Lasik Aftercare: Bathing Medications & Daily Activities
Since youve been dealing with glasses and/or contacts for years, youre probably looking forward to having LASIK. However, you also may have many questions about what you can and cannot do and how you should protect your new eyes after your LASIK procedure. Once your LASIK surgeon, Dr. Mozayeni or Dr. Nunnery, completes your LASIK surgery, the healing process is not over the same day – your corneas will continue to heal over the next several weeks, and proper LASIK aftercare is critical to avoiding infection and having an optimal result.
Discover the basics of LASIK aftercare, such as how to take required medications and how to complete daily activities like showering and bathing until your eyes have finished healing.
What Is The Best Mattress
In order to determine which mattress ranks highest, our test team considers a number of factors, including performance ratings and quality of construction. We believe the Helix Midnight is the best overall mattress on the market because it performs well in multiple categories and features a thoughtful design. With its mid-range firmness and excellent pressure relief, motion isolation, and temperature neutrality, this mattress is likely to appeal to a wide range of sleepers. The approachable price-point makes it an even more attractive option.
If you are looking for a mattress that excels in a specific performance category, our team has tested and researched hundreds of other mattresses to come up with the list of picks above. Whether your priority is a mattress that stays cool at night or youre looking for a bed that can help relieve back pain, weve got you covered with recommendations.
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Healthy Sleep Habits After Lasik Surgery
If you are considering LASIK surgery, you are probably pretty excited about the fast recovery that you have read and heard about. Did you know that the cornea is one of the fastest-healing tissues in the body? This is why the recovery time for LASIK is only about 24 hours. However, just because youll have great vision after LASIK, that does not mean your eyes are done healing and they can be ignored. Here are a few pro sleeping tips to help your LASIK recovery be smooth and comfortable.
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Are You Awake During Cataract Surgery
Reviewed by Vance Thompson, MD
Yes, typically you are awake during cataract surgery. This eliminates risks associated with general anesthesia and enables your cataract surgeon to communicate with you during your procedure.
If the idea of being awake during cataract surgery concerns you, fear not you will be given oral medication before the procedure so you are fully relaxed and feel no discomfort.
You also may be given intravenous medication to help you remain calm and comfortable throughout the procedure.
The medication typically makes it difficult for most patients to remember their experience in the surgical suite after the brief 10- to 15-minute procedure has been completed and they are in the recovery area.
Within a short period of time after your procedure, you will be able to leave the surgery center, but you cannot drive after cataract surgery. You must have someone with you to drive you home.
Page updated in January 2022
What Is The Recovery Process Like After Lasik
After placing the flap down, the eye can start healing. There are no stitches used in LASIK eye surgery.
While your eyes are recovering, you cannot touch or rub your eyes. Prescription eye drops are important for a successful procedure and recovery. They help with inflammation and preventing infections.
Early on, you might have blurry vision. But as your eyes heal, your vision will become clear. Your vision will improve within the first few days and continue improving in the days and weeks after LASIK.
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What Happens Before Lasik
LASIK is a very quick procedure. It takes about 10 15 minutes. You will have the procedure and then be able to leave the same day.
To begin with, the surgeon will place numbing eye drops in your eyes. Blinking helps the numbing eye drops spread over the surface of your eye.
The numbing eye drops keep you from feeling pain. Since your eyes are numb, you are awake during the procedure.
Sleeping during LASIK is not a good idea. Your LASIK surgeon needs to know how your eyes are feeling during the procedure.
Usually, patients are most worried about pain. As a result, they want to be put under during LASIK. Since patients receive numbing eye drops, theres no pain!
Although you will be awake, the most you may feel is some slight discomfort or pressure for a few seconds.
While your eyes are becoming numb, your doctor will ask how you are feeling. It is important that you are calm and relaxed during the procedure.
If you feel anxious, tell your doctor. They want you to be relaxed when you get LASIK. If youre really nervous, your doctor might give you a mild sedative, like Valium.
Why Are You Awake For Lasik Surgery
Those considering LASIK often wonder if they need to be awake during the procedure. Its a common fear and concern. Some avoid LASIK surgery altogether because of this.
Although it may sound scary, you are not put to sleep for LASIK. But there are some benefits to staying awake.
One benefit is that you can visually track your progress by watching what is happening during the surgery. You can also talk to your surgeon as they perform the procedure.
Local Anesthesia is Safer Than General Anesthesia for LASIK
LASIK surgery takes place on an outpatient basis.
Even though you are awake during the procedure, you wont feel pain. This is because the surgeon will give you a mild sedative for relaxation.
They will also administer anesthetic eye drops to numb the corneas surface and prevent discomfort. Local anesthesia is a one-time dose of medicine that numbs an area of the body.
Here are a few points to remember about local anesthesia:
- Its safer than general anesthesia
- It doesn’t affect your breathing
- It protects your gag reflex
- It prevents vomiting during surgery
General anesthesia, on the one hand:
- Will put you into a deep sleep
- Comes with more risks than local anesthesia
- Might cause temporary side effects like sleepiness and disorientation after the procedure
Surgeons only administer local anesthesia during LASIK to avoid the adverse effects associated with general anesthesia.
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Sleep During Lasikits Not The Best Idea
Unfortunately, patients should be awake for LASIK surgery. No, the doctors arent sadists who want to watch you squirm. Actually, being put to sleep during LASIK does more harm than good.
In order for the doctor to perform optimally, he or she needs your cooperation, and therefore, your cognizance.
Here are a couple of facts that will help ease your mind:
What Does Laser Eye Surgery Do
LASIK surgery corrects refractive errors such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. Laser eye surgery works by reshaping the cornea. The cornea focuses light onto the retina at the back of the eye. If youre nearsighted, farsighted or have astigmatism, your cornea does not reflect light correctly. Reshaping your cornea with lasers helps it focus light to create a more sharp and clear image.
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Exercise: One Day To Two Weeks
- You may begin exercise in your home or outside 2 days after your LASIK eye surgery.
- Our surgeons recommend avoiding public gyms for 5 days after your LASIK eye surgery, as there is an increased risk of infection.
- Swimming exercises and other workouts involving chlorinated, salt or freshwater areas should be avoided for 2 weeks.
- Protective eyewear should be worn with any contact sports, basketball or racquet sports such as tennis, racquetball, and squash for four weeks after LASIK. This allows individuals to play their favorite sports while maximizing eye protection.
The Sleep Number 360 Smart Bed Performance Series
The Performance Series is slightly plusher than the Classic Series. The p5 and cooling pSE each have 4 inches of cushioning, for a total height of 10 inches. The p6, the companys most popular mattress, has an additional inch of cushioning, for an overall thickness of 11 inches.
Compared with the beds in the Classic line and the Performance lines p5, the p6 felt like a real mattress, the kind with a surface thats adequately cushioned for people who are not particularly high-maintenance. But when I tried the p6 at home, I couldnt shake the feeling that I was sleeping on a rubber raft. The 5 inches of foam wasnt enough for me to nestle into, even with a softer air-bladder setting. Letting out air offered more give, but then the bed didnt feel as supportive, and it still didnt feel fluffy, per se.
I was left feeling adrift, but my husband, by contrast, loved sleeping on the p6. For once, instead of compromising on my medium-soft-mattress preferences, he could sleep on a firm mattress next to me. It was a sad day for him when we returned this mattress.
The pSE wasnt available to try at the store when I visited, but Sleep Numbers publicist said it has proprietary ClimaTemp foam that is softer and more plush than whats typically used on the p series. Unfortunately, were not sure exactly how this technology works because Sleep Number doesnt share details about its foam.
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Lasik Eye Surgery Risks
As with any surgery, LASIK carries some risks, including:
- Its a complex procedure. Its rare, but there may be problems that permanently affect your vision. This is one reason to choose a surgeon who has a lot of experience with these surgeries.
- Rarely, you may lose your “best” correctable vision, the highest degree of vision that you had while wearing contacts or eyeglasses, after LASIK.
- Most insurance doesnt cover LASIK.
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Sleep Number 360 M7 Smart Bed
- Price: $$$
- Type: memory foam and adjustable air
- Height: 11 inches
The m7 Smart Bed blends cooling memory foam with a 5-inch comfort layer and smart adjustability. This may be a good, albeit more expensive, option if you like the hug of traditional memory foam, and youd also like to customize firmness.
Close to 3,500 reviews give this mattress a 4.7 rating out of 5 stars, and the vast majority are 5 stars. Still, negative reviewers mention uneven support and difficulty sleeping.
Sleep Number mattresses are available for purchase at any of the Sleep Number stores in the United States. You can also buy them on the companys website.
These mattresses cant be purchased at third-party mattress or furniture stores.
Height, comfort layer thickness, and cooling features are the biggest differences among the Sleep Number models. When choosing a mattress, think about how plush you like your mattress and if youre looking for upgrades.
Sleep Number offers a sleep quiz to help you narrow your options. Nine questions cover the following:
- who is using the mattress
- your preferred mattress size
- if you experience common sleep issues, like cold feet, trouble falling asleep, and snoring
- if you read or watch television in bed
Based on your answers, the company offers several mattress recommendations that might suit your needs.
If you decide to shop on the company website, Sleep Number offers a 100-night trial so you can try your mattress at home.
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What Happens During Lasik Eye Surgery
Your doctor will give you drops to numb your eyes. You can also ask for a mild sedative.
Theyll use an instrument called a microkeratome or a femtosecond laser to make a thin flap in your cornea. Theyll peel it back and use another laser to reshape the tissue underneath. Then, theyll put the flap back in place, and the surgery is done. Learn more about the kinds of lasers used during LASIK eye surgery.
The LASIK procedure itself usually takes about 20 minutes. Plan to have someone drive you home after surgery.
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Cr Finds The New Adjustable Air Bed Falls Short Of Its Brandmates
Sleep Numbers adjustable air beds have been a hit with Consumer Reports readers and have done well in our tests for the past few years. In our surveys, readers tell us that adjustable air beds help them sleep, especially if they have aches and pains. And in our mattress tests, Sleep Number beds have earned consistently high marks for support and durability. Then along comes the It Bed by Sleep Number, which the company claims is smarter than the average bed. We dont test for that, but we can tell you whether it will help you sleep.The It Bed by Sleep Number, $1,100, is a bit of a departure for the company in the way its sold and delivered. Most shoppers buy a Sleep Number bed in one of the companys 450 stores and have it delivered and set up in their home by the company. The It Bed is a direct-to-consumer play like the trendy beds-in-a-box from Casper and Tuft & Needle. You buy it online and set it up yourself. And thats what we did.
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Read Through Your Paperwork
The team at Diagnostic Eye Center will provide you with a LASIK consent form prior to your procedure. After reading through your paperwork, we are happy to support you by answering any further questions you may have regarding LASIK at our practice.
We want our patients to make an informed decision about the procedure. Whether your questions are about LASIK financing, safety, or about our Houston LASIK surgeons, we are happy to discuss them with you!
Will I Be Sedated During My Lasik Eye Surgery
ANSWER
You’ll be under local anesthesia — your eyes will be numbed with eye drops. You can also request mild sedation. Plan to have someone drive you home after the surgery.
The Food and Drug Administration.
THIS TOOL DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be relied on to make decisions about your health. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read on the WebMD Site. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your doctor or dial 911.
This tool does not provide medical advice. See additional information.
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How Do You Pay For Lasik
Can you get LASIK on payments?
Companies that provide LASIK financing offer a range of plans in which you can complete payments within three months, or extend monthly payments for as long as five years. Some companies allow you to spread out payments over time without incurring any extra cost. Some short-term payment plans charge no interest at all.
Do they put you to sleep for LASIK?
Yes, you will be awake for your entire LASIK corrective eye surgery procedure. Some people assume because they are undergoing a surgical procedure that they will be given anesthesia and be put to sleep. Yet, unlike other types of surgeries, laser surgery only takes a few minutes to complete.
How much does LASIK cost with insurance?
On average, LASIK costs range between $2,000 to $3,000 per eye and is not covered by insurance because the procedure is deemed cosmetic or elective.
Lasik Fear #3 Fear Of Complications
A third popular LASIK fear is fear of complications. Like with any surgical procedure, there are risks and potential complications. Choosing the most advanced laser technology and a highly experienced, reputable surgeon can reduce the risk of complications.
In addition, individual qualities, such as cornea thickness and ocular health, can reduce risks even further. At your LASIK consultation, your eye doctor will discuss any risks and complications with you. Elect for the procedure only if you feel comfortable with the risks of LASIK.
Among patients who overcome their LASIK fears, many wish they hadnt been so afraid.
Having laser eye surgery shouldnt haunt you. With a professional behind the laser and an understanding of the procedure, its easy to overcome common LASIK fears and opt for a surgery that can change the way you see the world.
Get educated, do your research, and learn what to expect. Make a consultation appointment to speak with a LASIK specialist to help overcome your fear.
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Do I Have To Be Awake During Lasik
Posted on June 8, 2016 in LASIK
Many people wonder if they can be put to sleep during LASIK eye surgery, due to anxiety about the procedure. What these individuals dont realize, however, is the entire procedure typically takes no longer than 10 minutes for each eye. The laser will only be in use for less than one minute on each side to reshape your corneas.
This is why you will not need general anesthesia. Being put to sleep has risks of its own and would mostly just increase the cost of your surgery. There is not much benefit to general anesthesia during LASIK, which is why the vast majority of patients remain awake during their short surgery.
If you are worried about your procedure, you will have the option to receive a mild sedative or take medication to help calm any fear you may have. Our team at Eye Doctors of Washington want you to feel relaxed and at-ease during the LASIK process. Patients often report the surgery taking less time than expected and it not being as stressful as anticipated.
To learn more about what to expect during your LASIK eye surgery, feel free to contact us to set up an appointment.