Rates of Recovery
The following information is provided as a guideline for post-operative recovery.
People recover faster if they: Are less than 35 year old; Have a pre-surgery prescription less than 4.00D of myopia or 2.00D of hyperopia and less than 1.00D of astigmatism; Wore contact lenses less than 5 years and don’t have dry eyes as a result; Have normal corneal topography and/or did not have previous corneal surgery; ASA – keep eyes closed as much as possible 72 hours post-operatively; ASA - use refrigerated artificial tears every 5 -15 minutes while awake until bandage contact lenses are removed. Once bandage contact lenses are removed, use artificial tears 6 times a day and Blink Gel at bedtime for 3 months; ASA – discontinue Prolensa after 3rd day post-operatively; LASIK - keep eyes closed for at least 6 hours following surgery; LASIK- use refrigerated artificial tears every hour while awake for the first 7 days; THEN, 6 times a day for 3 months; Refrigerated eye drops reduce swelling and increase comfort; AND, Don’t smoke
It’s impossible to exactly quantify your results and how fast you will recover after ASA or LASIK surgery. Your rate of recovery will depend upon your individual characteristics (as well as the degree you vary from the above traits e.g. a heavy smoker will recover slower than a light smoker.
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What to Expect After Surgery
ASA (formerly PRK) The following expectations are based on visual acuity prior to surgery (vision without correction) and the patient’s compliance with post-operative care as described on previous page.
Typical Post-operative characterizations are: Up to 80% visual improvement immediately after ASA; with little to no discomfort that day. Vision becomes cloudy and diminishes to approximately 50%, as well as light sensitivity increases on days 2 and 3 after surgery. Discomfort described as “slept in contacts”. Driving is not recommended. Bandage contacts are removed day 5 or 6 and vision will return to 80% with no discomfort. If your vision is 20/40 or better you are legal to drive; however, night driving is not recommended for the first week post-operatively. By day 7 or 8 post-operatively, vision is typically 90 – 100%. You may still incur halos or glare with night vision. This will improve over the next 1-3 months.
Patients that do not follow the guidelines described on the “Rates of Recovery” page, tend to recover more slowly and may encounter the following: Up to 80% visual improvement still typical on day of surgery. Vision becomes cloudy and diminishes to approximately 50% on days 2 and 3 after surgery. Discomfort described as “slept in contacts”. Driving is not recommended. Bandage contacts are removed day 5 or 6 and vision will return to 50-70% with no discomfort. Your vision is typically better than 20/40 and are legal to drive; however, night driving is not recommended for the first week post-operatively. By post op day 7 or 8, your uncorrected vision stays between 50 – 70%. This may take up to 1 month and very rarely up to 3 months to improve further. Some people feel uncomfortable driving with 20/40 vision and some may have a little worse vision. There may be some “ghosting” or doubling of images. Also, one eye may be clearer than the other eye. In some instances, we must fit you in contact lenses so that you can function during the visual recovery process. Contacts are fitted at no additional charge. If not improved by 3 months, an enhancement is typically offered.
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