Post-operative Instructions

Immediately following your LASIK surgery, you will be escorted into an exam room at our New York office where your LASIK surgeon, Dr. Eric Mandel, will examine your eyes under the slit lamp microscope. Following that, a LASIK consultant will provide you with your post-operative kit including your drops, sunglasses, goggles, and written instructions.  Almost all patients are given both steroid and antibiotic drops in addition to lubricating drops. Before you leave the office, your post-operative visit for the following day will be confirmed, and you will receive a sheet explaining your eye drop regimen for that day and the next morning. Some patients use RESTASIS® or Xiidra® drops, as well as lubricating ointment, to improve the quality of their tears.

When you return home from our Manhattan office after LASIK surgery, you should close your eyes for at least four to six hours.  You will notice that this time passes most easily if you are sleeping. If you cannot fall asleep, you may find that listening to music is also a relaxing way to pass the time.  Your vision may be blurry during the first day, which is normal, or you may feel as though you are looking through the bottom of a soda bottle. This is because your cornea will be swollen.

Usually vision begins to improve about six hours after your LASIK surgery.  Nearsighted patients tend to experience improved distance vision sooner than farsighted patients. It is normal to have fluctuating vision that varies throughout the day, from light to dark, and from eye to eye.  Red spots that appear on the white part of the eye post-operatively are perfectly normal. Do not rub your eyes and be sure to sleep with your goggles.

Dr. Mandel will call you that evening to see how you are feeling and answer any questions you may have.

Follow-up Care

In almost all cases, your LASIK surgeon, Dr. Eric Mandel, will personally meet with you during your post-operative visits to our New York office.  LASIK patients are seen the day after their procedure and again within a week. Dr. Mandel will advise you on the use of drops, explain what you can expect from that point, and schedule your next follow-up appointment. During the first week, we ask our patients to abstain from using eye make-up completely, and during the first month we advise you not to let water from your shower head hit your eyes directly, even when your eyelids are closed.

The healing of your eye, following LASIK, continues for many months. Therefore, you will experience changes in your vision during that time. Most LASIK patients are able to return to work the following day.

We hope that this brief outline of what you will experience at our New York office before, during, and after your LASIK surgery will be helpful to you. Again, it is a privilege to have the opportunity to take care of you and we look forward to helping you achieve better vision. We will always be grateful that you chose us to perform your LASIK surgery; after all, you trusted us with your only pair of eyes.

If you have any questions, please contact our New York LASIK practice.

Related LASIK Experience Topics:

Step 1: Come to one of our New York Offices for a LASIK Evaluation, Step 2: The Day of Your LASIK Surgery,  How to Choose a LASIK Surgeon, Schedule a Free Consultation