Recovery time for eye surgery
With about 30% of people in the country dealing with some type of vision disorder, whether it's near sightedness, farsightedness, or an astigmatism, it's no wonder that refractive eye surgery is so popular. For many people, the freedom of not having to wear contacts or glasses is worth undergoing the procedure.
As with any surgery, there is a recovery time as well as limitations you have. The recovery time for eye surgery, however, isn't as bad as you may think. Keep in mind that the recovery time for eye surgery will depend on the type of surgery you have. Lasik procedures generally have the fastest healing times, whereas PRK eye surgery will be longer.
|
|
It's important, however, that recovery time is not the major factor in what type of eye surgery to get. Lasik eye surgery has a faster healing time, but it requires making a flap in the cornea that could take years to close. As a result, the cornea is weaker. PRK surgery is better for people who have a higher risk of trauma to the cornea (athletes, construction workers, etc.), even though the recovery time is faster.
What to expect:
You can expect to return to most of your normal activities within an average of 48 hours after eye surgery. Your eyes need time to rest and adjust to the procedure. You should ease back into your activities and consult your doctor if you have any questions.
The following are recovery times and common activities:
- Driving. Immediately following your eye surgery, you should have someone else drive you home, as you will not be able to drive for the first 48 hours. When you start to drive again, it should be in short distances. In addition, you should wear sunglasses when driving in the daytime, as your eyes will be sensitive to light.
- Makeup/face care. Women who wear makeup will have to refrain from wearing makeup or lotions on the face at least 48 hours after surgery. Most surgeons will not allow you to wear eye makeup for at least a week after your eye surgery, sometimes longer. Makeup applicators can cause pressure around the eye, and makeup that enters the eye can cause infections.
- Physical activity. Strenuous physical activities like jogging, biking, and weight lifting can resume after about a week, and light physical activity can resume in about 48 hours. Your doctor will most likely have you wear protective goggles for the first week or so, and when participating in any outdoor activity, to protect your healing eyes.
- Work. When you return to work depends on the type of work you are doing. Strenuous physical work will take a little while, and many doctors will recommend that people who do a lot of reading or work on the computer wait at least 48 hours before returning to work.
In addition, the following will help you to speed up your recovery time:
- Wear protective goggles. Your doctor will most likely give you protective goggles, so make sure you wear them as instructed.
- Use eye drops. Your doctor will give you eye drops to keep your eyes lubricated; make sure you use them.
- Don't touch your eye. It's very important that you don't touch or rub your eye, which could prolong your recovery time.
Your recovery time from eye surgery will be much smoother and faster if you follow your doctor's advice.
