How to Prepare for Laser Vision Surgery?

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Video Transcript

How do I prepare for my laser vision correction?
Hi, I’m Dr. Rylan Hayes, specialist cataract, refractive, and pterygium surgeon here on the Sunshine Coast. Before anything else, you’ll need to attend a free eligibility screening so our team can take detailed scans of your eyes and discuss what is appropriate for you. This determines whether you’re a LASIK or PRK candidate and what your treatment plan will look like. If you have any dry eye symptoms, making sure they are under control will help, as this will help with the accuracy and recovery. Your local optometrist can help with this, but some measures at home include warm compress on the eyes with a heat pack and massage of your eyelids, lubricating drops from the pharmacy, and two double-strength fish oil supplements a day, if you can take those. If you wear soft contact lenses, you’ll need to stop wearing them for at least one week before your screening and before surgery, as they change the shape of your cornea and can affect our measurements. If you wear hard or gas-permeable lenses, you’ll need to stop them for a month to ensure accuracy, and this is crucial. There’s no fasting required for the procedure, as we use local anaesthetic eye drops. But you will need a driver, as you won’t be able to drive yourself home on the day. Make sure you’re well-hydrated and rested on the day, and have your recovery setup at home already in place. So come and see us for a free eligibility screening, and we’ll talk you through it from there.

How to Prepare for Laser Vision Surgery (LASIK and PRK)

Preparation for laser vision correction is relatively straightforward — but a few important steps can directly affect your eligibility assessment, the accuracy of your treatment planning, and the quality of your outcome.

Step 1: Attend a free eligibility screening

Before any treatment plan can be discussed, you must attend a detailed eligibility screening. This involves corneal tomography, pachymetry (corneal thickness measurement), pupillometry, and refraction — all of which determine whether LASIK or PRK is appropriate for your eye. This appointment is free and without obligation. Suitability for laser vision correction — and which procedure is right for you — can only be established from these scans.

Contact lens wear — a critical preparation step

Contact lenses change the shape of the cornea. Soft contact lenses should be removed at least 1 weeks before your eligibility screening and before surgery. Rigid gas-permeable (RGP) or hard contact lenses should be removed at least 4 weeks in advance — some guidelines suggest longer for long-term wearers. This is not optional — wearing lenses too close to measurements can produce inaccurate corneal mapping, which affects the precision of your laser treatment.

In the days before surgery

• Do not wear eye makeup, creams, or perfumed products on the day of surgery
• Avoid alcohol for 24 hours before and after surgery
• Maintain good hydration
• Continue / implement your dry eye management routine
• Get a good night’s sleep
• Continue any prescribed pre-operative drops as directed

On the day of surgery

• Arrange a driver — you cannot drive home after laser vision correction
• Wear comfortable, warm clothing. The laser suite is a bit cold.
• No fasting is required — the procedure is performed under local anaesthetic eye drops
• Have sunglasses ready — your eyes will be sensitive to light after the procedure

LASIK vs PRK preparation differences

Preparation for both LASIK and PRK is the same.

Key Takeaways

• Attend a free eligibility screening first — suitability can only be confirmed with detailed corneal scans
• Stop soft contact lenses 1 week before screening and surgery; hard lenses require longer cessation of 4 weeks
• No fasting required — laser vision correction uses only local anaesthetic eye drops
• Arrange a driver; you cannot drive home on the day of surgery

Ready to start your laser vision journey?

Book your free eligibility screening with Dr Rylan Hayes at The Vision Surgeon, Maroochydore.

References

• American Academy of Ophthalmology. Refractive Errors & Refractive Surgery — Preferred Practice Pattern. aao.org
• Bower KS, et al. LASIK preoperative evaluation. Ophthalmology. PMID: 11158791