In my last blog post I discussed all the things about the actual laser eye surgery procedure that puts people off having the treatment. People are worried about all sorts of things from the thought of needles in their eye to the smell of their eye burning after the laser has been applied. Just about all the concerns that people have about eye laser surgery, including the 2 just mentioned are untrue. It’s like with lots of things in life; the actual thought of having something done is often not as bad as the reality.

From talking to patients about laser eye treatment, one of the things that often stops them from having it done, is the fear about the recovery period following the procedure. The typical things that people are concerned about are as follows:

• The pain involved after laser eye surgery.
• Worried about how soon they will be able to drive following laser eye surgery.
• Worried about when they will be able to return to work and normal activities following laser eye surgery.
• Worried whether they can play sport after laser eye surgery.

Let’s see if we can address some of these issues so that you can be better informed about whether to have laser eye surgery. It would be a shame if the reason you were not having laser eye surgery was because of something that was not true. Let’s look at the issues one by one:

• Pain during laser eye surgery recovery: Immediately following surgery there will be no pain at all as your eyes will still be anesthetised. However, as the anaesthetic wears off, you should expect there to be some discomfort. You have after all had a surgical procedure! How much discomfort there will be, will depend on which procedure you have had. Lasik results in very little discomfort at all during the recovery period and most people only report mild discomfort which typically lasts for 24 – 48 hours. Lasek recovery however, typically involves more discomfort and lasts for a longer period of time. Full recovery can take up to 1 week following Lasek eye surgery.
• How soon can I drive after laser eye surgery: Again this depends on whether you are having Lasik or Lasek surgery. Most people can drive within 24 – 48 hours following Lasik, whereas it can be up to 1 week following Lasek eye surgery. This varies from individual to individual and the higher your initial prescription the longer your vision will take to settle down
• When can I return to work and normal activities after laser eye surgery: Most people can return to work within 48 hours following Lasik surgery. Lasek is typically longer and people sometimes need up to 1 week off work following surgery. Everyone’s eye’s heal at different rates so expect some variation on these figures.
• Can I play sport after laser eye surgery: There will obviously be a period of healing following laser eye surgery where you will not be allowed to play sport. If you have had Lasek you can normally return to sport and physical activities sooner than compared with Lasik. The reason for this is because the main weakness following laser eye surgery is where the flap is healing. There is no flap created during Lasek and so therefore there is no risk of there being any problems with this.

As you can see from this blog post, there really is nothing to fear about the laser eye surgery recovery. If it is important that you can return to work quickly following surgery and you are at all concerned about the discomfort following the procedure, then Lasik is by far the best choice. If you are involved in a physical sport or job, then Lasik may be the better option. It is important however to remember that your surgeon may insist that you have one treatment over the other, regardless of what your preference is due to the results of  measurements that have been taken during the laser eye surgery consultation. For example if you have thin corneas you may be forced to have Lasek rather than lasik surgery.

I hope this Blog post has been helpful and eased some of the worries people have about what to expect after eye laser surgery. If there is anything you are still unsure about then feel free to make a comment on this blog post or ask it in our laser eye surgery forum,

Thanks for reading,

Tim