Eye health resource
Preparing for Laser Eye Surgery
Preparing for LASIK or PRK starts with determining whether you are a good candidate, following the surgeon's contact-lens instructions, reviewing dry eye and medications, arranging transportation, and understanding realistic risks and follow-up.
Reviewed for accuracy by Justin Bazan, OD on .
Preparing for LASIK or PRK begins before the day of surgery. The most important steps are confirming that you are an appropriate candidate, obtaining accurate corneal and prescription measurements, following the operating surgeon's contact-lens instructions, discussing dry eye and medical history, and understanding what the procedure can and cannot promise.
Park Slope Eye provides LASIK and PRK co-management. The laser procedure itself is performed by an ophthalmic surgeon.
First: Make Sure Refractive Surgery Is Appropriate for You
LASIK and PRK reshape corneal tissue to change how light focuses in the eye. They can reduce dependence on glasses or contact lenses in appropriately selected adults, but they are not right for everyone.
A refractive-surgery evaluation may consider:
- whether your eyeglass prescription has been stable;
- corneal shape and thickness;
- the amount and type of nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism;
- dry-eye symptoms and ocular-surface health;
- pupil size and other visual factors;
- keratoconus or other corneal disease;
- prior eye surgery or injury;
- medications and medical conditions that can affect healing; and
- your visual goals and expectations.
Myopia is not simply caused by an “abnormally curved cornea.” In many myopic eyes, the eye is longer from front to back than the optical system can compensate for. Laser surgery changes corneal focusing power; it does not shorten the eye.
Follow the Surgeon's Contact-Lens Instructions Before Measurements
Contact lenses can temporarily alter corneal shape. For that reason, the operating surgeon may ask you to stop wearing contacts for a period before final measurements or surgery.
The appropriate time depends on the lens type and the surgeon's protocol. Soft spherical, toric, rigid gas-permeable, scleral, and Ortho-K lenses do not all affect the cornea in the same way, so do not substitute a generic internet timetable for the surgeon's instructions.
Measurements sometimes need to be repeated if the cornea has not stabilized.
Discuss Dry Eye Before Surgery
LASIK can temporarily worsen dry-eye symptoms, and pre-existing ocular-surface disease can affect comfort, measurements, and recovery. Tell the surgeon and co-managing doctor about burning, grittiness, fluctuating vision, contact-lens intolerance, or frequent use of artificial tears.
Treating significant dry eye before final surgical measurements may improve the reliability of those measurements and help set realistic expectations.
Review Your Medicines and Medical History
Provide a complete list of prescription medicines, over-the-counter products, and relevant medical conditions. Certain autoimmune diseases, poorly controlled medical conditions, pregnancy-related prescription changes, medications, or healing problems can affect candidacy or timing.
Do not stop a prescribed medication on your own. The surgeon will tell you whether anything needs to change.
Arrange Transportation for the Procedure
You should plan for someone else to drive you home after LASIK or PRK. Vision may be blurry or fluctuating immediately after surgery, and sedating medication may also be used in some surgical settings.
Follow the surgeon's instructions about when it is safe to drive again.
Understand the Possible Tradeoffs
Many patients are happy with refractive surgery, but no laser procedure can guarantee perfect vision or freedom from glasses for every task for the rest of life.
Possible issues can include:
- dry-eye symptoms;
- glare, halos, or starbursts;
- under-correction or over-correction;
- difficulty with night vision in some patients;
- need for an enhancement when appropriate; and
- continued need for glasses or contacts for some tasks.
Presbyopia also develops with age. LASIK that provides excellent distance vision does not stop the natural age-related loss of near focusing ability.
What Happens After Surgery?
The operating surgeon will provide the specific postoperative medication and activity instructions. Use prescribed drops exactly as directed, avoid rubbing the eyes, and attend scheduled follow-up visits.
LASIK and PRK have different early recovery patterns, so do not assume another person's timeline will match yours. Mild irritation, blur, glare, or light sensitivity can occur, but severe pain, sudden worsening vision, or other unexpected symptoms should be reported promptly to the surgical team.
How Park Slope Eye Fits Into LASIK or PRK Care
Park Slope Eye can help with preoperative eye-health assessment, discussion of refractive options, referral to an ophthalmic surgeon, and postoperative co-management when appropriate. We do not perform the laser surgery in our office.
If you are considering refractive surgery, learn more about LASIK/PRK co-management or book an appointment.
Originally published . Substantially updated .