The procedure and recovery

Surgery and Recovery

Laser vision correction is a completely painless procedure performed under topical (eye drop) anesthesia. Procedure is performed as an outpatient treatment and the patient can be discharged half an hour after the procedure.

Laser vision correction lasts 5-10 minutes per eye, depending on the method. It is performed under topica (eye drop) anesthesia and is completely painless. The eye is kept open during the surgery with the help of a special eyelid holder which enables the patient to blink. The patient is awake during the entire surgery and is usually instructed to look toward the fixating green lights.

Modern lasers are equipped with eye trackers in several dimensions so that accidental movements of the patient's body and eye do not affect the safety and precision of the procedure. 

Postoperative recovery

Postoperative recovery depends on the vision correction method. After the procedure with LASIK the patients can return to most of their regular activities in a couple of days, while after PRK they need to wait five to seven days.

Postoperative recovery usually depends on the method of vision correction. The first day after the surgery the image is usually blurry (as if seen through water), but there is a significant clarification of the image already the next day. The fastest vision recovery is with LASIK, while with PRK method complete recovery is slower and depends on the speed of healing of the eye surface. With both methods it is extremely important to avoid eye contact with any potentially unclean surface (fingers, tap water) for several days.

With LASIK, it is not recommended to wash the eyes with tap water 3-4 days, while with PRK it is not recommended until the healing of the surface of the eye and the removal of therapeutic contact lenses. Within a week of surgery, it is possible to return to all daily activities. Because of the danger of contamination, infection and irritation, it is recommended to avoid swimming in the sea for 10 days, and in the pools for at least three weeks.

Moderate sports activities are allowed after 5-6 days, but team ball sports and martial arts should be avoided for at least a month due to the risk of accidental injury. Also, lifting of heavy loads is not recommended for a month.
After all the procedures, it is necessary to instill drops in combination with an antibiotic/ corticosteroid for two weeks and artificial tears for at least a month.