Day of the Procedure

Our professional and caring staff will provide each patient with all the information and preparation he or she will need to ensure the best possible LASIK experience.

Patients should:

  • Expect to be at the University Hospitals Eye Institute Custom LASIK Center 1 ½ to 2 hours.
  • Plan to go home and sleep immediately following the procedure. The longer they sleep, the better their eyes will feel and the better they’ll heal, too.
  • Expect their eyes to water excessively and burn. It may feel as if there is something in their eyes. This is normal and may last up to four hours. Use regular pain relievers like Tylenol or Advil, as necessary.

Patients should not:

  • Drive, sign legal documents or drink alcohol for at least 24 hours if they have Valium the day of the procedure.
  • Drive or operate any machinery if their vision is not clear. Patient should refrain from driving until they are completely comfortable and are able to see clearly.
  • Rub their eyes at all immediately following the procedure.

Following the Procedure

Patients should expect their vision to remain blurry and to fluctuate over the first few days following the procedure. Vision should gradually improve over the next four to six weeks, depending on the individual’s prescription. (The higher the prescription now, the longer the recovery time) During this time, the eyes will be sensitive to light and vision may dim in the evenings. Patients may also experience some halos around lights during this time. These symptoms and any discomfort should decrease each day. Complete visual recovery typically takes three to six months.

If a patient experiences dryness during healing, his or her University Hospitals Eye Institute Custom LASIK Center doctor may need to provide punctual plugs. This is necessary to treat tear deficiency and requires an additional charge that is not part of the laser surgery fee.

Patients may also experience red spots in the whites of their eyes following the procedure. If this occurs, the red spots should disappear within two to four weeks.

Reading may be difficult initially following the procedure. Patients over the age of 35 may find over-the-counter reading glasses helpful until their vision stabilizes. A prescription for reading glasses may be provided after this, if necessary.

Normal healing may also involve some regression – a sense of vision worsening. This is common. However, if regression is significant, a touch-up procedure may be preformed three to six months after the initial procedure.

Keep in mind that everyone heals differently. Individual progress will be monitored throughout the recovery period during regularly scheduled post-op visits.

Eye Protection

A technician will apply eye shields shortly after the procedure is complete. These eye shields should be worn for the remainder of that day. Patients should wear the shields while they sleep for the next three nights following the procedure. They should also seriously consider some form of eye protection, such as sunglasses, for a week following the procedure.

Post-Op visits

Postoperative visits are an important aspect of the complete laser vision correction. The first post-op appointment will be the day following the procedure and it is mandatory. After that, each patient’s doctor will determine how frequently they need to return for additional post-op visits.