LASIK is a quick, outpatient surgery. The procedure itself usually lasts less than 15 minutes and is virtually painless.
You will not be able to drive immediately after LASIK surgery and will need to plan for someone else to drive you home. There are a number of very good reasons for this. Patients generally receive a mild oral sedative, like Valium, prior to the procedure. Since this sedation will not wear off for a couple of hours, you will not be allowed to drive yourself home and will likely not be cleared to drive for at least 24 hours.
Also, your vision will be a little blurry immediately following the procedure. It will take a few hours before your vision clears up enough to drive. In some cases, vision may remain blurry for a couple of days. For some, it will clear up by the next day.
The day after surgery you will have a follow-up visit with our doctors, who will evaluate your recovery and test your vision. Typically, vision is greatly improved immediately after surgery, however each patient responds to LASIK surgery in their own way, so some people might recover more quickly than others. Our doctors may advise you to avoid driving for a longer period of time, just to be safe. This means you should plan on having someone to drive you home immediately following your surgery and back to our office the day after for your follow-up visit.
LASIK is one of the safest, most successful surgeries involving the eye. Most people notice a significant improvement in their vision and can resume everyday activities, including driving, within 24 hours after surgery. To learn more about LASIK surgery in Colorado Springs, contact Skyline LASIK at 719-444-3000.
