Postoperative Care After Refractive Laser Treatment

You will need to be taken home by car after the laser treatment.

Treatment with eye drops should be started immediately after returning home.

After LASIK treatment:

  • You must wear protective shells for 7 nights.
  • A feeling of having grains of sand in the eye is common, along with watery eyes.
  • Do not hesitate to moisten your eyes well with prescribed artificial tears (use liberally, even 6 to 10 times a day if this provides relief).
  • Vision usually returns the next day.
  • Healing continues during the first month.

After PRK treatment:

  • A soft contact lens (without correction) is placed after the procedure. This acts as a bandage and helps with healing, while preventing severe eye pain. The lens is usually removed between the 3rd and 4th day after the procedure.
  • Severe pain with sensitivity to light is often present during the first 2 days.
  • Pain relief treatment will be prescribed and should be started immediately to better control the pain and discomfort.
  • Expect 3 to 5 days of social absence (no computer use or driving).
  • Vision recovery is slower than with LASIK, expect 5 to 7 days.
  • Healing continues during the first 3 months.

Note: Three months after laser treatment, there is no difference in final result between the two techniques (LASIK or PRK).