I am frequently asked by patients and people interested in the procedures what the recovery is going to be like. There are two different EXCIMER laser systems that we use and the recovery is the same regardless of which is used. I use INTRALASE on all my patients in the first step of the surgery to create a thin corneal flap — this is all-laser LASIK. No blades ever. Then we use the Allegretto Wavelight or the Visx Custom Vue (iLASIK) platform to fix the vision. The whole process takes me about 5 minutes per eye. You will walk out of the surgery room seeing without glasses! No bandages, you just walk out… you will need a driver that day as you will be a bit blurry from the surgery and all the drops we place in the eyes after surgery, AND we give you a xanax to help you chill out for the procedure. So, just head home with your driver. Ten minutes later, your eyes begin to sting… use one of the numbing (comfort) drops that we give you to take home, and this will help. Get to sleep as quickly as possible and don’t go to lunch or dinner first! You really want a 3 hour nap as this will heal the eyes and you wont have any stinging or tearing when you get up. Yes, this is a magical nap! You also wake up seeing the alarm clock and your loved one (good/bad????) for the first time without glasses. It is that easy, you just need a 3 hour nap. you should use the medicated drops before the nap and upon wakening. Vision will continue to improve over the next few weeks. There is some night glare and haloing, much worse in the first few days after LASIK, which begins to subside over the month. Most everyone can work or drive the next day! Your vision will be good, but not perfectly crisp just yet. it needs a few days/weeks for healing and then you will be crisp! I don’t have many restrictions. Just no swimming for 2 weeks, do not rub the eyes for 3-4 weeks, and do not do gardening for several days as we don”t want dirt in the eyes. You can exercise the next day, just don’t bang the eyes. Computer use is fine also, just remember that it always makes the eyes a bit drier and you will need to use extra lubricant drops when on the computer. Use the medicated eye drops as directed for the first week, and use the lubricant drops a lot (as much as you can remember) for several days/weeks to help healing. That’s all there is to it! It is a 10 minute procedure that will give you a lifetime of benefit!
