Choosing to undergo a LASIK eye surgery can be one of the best investments you could ever make in yourself. Not only will it help restore your eye sight to its optimal levels but you will have the great peace of mind that you no longer will need to deal with contacts, fuzzy vision or glasses until the unforeseen future. This can give you a boost in confidence in addition to allow you to finally be able to experience good eyesight again, which can do wonders for you and other senses you have.
More than likely you have a plethora of different feelings and emotions going through your body preparing for your LASIK surgery. This can include excitement, anxiety, anxiousness and nervousness, to just name a few common emotions. These emotions cannot only last the entirety of the preparation but they can encourage the way the surgery and recovery outcome as well. So making sure that you stay calm and your emotions are controllable is a very important part of the preparation process.
There are several others ways to prepare for your LASIK eye surgery. Some things you may have already thought of and other ways you may have overlooked previously. It is very common to feel overwhelmed before surgery and have a lack of focus. But taking a look at the different ways we suggest for you to prepare for your LASIK surgery can easily change this.
Here are several ways how to prepare for LASIK eye surgery:
- Stop wearing contact lenses – If you have prescribed contact lenses and wear them on a daily basis or occasionally it is time to stop wearing them and switch to your glasses full time. Typically a good time to switch to glasses is between two to four weeks before the procedure. The reason you need to stop wearing them is because contact lenses can change the shape of your cornea. If your cornea becomes distorted due to the contact lenses it may lead to inaccurate measurements. No matter your specific situation, your doctor will give you guidelines about glasses and contact lenses prior to the procedure.Another reason to stop wearing contact lenses is so you can begin to get use to not having any contacts or glasses. If you highly rely on your contacts, it may be a shocker after the procedures to have your eyes free once again. Many people become very comfortable with their contacts lenses in and feel uncomfortable when they are not in. Taking them off will allow you to begin to get used to it and have it become a regular and comfortable feeling again.
- Stop wearing eye make-up – All eye make-ups including creams, perfumes, lotions or powders should not be used 2-3 days prior to your surgery. This will help prevent any debris going into the eyes from your eyelashes or lids, which can minimize infection and help recovery time. More than likely your doctor will instruct you to clean your eyelashes and lids daily prior to your procedure. Eye make-up is also known to make eyelids and eyeballs become swollen and puffy which can distort the actual size of your cornea. This can be a problem when it comes to making measurements for the procedure and can have a poor surgical outcome.
- Arrange a ride home after surgery – Immediately after the surgery you may still feel the effects of the medicine that was given to you before your surgery. Some common side effects include grogginess and dizziness, which is not a state that you should be in while driving. Many patients’ also may have blurred vision after surgery. Both the medication and the blurred vision will not allow you to drive obviously but another reason why you would want a driver is so you have someone to look after you during the first part of your recovery. You may need assistance with different tasks once you get home and may need a hand to get to and from the car.
- Understand the cost of LASIK surgery – This procedure is commonly considered an elective surgery, meaning that most insurance companies will not cover the cost of the surgery since having the surgery is a choice and not a necessity. Budgeting adequate amount of money to pay for the expenses out of pocket will need to be addressed. Although it is always nice to pay cash for such a large expenses, more than likely your surgery center offers some type of financing that you may apply for. There are also many banks that offer financing for procedures such as LASIK and are often easy to be approved.
- Avoid antihistamines or other drugs than can cause dryness of the eyes – Many times individuals use an antihistamine on a daily basis for allergy problems. Using them the day of your procedure may make your eyes dry out and can cause a problem during the surgery. Make sure if you do regularly take antihistamines that you consult with your doctor about alternatives or if it will be ok for you to still take it. Other than drugs that dry eyes out their typically are not any other restrictions for eating, drinking or medications the day of the procedure.
- Wear comfortable clothes – Although the surgery is fairly quick and only lasts about 10 minutes per eye, you may still be at the surgery center up to two hours. Make sure to wear relaxing clothes so you are not uncomfortable during and after the procedure at the surgery center. In addition to comfortable clothes, make sure not to where anything such as things in your hair that may interfere with the position of your head during surgery.
- Eat a light meal before – Although it is a quick procedure it is important that you have something in your stomach. Sometimes people may feel queasy or uneasy after taking the medication and having food in your stomach may help from not experiences worse side effects. Also being in a doctor’s office for a couple hours you may begin to feel hungry, so make sure to eat before so you can hold off until your next meal.
- Don’t forget to take time off – Most people it takes a few days for their eyes to heal and be able to be back to normal (or even better with your new eye sight!) so make sure to take that adequate time you need. Depending on your circumstances and specific situation, your doctor will write you a doctor’s order and can consult with your job to make sure that you can heal properly.
Relaxing is the most important thing that you can do to prepare for your procedure. It is normal to feel anxiety and become anxious before your surgery. Ask your doctor any questions you may have and they will make sure that you are comfortable for the procedure. Having LASIK surgery is one of the most exciting surgeries that we as humans can undergo because it can enhance one of our most important senses. Preparation is key in order to have a successful procedure, so make sure to take all of our tips into consideration and get ready for a wonderful new you.
