Before & After Surgery:

Before Surgery:

Your consultation will begin with one of our refractive surgery technicians who will review your medical history, check your refraction, and attain measurements of your cornea. You will then meet your surgeon who will examine your eyes and discuss what options are best for you. The evaluation lasts 1-2 hours and includes a complete dilated eye exam. You can then meet with the refractive surgery coordinator to schedule your surgery. As a reminder, do not wear your contacts lens for at least three days prior to your consultation (2 weeks for toric or extended wear lenses, and 1 month for every decade worn for hard lenses).

On the day of surgery, eat a light meal before coming and bring all your prescribed medications. Do not wear eye makeup or have bulky accessories in your hair that will interfere with you lying flat.

After surgery:

The Wilmer Eye Institute refractive surgeon who performs your procedure will examine you at your post operative visit to ensure that you are healing well. To ensure that you have an excellent outcome, plan on attending three post-operative visits – one day or one week (depending on the procedure), one month, and three months after surgery. The cost of these visits is included in your surgical fee.

What can I expect after refractive surgery?

You can expect that your vision may be blurry or hazy for the first day. You may experience mild discomfort or light sensitivity for the first several hours after LASIK or KLEx, and for the first several days after PRK. Your vision may fluctuate between blurry and clear for the first few weeks. The eye drops prescribed by your doctor will help with healing and dryness, although they may burn or temporarily blur your vision.

What restrictions will I have after refractive surgery?

It takes a few weeks for your eye to stabilize after refractive surgery. It is important that you follow the following guidelines to allow for an excellent recovery:

• Do not rub your eyes. Wear the goggles provided while you sleep for the first week.
• Do not shower until the next morning after your surgery.
• Avoid eye makeup and tap water for the first week after surgery, and hair coloring, swimming pools, hot tubs, etc. for the first 2 weeks after surgery.
• Do not exercise for two days. When you resume sport activities, wear eye protection for one month. Wear sunglasses with UV protection when you go out in the sun for at least the first three months, especially if you had PRK.

Most importantly, enjoy your new vision and freedom from glasses and contact lenses! Enjoy waking up and seeing the clock, exercising without contact lenses, and living life to the fullest clearly and without limitation.