Review the following guidelines to ensure the day of your surgery runs as smoothly as possible.

Before Surgery

• Do not wear your contact lenses before the laser surgery. Soft lenses should not be worn for at least two weeks prior to surgery, and hard or rigid gas permeable contact lenses for two to three weeks. Please contact us well in advance of your surgery if you have any questions regarding contact lens wear.
• Discuss with your physician whether to discontinue any medication you are currently taking, prior to surgery.
• Be aware you are awake during the surgery.
• Please try to come to the laser center at least 30 minutes before your scheduled surgery time. 
• You may eat a light meal or drink fluids before the surgery. 
• Wear loose, comfortable clothing so that you will not have to change clothes for the procedure.
• Please do not wear eye makeup the day of the procedure. 
• The laser procedure takes about half an hour, however you should plan to be with us for 1 to 1.5 hours. 
• As your vision may be blurry immediately after the procedure, you should not drive yourself to the laser center. Plan on taking a taxi or car service, or have a friend or relative accompany you home. 
• We suggest that you not return to work after the procedure, and if possible, take the next day off from work after your procedure (or at least don’t schedule anything important) as your vision may still be a little bit blurry. However, most people report that they are able to work the next day without difficulty. 
• Please discuss with your physician any other questions or concerns you have about the surgery prior to your surgery date.

Aftercare

The following information will help you understand what to expect in the hours and days following your procedure.

• Post-op visits are at the discretion of your physician.
• Your visits will consist of monitoring your vision, corneal flap check, and status of overall eye health. These follow-up visits are important to your results.
• Protect your eyes. The corneal "flap" is not sutured or glued down. It will adhere by itself over the course of one to two weeks. Therefore, it is very important that you not rub the eye vigorously or go swimming during this period.
• You may take a shower or bath the morning after the procedure, but do not allow the water from the shower head to strike you directly in the face for at least one week after surgery. You may shave and wash your face, but again, wipe your eyes gently and do not allow water to get into the eye.
• To reduce the possibility that makeup might get under the flap before it heals, do not use mascara or eyeliner for at least one week after the laser surgery.
• The first night after the procedure, you may notice mild irritation, redness, and tearing, almost as if there is a hair or a scratch in the eye. This is normal and in most cases, it should resolve by the next morning. If you have discomfort, ask your doctor if you can take an over-the-counter pain reliever.
• Your vision should return very quickly. Most people have enough vision to return to work and drive within one or two days. However, because there are individual variations in healing, some patients may take longer to reach their final visual result, and may need temporary glasses, especially for reading.