Postoperative tips after laser eye surgery

Recognizing the benefits of laser eye correction, it is equally important to bear in mind that proper postoperative care should be ensured. Those potential benefits can be achieved only if a good recovery is followed. To be honest, the whole process of a typical laser eye procedure only takes a few minutes to finish. However, the postoperative recovery period may differ considerably from one patient to another. This article introduces some helpful tips used to get a fast recovery.

Protect the fragile eyes against particles and UV radiation

First of all, some forms of laser eye surgeries require the patients to use a protective shield to cover their eyes immediately after the procedure. It is simple to understand that such a shield can protect the fragile eyes from any external damage sources, such as dust, particles and UV radiation. Patients should maintain the shield as long as the surgeon recommends. Except for eye shield, the majority of patients will be asked to use antibiotics, moistening eye drops and even anti-inflammatory drops during the recovery period after a laser eye surgery. In order to blocking the harmful UV light, the eyes need protection from sunglasses. Sunglasses are particularly helpful for patients who develop light sensitivity postoperatively.

Get enough rest

It is advisable to get as much rest as possible during the recovery time after an eye surgery. The best way is to go to bed as soon as possible after the surgery, so that the risk of suffering from postoperative pain can be minimized. After sleeping, significant vision improvement is very likely to be noticed. During the first 24 hours immediately after the surgery, it is advisable to avoid activities like watching TV, reading books and using a computer. Remember the eyes need adequate rest and relaxation.

Never rub the eyes

As mentioned before, the delicate eyes are extremely fragile after being reshaped by a laser. Some corneal tissues are removed. During at least seven days after the surgery, eye rubbing must be strictly prevented. Otherwise, it is very probably to suffer eye irritation and even infection. In a worse case, the perfect vision outcome may be offset. Wearing eye shields as discussed before is a good way to guarantee the prevention of eye rubbing.

Potential imperfect outcomes

There are possibly postoperative complications. For instance, nearsighted patients may experience difficulty in reading, which is normally considered a typical side effect of the procedure. For some farsighted patients, a temporary and normal side effect can be blurry objects in the distance. However, all these complications or side effects occur only in very rare cases. The vast majority of patients receiving laser eye surgery can restore normal vision the day after surgery.