Aftercare Following Laser Eye Surgery

Written by John Taylor

Laser-assisted refractive surgery is becoming an increasingly popular way of improving vision without the use of contacts or glasses. The surgery is remarkably successful and is getting better all the time with innovations such as Wavefront LASIK.

But what you do as a patient can have a big outcome on how successful your surgery is, and whether you have any complications from the procedure.

Laser-assisted refractive surgeries have an incredible success rate of more than 90 percent. The fact is, all but a very small percentage of the people who undergo LASIK, LASEK or PRK enjoy an incredible increase in their ability to see following the procedure, many gaining perfect 20/20 vision. Complications are rare, but when they do occur they can be very uncomfortable and range from minor annoyances to lifelong problems. Following your doctor's instructions after your surgery is the best way to prevent becoming one of the unlucky ones.

LASIK is the most widespread form of laser-assisted refractive surgery, owing much of its popularity to the immediate results it offers and the relative ease of the procedure, which takes about 15 minutes per eye. In the procedure, the surgeon cuts a small flap in the outer layer of the cornea and then sculpts the corneal tissue beneath with an excimer laser. The flap is then placed back over the cornea and you're also given an eye shield to wear.

After the surgery, one of the most important things you can do is a patient is to ward off infection. Your doctor will likely prescribe some eyedrops to prevent infection and inflammation. Take them as directed. An infection may cause considerable discomfort and also diminish any increased vision that the surgery may have provided you.

Also, it's quite common immediately after LASIK surgery for your eyes to burn or to itch. It's very important that you avoid rubbing your eyes at this point. Rubbing or scratching your eyes may cause the flap to come loose, which may result in you having to undergo a second surgery.

There are a number of activities you should refrain from for the first few days and weeks after your LASIK surgery. For example, you should avoid drinking alcohol for the first 48 hours following your surgery. If you're active in any contact sports like football or basketball, you should refrain from participating for at least a month following your surgery. You should also avoid swimming or using a hot tub for two months after your surgery. If you wear make up, you should refrain from using it for about a week following your surgery as well.

LASEK is a surgery that's very similar to LASIK, except instead a much thinner flap is cut from the epithelium, which is weakened beforehand by chemcials. The recovery time for LASEK is a bit longer than that of LASIK, in large part due to the chemicals used in the procedure. Many of the aftercare procedures for LASEK are similar for LASIK, with one noticable exception being the need to wear a bandage contact lens for about a week after the surgery. Wearing this bandage is important, as it helps the epithelium to heal.

PRK is the earliest form of laser-assisted refractive surgery. In PRK, the outer layer of the cornea is removed entirely before the excimer laser sculpts the corneal tissue underneath. PRK actually used to be the most popular form of laser-assisted refractive surgery, but was later outstripped by LASIK because LASIK offers a quicker healing time. That's because in PRK the outer layer of the cornea must regrow, whereas in LASIK the flap created in the procedure is simply repositioned back in place. Like LASEK and LASIK, you'll need to take eyedrops after your PRK surgery, and you'll also have to refrain from rubbing your eyes.

Because the epithelium is completely removed in PRK, it's very important to follow your doctor's instructions to the letter regarding the application of eyedrops to prevent inflammation and infection. Some patients must use the eyedrops for four months after the procedure, so make sure you have the sufficient commitment to keeping up with this before consenting to undergo PRK.PRK's recovery rate is much longer than that of LASIK, and you may suffer mild to moderate pain requiring the prescription of painkillers following the procedure.

While PRK, LASIK and LASEK are all different, some basic commonsense rules can facilitate a good recovery from each facility. In short, follow your doctor's orders, avoid strenuous activity for about a month and use your prescribed eyedrops.