Laser eye surgery aftercare 101

Published on 1st July 2019

Thorough aftercare is essential when it comes to recovering from laser eye surgery. It’s common for people to underestimate the need for great aftercare following treatment, so it’s important to protect your eyes after surgery to avoid complications.

Following your laser eye correction, it’s important to follow the advice of your ophthalmic surgeon. At Visualase, we’re pleased to offer thorough and comprehensive laser eye surgery aftercare for all of our patients, starting with treatment day.

Our aftercare process

Immediately following your laser eye surgery at Visualase you’ll be able to go and sit in our recovery room. If you’ve brought someone with you to the clinic, they’ll be able to join you. You’ll rest in the recovery room for approximately 30 minutes with your eyes gently closed.

Before you leave, your doctor will examine your eyes and give you eye drops to use at home.

The next day you’ll be invited back to the clinic for a follow-up appointment to re-examine your eyes and check on your progress. This is the perfect opportunity to ask any questions or raise any concerns you might have.

There’ll be regular checkups over the following months as part of your aftercare package to monitor your progress. We see all of our patients at day one, two weeks, six weeks, three months, six months and twelve months after treatment, although you’re free to arrange additional appointments at any time.

It’s rare, but if you ever need us outside of clinic opening hours, you can call our emergency contact number which is manned by our optometrists. You’ll also be given the contact details for your treating surgeon.

Aftercare: advice and things to remember

Here are some things to remember following your laser eye correction, and our tips for taking the best care of your eyes in the weeks and months after treatment:

• You won’t be able to drive immediately after treatment so be sure to arrange for someone to pick you up from the clinic on surgery day.

  Most patients are at driving standard or better when we examine their eyes at their day one post-op appointment, but SURFACE treatment patients may need to wait up to one week.

• Take your prescribed eye drops as instructed by your surgeon.

• Wear sunglasses after treatment as your eyes will be sensitive to light during the hours immediately after surgery. Some patients also feel more comfortable wearing sunglasses for the first few days.

• Don’t shower until at least the day after surgery and be extremely careful when washing your face and hair.

• Avoid dust for at least a week. Your eyes will be healing in this time, so be sure to avoid dust and dirt as much as possible to avoid infection. If you work on a building site or another dusty environment, it’s advisable to wear safety glasses for at least one month.

• Don’t rub your eyes in the first few days and wear your protective eye shields while sleeping.

• Don’t wear any makeup around your eyes for one week. You can read more about the do’s and don’ts of wearing makeup after treatment here.

• Avoid swimming for at least two weeks after treatment, and wear goggles for another six weeks after.

If you ever have any questions about laser eye treatment or are in any doubt about your recovery and aftercare, please give the clinic a call on 01204 387467.

All eye surgical procedures carry a level of risk including not obtaining the desired outcome, through to varying levels of visual loss. Your eye surgeon will discuss the risks and benefits, including ones specific to your circumstances, at the time of your pre-operative consultation.