Last winter my husband got Lasik eye surgery. He’d been wanting it for over fifteen years and was thrilled to finally be rid of his glasses and contacts. But he was so excited about it that he bought into the whole idea that it was super easy and completely painless.
Needless to say, the afternoon post-surgery was a rude awakening. Then, last month, he did a touch-up. One of his eyes wasn’t quite perfect so they did the Lasik procedure on that eye a second time. And with lessons learned from the first time around, he approached this surgery completely differently.
His post-op experience was night and day. Easy and practically pain-free. So with that, I thought I’d share some of his top tips for making your Lasik surgery go as smooth as possible.
Note: This post is meant to help make your experience comfortable – it’s not intended to dissuade you from getting Lasik! Despite my husband’s experience being on the more uncomfortable end of the spectrum, he IMMEDIATELY said it was totally worth it and that he’d do it again in a heartbeat. He just didn’t feel fully informed or prepared, so that’s the intent of this post.
Make Sure You’re Extremely Tired. The commercials aren’t lying to you – the actual Lasik procedure really is pain-free. Unfortunately, there is a 4-6 hour period post-surgery that can be pretty uncomfortable if you’re not sleeping. My husband described it as feeling like there’s something in your eye or under your contact lens – but since you can’t rub your eyes, you just have to deal with it and it’s very uncomfortable. Your doctor will probably advise you to avoid caffeine and will give you a Xanax (or something like it) to calm you during the procedure and help you sleep afterwards. Unfortunately they didn’t advise my husband to skip his morning prescription that acts as a stimulant, so the first time he had the procedure he couldn’t fall asleep no matter what he tried. The second time he stayed up late and only got about 3 hours of sleep the night before, then avoided caffeine and skipped his stimulant prescription the next morning. He had no problem falling asleep immediately after the procedure and skipped the whole “uncomfortable” period.
Have Your Driver Take You Home Immediately. Your driver doesn’t have to sit in the waiting room the whole time. They have the option to leave the surgery center and receive a phone call after you’re done. Don’t do this. You want your driver immediately available to pop you in the car and drive you home so you can get to bed. Every moment you have to sit in the waiting room is one minute closer to the anesthesia wearing off, and if it wears off before you’re able to fall asleep, you might find it difficult to do so because you’ll be so uncomfortable.
Ask for Anesthetic Eye Drops Before You Leave. If you do have to wait awhile before you leave the office and you start to experience discomfort, ask your doctor if they’ll give you an additional dose of the numbing eye drops before you leave. Note: They may or may not do this, but it’s worth asking if you’re experiencing extreme discomfort.
Bring a Sleep Mask. You’ll get darkening goggles to wear home from the surgery center. You’ll be able to see right away, but your eyes will be very sensitive to light. A sleep mask will help you block out all light on the drive home to keep you as comfortable as possible.
Buy Eye Drops in Advance. When you leave the surgery center they’ll probably advise you to buy specific eye drops to use post-surgery. We had to buy Refresh Plus preservative-free single-use drops. Ask your clinic at your pre-op what they recommend, and buy it before your surgery. Trust me – you won’t want to stop at the drug store on the drive home.
Have Your Driver/Caregiver Ask for Instructions. Your doctor will give you written post-op instructions, but make sure your caregiver knows what to do – because if you’re medicated you might not fully understand what you’re supposed to do. Have your driver/caregiver ask the office staff for an explanation of the standard instructions while you’re getting your procedure so you don’t have to waste time waiting for them after you’re done.
To be fair, people experience varying levels of discomfort after Lasik surgery. There are some people who really do find it super easy, but there’s no way to predict whether you’ll be one of them so it’s best to be fully prepared. These tips will help you stay comfortable and sleep immediately after your procedure so you’ll wake up feeling – and seeing – better than ever!
