How long lasik take

A: No. The actual treatment is painless. You will be given anesthetic eye drops to completely numb the eye and some patients are given a mild medication to decrease anxiety. You may feel a slight pressure sensation around your eye, and, after the procedure is finished, you may feel a sensation that our patients describe as gritty or like a lash in your eye for the first few hours.

A: Although everyone is different, the vast majority of our LASIK patients achieve a legal driving vision, or better, the very next day. Initially, your vision may fluctuate, usually as a result of dryness. This is perfectly normal. Vision should continue to improve gradually over the next few weeks. Although postoperative pain is not commonly associated with the procedure, some patients feel minimum scratchiness for the first day or two.

This is similar to the feeling of having a contact lens in the eye when you blink. It may also take a short period of time to adjust to your close-up, or reading vision. These symptoms are expected, due to the normal post-operative swelling of your cornea, and will decrease during the first few weeks after the procedure. Your vision will likely be great, and you will be anxious to get back to your normal routine.

However, it is important to remember that your corneas are healing, and they need to be cared for. For this reason, there are some things you need to avoid:. Anxious to start working out and exercising with your new vision? No problem! Mozayeni tells his patients after about two days you can begin your normal exercise routine, but you should wear special eye protection with racquet sports and be extra cautious with your eyes when playing contact sports or sports with a ball.

Protecting the corneal flap immediately after your eye surgery is extremely important. If applying lotion avoid the eye area and use light strokes. Putting on eye makeup or applying lotions around the eye increases the chances of getting those materials in the eye.

This could increase inflammation and possibly cause pain, infection or post-op complications. A good way to stay moisturized is to drink lots of water. This should help the areas around your eyes stay nice and hydrated! As difficult as it may be, fight the urge to jump in the pool or unwind in the hot tub.

Chlorinated water irritates the eyes and has the potential to cause post-op issues. This is true for all bodies of water: pools, hot tubs, ocean, lakes or ponds. Protecting your corneas and preventing infection is the reason for these instructions. Although you should see well the day after your procedure, it is possible and normal for your vision to be a bit blurry or hazy for one to two weeks.

The higher your original prescription, the longer it will take for your vision to clear during your LASIK surgery recovery time. It is important to understand your reshaped corneas must stabilize completely before your new, clear vision is stabilized. This means symptoms such as glare, haloes and difficulty driving after sunset may occur for the first days, week or sometimes a couple of months after LASIK eye surgery.

Suite 4 lower level Wilmington, DE lasik eyephysicians. Request For Appointment. Form submitted successfully! There was an error processing this form. To learn more about Dr. Minkovitz and additional services visit eyephysicians. Powered by:. Send Us A Message. Complete the form below to avail our current promotions. Forgot Password? Looking to create an account?

Already have an account? This is what you need to know to prepare for the exam and what you should expect:. If you wear contact lenses, it is a good idea to stop wearing them before your baseline evaluation and switch to wearing your glasses full-time.

Contact lenses change the shape of your cornea for up to several weeks after you have stopped using them depending on the type of contact lenses you wear.

Not leaving your contact lenses out long enough for your cornea to assume its natural shape before surgery can have negative consequences. These consequences include inaccurate measurements and a poor surgical plan, resulting in poor vision after surgery.

These measurements, which determine how much corneal tissue to remove, may need to be repeated at least a week after your initial evaluation and before surgery to make sure they have not changed, especially if you wear RGP or hard lenses. If you wear:. You should have the opportunity to ask your doctor questions during this discussion. You should not feel pressured by your doctor, family, friends, or anyone else to make a decision about having surgery. Carefully consider the pros and cons.

These products as well as debris along the eyelashes may increase the risk of infection during and after surgery. Your doctor may ask you to scrub your eyelashes for a period of time before surgery to get rid of residues and debris along the lashes. Also before surgery, arrange for transportation to and from your surgery and your first follow-up visit. On the day of surgery, your doctor may give you some medicine to make you relax.

Because this medicine impairs your ability to drive and because your vision may be blurry, even if you don't drive make sure someone can bring you home after surgery. The surgery should take less than 30 minutes. You will lie on your back in a reclining chair in an exam room containing the laser system. The laser system includes a large machine with a microscope attached to it and a computer screen.

A numbing drop will be placed in your eye, the area around your eye will be cleaned, and an instrument called a lid speculum will be used to hold your eyelids open.

If a mechanical microkeratome is used, a ring will be placed on your eye and very high pressures will be applied to create suction to the cornea. Your vision will dim while the suction ring is on and you may feel the pressure and experience some discomfort during this part of the procedure.