So you’ve finally made the decision to say goodbye to glasses and permanently improve your vision iLasik! This can be exciting, but you may be wondering what to expect the days and months following your surgery. You may wonder whether you will be in pain, when you will be able to shower or swim, and how long before you can resume your usual day-to-day routine. While everyone is different so recovery can vary, the following information will help guide you through the average lasik eye surgery recovery process.
Day One
The first day after surgery, you will feel some discomfort. This includes dryness, overactive tear ducts, or light sensitivity, once the numbness from anesthesia dissipates. For this, Dr. Ghosheh will likely prescribe you a dosage of pain reliever. You will want to rest your eyes for a few hours after the surgery. Make sure to take it easy for the rest of the day. According to the American Refractive Surgery Council, your eyesight may be foggy as your eyes adjust. You will want to protect your eyes the next couple days by wearing sunglasses. However, by day two you can generally return to normal activity.
The First Week
The first couple of days post-operation Dr. Ghosheh will schedule an appointment to check in on your iLasik recovery progress. During the first week, it’s important that you resist any urge to touch or rub your eyes or eyelids. This can interfere with your recovery. You will be able to shower the following day but be careful about getting any shampoo, soap, or any other foreign substances in your eyes. It’s best to avoid other bodies of water, like pools, hot tubs, lakes, or oceans, for one or two weeks. This is because these water sources may have bacteria that could get into your eyes. Since they are in recovery, will still be recovering and thus more susceptible to infection. Do not exercise the first week either due to sweating and general proactive injury prevention.
The First Six Months
After the first month, you may participate in contact sports, such as football or soccer, if you are so inclined. However, be as careful as possible as you want to avoid any eye-related injuries as you will still be recovering during the first six months. If you are severely nearsighted, you may take longer to recover, and may need to wear glasses during your recovery. As you adjust back to your normal life, return to your eye doctor in Orange County to monitor your progress and ensure that your vision continues down a healthy path.
Life After Surgery Recovery
Finally! You are fully recovered and your vision is as clear as could be. While it’s exciting and liberating to walk out the door without your contacts in, or glasses on, you still cannot neglect visits with your eye doctor, and you will still need to make annual visits for eye exams. Additionally, as you age, your eyesight will likely still change, and some patients need a followup appointment for their Lasik surgery several years after their initial procedure.
Contact Your iLasik Doctor
If you are considering iLasik surgery, but don’t know where to stay, some doctors offer a free consultation, such as Advanced Eye Medical in Orange County. These doctors, who have more than four decades of experience, offer a free consultation to answer any questions or concerns you may have. This will help you begin your journey of crystal clear vision with naked eyes. You will want to visit a reputable doctor, so make sure that wherever you go, you are in trusted hands. As they say, your eyes are the windows to the soul, so you want to protect them!