Question for anyone who has had LASIK surgery...

[VRBeauty]

If all goes well (and my episcleritis doesn't flare up) I'll be going under the laser knife for vision correction about this time next week.

What should I expect during the day or two immediately after the surgery? How much will I need to restrict my normal activities, especially things like reading, knitting, driving, and computer use? I've scheduled the surgery such that I will have the next several days off, but I don't plan to sleep that whole time!

Any and all input would be much appreciated - but I won't be able to respond until tonight.

 

[stephbolt]

I'm 6.5 years out from LASIK so some of what I remember is fuzzy, but I think I was cleared for driving after my one day post op appt. I had the surgery on a Thursday and I know I was driving by Sunday.

Immediately after the surgery once the numbing drops wear off I was very photosensitive and had some pain. I went home and laid in a dark room for 4 hours or so. I was able to watch a little TV that night, but reading would have been a challenge. I had an audiobook ready to go on my iPod which helped me from getting bored.

I think by the day after the surgery I was able to watch TV, read, knit (thought I admit, I worked on a scarf right after surgery, but it was simple rib that I could do by feel). I was back in front of a computer for work by Monday (so four days after surgery).

Good luck, I hope you are thrilled with your results! Right after surgery I sat up and could actually see the clock on the wall, the first thing I said was "Holy $h!t! I can see it!"

 

[oranges]

First of all-- congrats! GettingbLASIK was one of the best decisions that I have ever made.

I got LASIK in November-- so the experience is pretty fresh in my mind. The procedure itself was not as bad as I expected-- it was very short the painless. The only thing that I could feel was a lot of pressure when they were making the flap. Other than that it was fine!

After the procedure when the numbing drops wear off, your eyes will feel very irritated. Mine felt like there was something in my eyes. I also felt some burning. The best advice I have to you is to KEEP YOUR EYES CLOSED! Also take tylenol PM and nap when you get home for 4-5 hours. When I woke up from my nap, trust me you will be tired, my eyes felt so much better! I was advised not to read for a day or two. The day of the surgery-- you will not want to read anyway. I was back to normal activities within 3 days.

You'll love it!

 

[sillyberry]

I had LASIK forever ago (all the way back in 2003), but I mostly remember being overwhelmingly tired. I think they gave me valium and I just slept all day. I probably put a movie on and slept some more. My eyes were irritated, so all I wanted to do was keep them shut. I'm pretty sure I drove the day after my surgery as things were pretty clear, and I had no other way to get to my appointment with the eye doctor. I think things resumed to normal pretty quickly.

My one thing to note -- for about the first month nothing seemed really crisp. I told my doctor I was worried and they said it was normal as my eye healed. And sure enough, right at about a month everything crisped up and I was good to go. I was at the eye doctor last week and I'm 20/20, pushing 20/15 with both eyes.

 

[sonnyjane]

I had LASIK in August 2008. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made. After the procedure, obviously, someone else had to drive me home from the office, and they gave me a sleeping pill so I slept most of that day. The next day I had my follow-up appointment with the doctor and I did drive myself there. The day immediately following surgery I could see 20/20, and a week later when I went for my last post-op appointment I was seeing 20/15. They advised me not to use the computer or watch too much tv that first day or two, but I was back to work within 48 hours. My eyes were quite sensitive to light for a while, however. At the time I worked on a boat, so I was wearing sunglasses even inside the cabin for a few days due to the sensitivity. No swimming (with goggles) for a couple of weeks and no opening your eyes underwater for about two months (I was concerned about those things because I was going on my honeymoon in Maui 4 months after surgery, but everything was a-okay by then.)

 

[ChloeTheGreat]

My mother had it a few years ago. I drove her home from the appointment. She was very loopy from the medicine.
She drove herself to her follow up appointment the next day. Other than that, I don't know about the everyday stuff.
Good luck with your procedure!

 

[VRBeauty]

Sonnyjane, sillyberry, oranges, and Stephbolt - thank you so much for the first-hand reports! I'd already arranged for a friend to drive me to and from the surgery center (a good 30 minutes or more from my home) - now I'll be sure to stock up on Tylenol PM and plan to spend that afternoon sleeping! Chloe - it's good to know about the potential loopy too - all the more reason to plan on a nice long nap!

I'm a little bit apprehensive, but that's outweighed by the prospect of better vision and life without glasses. I see my regular opthamologist tomorrow for one last check of the prescriptions. We'll be doing monovision correction, optimizing distance vision in one eye and near-range vision in the other. I used a monovision approach with hard lenses for years, and loved the results, so that seemed like the best approach for my lasik too. I'm doing my best to eat well and stay away from sweets and other things that are associated with inflammatory responses, and keeping my fingers crossed that the episcleritis won't flare up and force me to postpone the surgery!

Thanks again, everyone!

 

[shortstack]

VRBeauty, I hope you achieve great results!!

 

[Amys Bling]

Best of luck!!!

 

[Mrsacornblue]

I had it two years ago in December. Best decision I ever made. Some practices will give you a mild sedative before the procedure...mine did not. The surgery was not bad...a little uncomfortable but it was over quickly. You have numbing drops in so it is not too bad. When I went home, I slept for a few hours and spent the rest of the day listening to the TV and relaxing. You have a pretty strict drop schedule so you do stay busy. I had to sleep with "goggles" for the first few nights...while they are padded, I found it most comfortable to put them over an inexpensive sleep mask so that the did not dig into my skin. You can wash your hair but you can't lett he water drip down over your face for about a week. I covered my face with a washcloth and wore headbands to keep my hair out of my face. I am prone to migraines and found that I was very light sensitive and had a bad headache for the first three days. I took my migraine meds and Advil. I also wore really dark sunglasses, even in the house and kept it fairly dark. I was back to using the computer and things the next day. I also drove to my post-op check the next day but my DH came with me. Follow your post-op instructions exactly, ask questions if you don't understand something and take a few days to take it easy and you should heal without any complications. The only lasting effect I have is I have to wear sunglasses now when it is bright out. Good luck!

 

[sillyberry]

I didn't say this, and I should have -- it seriously ranks as one of the very best decisions I've ever made for myself. Waking up and being able to see the alarm clock was an amazing revelatory thing.

Good luck!!!