7 Ways to Prevent Pain After LASIK Surgery
The team at NVISION knows just how effective LASIK surgery can be. Millions have undergone custom LASIK surgery already, improving their vision quality and eliminating their dependence on glasses and contacts.
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At Teplick Custom Vision, an NVISION Company, we’ve helped countless patients throughout the greater Portland area with their eye care needs. We also knows that LASIK is not without its side effects, and we make sure that our patients understand what they are and how to address them as they arise. That is why we want to share these seven tips for dealing with pain and discomfort after undergoing LASIK surgery.
Is Pain Common After LASIK Surgery?
Soreness and discomfort are both common after LASIK surgery, as is dry eye and itchiness. This is all part of the healing process and totally normal. Even if it is normal, it can be inconvenient, so these tips will help you with the healing process.
Tip One: Take Pain Medication as Directed
Patients may be prescribed pain medication or may be recommended an over-the-counter pain reliever. Whatever the case, if you feel discomfort after surgery, take that medication as instructed to address these issues. Do not surpass the recommended dosage.
Tip Two: Spare Your Eyes and Get a Lot of Rest
In the first 24 to 48 hours after surgery, be sure to rest your eyes and concentrate on healing. That means no reading, watching TV, watching movies, or computer use. Rather than strain your eyes, do your best to take it easy so the pain and discomfort passes quicker.
Tip Three: Use Eye Drops as Instructed
You will be given medicated eye drops to use during the first days of recovery to help with the healing process. As the weeks go by, you should keep regular moisturizing eye drops handy in case of itchiness or redness. Liquid tears can help stop attacks of dry eye before they become more serious.
Tip Four: Wear Your Eye Shields as Directed
Patients will be given eye shields to wear in the first days after surgery, which prevents accidental contact with the eyes and prevents painful rubbing or scratching. Be sure to wear those to make the healing process go by smoother.
Tip Five: Avoid Potential Dry Eye Scenarios
Dry eye tends to be a recurrent source of pain and discomfort for weeks and even months after LASIK surgery. To help prevent painful attacks, we recommend that you avoid places that are dry, dusty, or smoky, as these conditions tend to exacerbate dry eye attacks.
Tip Six: Protect Your Eyes from the Harshness of the Sun
In the first days after LASIK, your eyes will be very sensitive to bright lights. When outdoors, be sure to wear sunglasses and a hat with a brim to help make the sunlight is less harsh on your vision. Stay indoors when possible on very bright days during those first few days after LASIK.
Tip Seven: Stay In Contact with Our Team
If you should ever experience major discomfort or have questions about your recovery, our team will be here for you. Do not hesitate to speak with us if you have a concern. By addressing these matters sooner rather than later, we may be able to prevent a complication and help reduce the discomfort you are feeling.
Effectiveness of LASIK Surgery
About 9 out of 10 people (90%) who have LASIK end up with vision between 20/20 and 20/40—without glasses or contact lenses.
It is important to know that LASIK cannot correct presbyopia. This is the normal, age-related loss of close-up vision. With or without refractive surgery, almost everyone who has excellent distance vision will need reading glasses after around age 40.
To help with presbyopia, some people have LASIK to get monovision. This means one eye is left slightly nearsighted and the other eye is adjusted for distance vision. The brain learns to adapt so that the nearsighted eye is used for close work, while the other eye sees distant objects.
Monovision is not for everyone. To see if you are able to adapt to this correction, you will probably want to try monovision with contact lenses first.
Learn More About Laser Vision Correction
For more information about LASIK surgery, be sure to fill out the “Book an Appointment” button to schedule a free LASIK consultation.
If you are in the Portland area, our entire team looks forward to meeting you in person and helping you achieve the best possible results!