Life After LASIK

LASIK is a quick procedure that permanently improves your vision. If you’re considering it, you likely want to know what to expect during the brief recovery period and in the long term.

The human eye works by focusing light through the eye into the sensitive tissue at the back of the eyeball. If your eye isn’t shaped correctly, that refraction doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to, leading to vision problems. If you’re nearsighted, you’ve felt the effects of a cornea shape issue even if you didn’t know that’s what caused your blurry vision.

Fortunately, as eye care advances, you have options for maintaining clear vision. That includes eyeglasses and contact lenses, of course. If you’re looking for a more permanent solution, you can also consider laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, or LASIK. During this advanced eye surgery, a specialist reshapes your cornea so that your eye can properly focus light. That gives you a clear vision.

That’s why we offer LASIK as part of our suite of eye health services here at Edwin Y. Endo, OD & Associates in Aiea, Hawaii. Dr. Endo can evaluate the shape of your unique eye to see if you’re a candidate for this kind of procedure.

If you are, the laser-assisted surgery usually only takes 30 minutes or less. Since the procedure is pretty quick, most people are curious about what happens afterward. Let’s walk through it.

Immediately after LASIK: Recovery

You’ll need someone else to drive you home from LASIK, and you’ll wear specialized glasses to protect your eyes for the first day or so. Light sensitivity and foggy vision are normal.

Most people get back to their usual activities within a couple of days. Dr. Endo can give you specific guidance for your recovery period, but for most people, the modifications include:

Not rubbing or touching your eyes for a week
Not wearing eye makeup or eye products for two weeks
Not playing sports for a few days, and avoiding contact sports for a month
Not swimming or using a hot tub for at least a month

Other than that, though, life should feel pretty standard quickly after LASIK. The only difference is that you won’t need to reach for your glasses or put your contacts in when you start your day. You’ll wake up seeing the world.

The long-term outlook with LASIK

While you should be fairly well recovered within a couple of days after LASIK, it takes 3–6 months for your eyes to heal fully. You might notice that your vision continues to improve over that time gradually.

The results will last. LASIK is a permanent form of vision correction. (Note that it won’t prevent you from age-related vision loss, so you will likely still need readers eventually — but you should maintain your ability to see far away.)

LASIK is generally considered very safe, but your eyes need to be suitable candidates for improvement with this kind of procedure. Dr. Endo can help you determine if LASIK is the right option for achieving the vision correction you want.

To schedule a LASIK consultation with Dr. Endo, call our office at 808-774-3838 to book a time today.