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What You Should and Shouldn’t Do After a Laser Eye Surgery

It can be frustrating to wake up each day not being able to see your surroundings clearly. Having impaired vision is no joke, and it’s no wonder many people want to improve their eyesight with the help of laser eye surgery.

Laser eye surgery is a quick and painless procedure that improves a person’s vision. A person who has undergone laser eye surgery will no longer be dependent on vision aids, such as glasses and contacts.

But although laser eye surgery isn’t as physically demanding as other surgical procedures, one still needs to recover to ensure the eyes heal accordingly. Here are some things you need to do to take care of your eyes after laser eye surgery.

Follow the Doctor’s Instructions

Once your surgery is successful, your surgeon will brief you on what you need to do during recovery. It’s crucial that you follow your doctor’s instructions and not simply dismiss them or treat them as suggestions.

Your doctor will prescribe your medications and eye drops to help you heal in recovery. It’s important that you take them as prescribed and not forget.

Since your eyes will be extremely sensitive after the surgery, your doctor will most likely give you UV-protective sunglasses to help protect your eyes. You must not take these glasses off, especially in a well-lit room. It’s also best to avoid bright light, whether natural sunlight outdoors or artificial light indoors.

Rest Your Eyes

Remember, your eyes just got out of surgery. You shouldn’t be putting too much strain on them. Allow your eyes to rest so they can heal properly.

To let your eyes rest, you must avoid reading printed materials for a while. It doesn’t matter if you’re already at the exciting climax of the book you were currently reading. When you try to read any printed materials, your eyes would need to focus on the text, which puts strain on them.

You should also avoid screens for the next 48 hours. This includes your phone, computer, tablet, and yes, even your television. We know it can be tough to live without our screens, especially if we also can’t read printed materials to pass the time. But avoiding these screens is crucial for recovery.

Digital screens can strain the eyes and dry them out, which is not ideal when you’re recovering from laser eye surgery. Plus, we are often unaware of how long we’ve been staring at our screens. What may seem like a minute of just scrolling through your phone can actually lead to a full hour. This can really strain your sensitive post-surgery eyes. So, it’s best to shut off your devices and stow them away to avoid temptation.

Go to Your Follow-Up Appointments

Your doctor will often set up a follow-up appointment the day after your surgery. This is so they can check if you’re healing correctly or if there are any complications. The doctor will be asking you a few questions and may even decide whether you need to continue taking your prescribed medications or not.

If you’ve had an allergic reaction or experienced side effects from your medication or eye drops, your doctor might ask you to discontinue taking them or prescribe a different medication instead.

After your initial follow-up visit, the doctor may schedule another one in 3-4 weeks and a third follow-up after six months. It is essential not to miss any of your follow-up appointments. Through these follow-ups, the doctor can monitor your healing and ensure that everything is going smoothly.

In Summary

While laser eye surgery may not be as physically exhausting as other surgical procedures, you still need to ensure a smooth recovery. Allow your eyes to rest so they can heal properly. Avoid any digital screens and printed materials as these can strain the eyes. It’s also crucial that you take your prescribed medications, wear the necessary protective eye materials, and show up to your follow-up appointments.

Improve your vision with the help of Valley Laser Eye Centre’s best laser eye doctor. We are a vision correction center in Abbotsford, BC, with state-of-the-art technology, a comfortable setting, and amazing staff. Book a consultation now!

This blog post does not replace medical advice and should not be implemented prior to consulting a fully certified medical professional.

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