus light on the retina correctly. Patients frequently have improved vision as a result of this.
“Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis” is what LASIK stands for. The majority of the time, the surgery can significantly improve a patient’s vision. Nevertheless, it has no effect on an individual’s iris color or on other elements of a patient’s eyes.
Blepharoplasty Basics
The word “blepharoplasty” refers to a group of procedures intended to assist enhance the appearance of the eyes. There are numerous varieties of blepharoplasty, each with distinct goals in mind.
For example, a lower blepharoplasty works to improve the lower eyelids, whereas an upper blepharoplasty works on the upper eyelids.
You can determine during your pre-operative consultation what kind of eyelid surgery is best for you. This is the time when you and your doctor plan the surgery.
Why Get LASIK After a Blepharoplasty?
There are several advantages that come with receiving LASIK treatment after a blepharoplasty. The two procedures complement each other well and can result in a total eye makeover for patients who are able to receive both types of procedures.
Blepharoplasty has the potential to:
- Address sagging eyelids
- Reduce under eye bags
- Eliminate puffiness
- Restore a more youthful and exuberant appearance
The procedure eliminates excess skin, fat, and muscle from the upper and lower eyelids. When combined with the vision-improving elements of LASIK treatment, patients have the potential to experience a total makeover in both the appearance and ability of their eyes.
How Long Should I Wait?
You need to allow your eyes time to adequately heal after LASIK before receiving eyelid surgery treatment. This is because in order for blepharoplasty to be used to its full effect, the eyes need to be adjusted in their final form after LASIK treatment.
A patient usually waits for at least six months after their LASIK treatment before receiving eyelid surgery of any kind. This waiting period helps ensure that your eyes will have fully recovered.
You will have to consult with your surgeon in order to be approved for eyelid surgery after LASIK treatment. Your physician will investigate elements of the health of your eyes, as well as create a plan to help guide you toward the safest possible procedure.
Recovery Expectations
As stated above, in general, it is recommended that a patient waits up to six months to allow their eyes to recover fully from LASIK treatment. A blepharoplasty can have a more complicated recovery timeline depending on the exact type of work that’s performed.
A blepharoplasty is primarily considered an aesthetic procedure that improves the appearance of one’s eyelids. That being said, this procedure also has the potential to improve one’s vision through the changes that are made to its shape.
One example comes through the elimination of ptosis. Ptosis is a term that refers to a drooping or sagging eyelid. The condition has the potential to arise from various causes, and should it become serious enough, it has the potential to obstruct one’s vision by obstructing their field of sight.
This is why blepharoplasty is also considered to be a functional procedure as well as an aesthetic one. When combined with the vision benefits imparted by LASIK treatment, patients have the potential to completely overhaul their eyesight. This, in turn, can contribute to other positive health and lifestyle developments in one’s life.
Contact Us to Discuss Options
Dr. Ghosheh and the rest of the team at Advanced Eye Medical are experts for LASIK treatment. If you’re interested in discussing whether or not this treatment would work for you, contact us today in order to schedule an appointment and find out why we’re the Orange County eyelid surgeon people trust.