A Guide to Good Health

How To Prepare For Laser Eye Surgery

How should you prepare for laser eye surgery? LASIK surgery is a popular procedure that eliminates the need for glasses or contact lenses. If you're ready to permanently correct your vision, take a look at how to prepare for laser-assisted surgery.

Schedule a Consultation

Is LASIK right for you? Eye surgeons can help their patients to better understand this procedure and make informed decisions. Before you schedule surgery, you'll need a consultation appointment with the doctor. The surgeon will assess your vision, examine your eyes, and take a health history. The doctor will make sure you're an appropriate candidate for this procedure and explain the procedure at this time.

Switch to Glasses

Do you wear contact lenses? If you answered yes, you'll need to switch to glasses before the surgery. The surgeon will discuss the switch with you and recommend a timeframe. It's likely the doctor will ask you to stop wearing contact lenses for several weeks before the initial consultation appointment. This helps the cornea (the clear outer layer of the eye) to return to its natural shape.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), patients should stop wearing soft contacts for two weeks before their LASIK consultation. Patients who wear hard contacts should stop wearing their lenses four weeks before the first appointment. Those who wear rigid gas permeable or toric soft lenses should switch to glasses three weeks before their consultation day.

Find a Driver

You may have blurry vision or discomfort after the laser procedure. While you will have the ability to see, temporary blurriness will make it unsafe for you to drive yourself home, walk, or take public transportation without help.

Even though you will be awake during this type of surgery, the doctor may give you a mild sedative. This can help you to relax during the procedure. The doctor may want you to stay in the surgical or outpatient center/hospital until the sedative has begun to wear off. It's likely you'll feel drowsy for several hours. This means you can't drive yourself home.

Arrange for a responsible adult to accompany you to your appointment. Whether your spouse, a sibling, a friend, or someone else comes with you, make sure they can drive you home and stay with you until the sedative wears off. You may want to rest and relax or nap in the first few hours after surgery.

Contact an eye doctor to learn more about laser eye surgery.