“How can I hydrate my eyes after LASIK?”
I am a 35 year old male. I want to know how can I hydrate my eyes after LASIK?
8 Answers
Artificial tears/lubricating drops.
Please use over-the-counter artificial tears. You might ask your Lasik surgeon for a recommendation of preferred type or brand.
Have you had LASIK yet? Your LASIK surgeon can suggest hydration methods. The usual means are ointment at night and lubricating drops during the day. Do not use drops that say "gets the red out" as these are drying.
After LASIK a temporary dryness is induced. I have my patients use Genteal Gel when sleeping and frequent (4-5 times/day) preservative free moisture drops. My first choice is Refresh Plus. These are OTC.
This dryness resolves over the first month or two after LASIK in the vast majority of patients who don’t have an underlying dry eye problem.
Jane Lindell Hughes, MD, FACS
This dryness resolves over the first month or two after LASIK in the vast majority of patients who don’t have an underlying dry eye problem.
Jane Lindell Hughes, MD, FACS
Ask your LASIK surgeon who is familiar with your examination.
During LASIK, there is a flap created on the surface of the eye, so laser can be delivered underneath, to correct our vision. The nerve endings in the flap have been cut, so the flap does not have sensation; the nerve endings will grow back and your tear film will eventually get back to normal. However, early in the healing process, your brain doesn't feel the surface of your eyes, so you make less tears than normal. You need to use artificial tears every 1 - 2 hours at the beginning to keep the surface healthy. The best tears to use are tears that help replace the fat layer of the tear film. You can find many good options at the drugstore or any place they sell artificial tears. Since you will be using the tears very frequently, you should only use preservative-free tears until your doctor tells you to decrease to four times a day or less. Hope this helps!
Frequent eye drops
The best thing to do is to use preservative-free artificial tears in single containers every hour during the day, whether you feel dry or not. Putting them in before symptoms develop will not allow inflammation , that suppresses tear glands, to develop. One can also use Restasis/Cequa and Xiidra if the former is not sufficient.
