Surgery Arrangements Before and After
Incredibly sharp vision for incredibly clear memories.

Prior to the day of your surgery, you will need to make the following arrangements:

• Contact Lenses -- If you wear rigid or gas permeable contact lenses, leave them out for at least two weeks before your procedure. If you wear soft contact lenses, leave them out for at least three days prior to your procedure. This gives us a chance to pick up any significant changes in corneal shape which may be caused by contact lens-induced warpage.
  
  
• Makeup -- Please discontinue the use of eye make-up at least three days prior to surgery; one week is best.
  
  
• Dress -- Wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothing on the day of surgery. Please do not wear earrings.
  
  
• Time -- Your appointment time is your arrival time. It is not necessary to come earlier.
  
  
• Driver -- Arrange for a driver on the day of surgery and plan to be at InView for 2-3 hours. You will not be able to drive immediately after surgery.
  
  
• Sedative -- Surgery is easy and "patient friendly" and sedatives are not usually needed for the LASIK procedure. Some patients experience high anxiety with simple medical procedures, such as going to the dentist or having blood drawn. If this is true for you and you are having LASIK, ask one of our staff and we will provide you with a short-acting relaxing agent that can be taken orally before your treatment. Please do not take pain or sedative-type medications before coming to the facility for your surgery.

Immediate Recovery After LASIK Surgery

Immediately following surgery, there is little discomfort in most cases. Most patients just experience a scratchy sensation in the eye(s) which is usually relieved by the use of Aspirin, Acetomenaphen (Tylenol), or Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil). Immediately after surgery, it is important to blink normally and to use the artificial tears frequently. In case you have persistent pain, we provide a prescription for pain medication, which you can have filled either before or immediately after your surgery so that it will be available if you need it. The medication will make you groggy and sleepy. If you sleep, be sure to wear your protective eye shields or goggles that will be given to you as you leave. This should be worn the first two nights after surgery to ensure that you don't inadvertently rub the eye and dislodge the flap. After the first two nights, the flap will be firmly attached and it will then be unnecessary to wear the shield.

• Do not attempt to drive or operate machinery until you feel completely comfortable with your vision.
• No make-up for three days.
• No swimming or hot tubs for three weeks. You may bathe and shower normally.
• Avoid rubbing your eyes for one week.
• Exercise may be resumed one day after surgery. Perspiration in or around the operated eye may cause stinging but will not be harmful.
• Wear the protective eye shield when sleeping the first night following surgery.

On the first day after surgery, you will notice a change in the vision in your eye(s). Your vision will still be blurry, but objects will generally be sharper than they were without glasses before surgery. Vision will improve over the first 24 hours and through the first week but will continue to fluctuate for several months. Most patients can return to work the day after surgery.