I was told that I may still need to use eye drops for up to three months after my LASIK procedure? Is this really true?
It is true that you will need to use a series of eye drops both pre operatively to prepare your cornea and post operatively as your cornea is in the healing process after your LASIK procedure. The typical eye drop schedule after your LASIK surgery is to use an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eye drop four times a day for one week and a steroid eye drop which we taper you off over a period of about two weeks. We also have you use Refresh artificial tears both prior to your procedure and after your procedure to use the artificial tears as much as desired during the first few weeks. You cannot overuse your artificial tears. Your artificial tears are rarely necessary after the first month but it all depends on your bodies healing process. It is normal to experience dry eyes for up to three to four months after LASIK. Although, some patients have very few symptoms, there are patients that notice signs of dryness after LASIK. Some patients have said that they have no real sensation of dryness, but that they do notice that they need to blink a few times to clear their vision or if they experience glare early on after surgery. This is expected as we know you spend your time on computers and reading and exposed to external factors such as wind and sun. This is why we give you detailed instructions on how to prepare your eyes preoperatively and post operatively. We even give you a sticker to put on your computer with the word “BLINK” on it so that we can help you with controlling your environment to prevent dry eyes. You are not on the prescription eye drop regimen for long but we taper you off as we see you at your post operative visits based on your healing process.
