LASIK's Most Common After-Effects In the two to three hours immediately after surgery, your vision will be blurry. Although your eyesight will greatly improve within 24 hours, you may still experience intermittent blurriness and fluctuations in your vision for some time as your eyes adjust to the reshaped cornea.
Most side effects are temporary and resolve after several days. But as we mentioned, it may take 2 – 3 months before your vision fully stabilizes. Here are some of the more common post-operative effects of LASIK that patients experience in Fayetteville, Rogers, Bentonville, and Springdale: General slight discomfort.
It's a big period of adjustment that takes longer for some patients than others. Some people may experience perfect vision in a matter of days or weeks following surgery, while others may take 6 months or longer for the full benefits to take effect.
Dry Eyes: Creating the LASIK flap will temporarily disrupt nerves that supply the cornea. These nerves usually regenerate in the first 3-6 months after LASIK. During this time, the eyes tend to be dry and this can cause vision to be blurred or to fluctuate.
It is not uncommon for patients to experience blurry vision in the first few days following LASIK surgery. The view of “halos” or glare are two types of distorted vision that will appear before the eyes, post-LASIK. These conditions will gradually disappear as the healing of the eye progresses.
As you're recovering from LASIK, you may wonder, is it normal to have some blurred vision after surgery? The answer is yes. When undergoing LASIK, some blurry vision after surgery should be expected.
There are many reasons for the blurred vision. If the full refractive correction was not achieved with the initial surgery, a follow-up touch-up procedure is occasionally required. Sometimes dryness can prevent the best vision until it resolves which can take 3 months or longer.
Once the full healing process after Eye LASIK surgery has been completed, your optimum visual acuity will be reached. After 3 to 6 months your eyesight will have reached its optimum benefit from the surgery. In many cases 20/20 vision is achieved, but some patients find they need reading glasses for close work.
As is generally the case with the few Laser Eye Surgery side effects, fluctuating vision is experienced only temporarily. Its effects vary from person to person and will most likely occur during the first few months after surgery, with your vision stabilising over time.
When the flap moves out of place, it's referred to as LASIK flap dislocation. If you're wondering how to tell if your LASIK flap has moved, rest assured that you'll know. Symptoms include pain, discomfort, watering, and/or blurry vision.
It's a myth that LASIK affects the way your brain functions. One such procedure on the eyes' surface that has nothing to do with your brain is Lasik. It has no adverse effects on your brain in any manner. There is no evidence or online idea that Lasik surgery can impact your brain.
However, after LASIK, this same person's natural focal point changes, becoming much farther away, at a distance, and the ability to see up close without reading glasses is greatly diminished. This loss of near vision often takes a little getting used to.
Eye protection is especially important at this time, as the flap created in your cornea during surgery is now re-attaching as part of the body's natural healing process. Rubbing or touching the eyes at this time could cause the flap to become dislodged, interrupting the healing process.
Since your eyes are still healing, they will be especially sensitive in the first 24 hours after the LASIK procedure. Because of this, it's recommended to wait at least 24 hours before using your phone, computer, tablet or watching TV.
Visual Irregularities: Some LASIK patients report seeing a number of visual irregularities for months or years after the surgery. These irregularities can include blurry vision, the appearance of ghosts or other artifacts, halos and starbursts around lights, and a significant loss of the ability to see details.
While you will see better the day after surgery, your vision may be a bit blurry or hazy immediately afterward. These temporary vision difficulties usually clear up after the first few weeks. However, it can take about 2 – 3 months before your vision fully stabilizes and your eyes completely heal.
The iris may become lighter due to iris depigmentation. Some medications of certain varieties can cause iris hyperpigmentation, which darkens the iris. LASIK will not turn brown eyes blue. A sudden change in iris colour should be seen by an ophthalmologist immediately.
Ghosts / Multiple Images after LASIK
After refractive surgeries like LASIK, LASEK, and PRK, some patients see multiple images, sometimes called ghost images or ghosts. The medical term is "monocular polyopia", which literally means "one eye, many images." Ghosts are caused by corneal irregularities after LASIK.
In most cases, LASIK has the potential to provide 20/20 vision. However, some people – including those who have higher prescriptions – may not achieve this level of visual acuity after laser surgery. If your vision is blurred beyond a certain point, you may still need a prescription for glasses or contacts.
This type of problem is typically associated with conventional LASIK rather than with Customized Wavefront LASIK. It turns out that conventional LASIK actually increases an aberration in the cornea known as “spherical aberration” which can produce problems with night and low light vision after LASIK.
Using your phone immediately after the procedure can cause your eyes to strain, and that may negatively affect the healing process. Keeping eyes away from the screen will prevent them from straining, getting tired and drying out.
You are advised to wear the goggles while you sleep for a week to two weeks after surgery, when your eyes will be at their most vulnerable to damage if you scratch or otherwise disturb them.
It is best to go home, close both eyes and rest for the remainder of the day following the LASIK procedure. Keeping your eyes closed will minimize the discomfort and speed your visual recovery. Be careful not to squeeze your eyelids tightly closed because this could cause the flap to become dislodged.
How should I sleep after LASIK? Generally speaking, lying face up or on the side that wasn't operated on allows you to rest or sleep. It would help if you slept raised on pillows after some surgeries to reduce swelling. You should typically put a plastic shield over your eye to relieve pressure.