Postoperative Care Instructions for Patients following LASEK

You need to wear an Eye-shield at night for 2 weeks following your surgery. This will be given to you before you leave the Laser Centre.

You will have a bandage contact lens in your operated eye/eyes postoperatively. This will be left in for some days. Your postoperative drops are used with the lens left in your eye/eyes.

Your postoperative drop regime will consist of three bottles of drops; Voltarol, Betnesol N (or else Maxitrol depending on current supply situation) and Tears Naturale. The Voltarol drops are to be used every 2 hours in the operated eye/eyes for 48 hours postoperatively. The Tears Naturale are to be used in between times on a PRN (ie as required) basis. The Betnesol N drops are to be used 4 times daily. It is vital that the normal hygiene standards are followed - hand washing before and after drops are instilled.

You must not swim in a swimming pool for up to 4 weeks following Lasek. Vigorous exercise should be avoided for up to 2 weeks following Lasek.

You must not rub your eye/eyes that has/have had Lasek surgery for up to 4 weeks following Laser refractive surgery.

If you have any eye pain over and above the normal feeling of postoperative irritation you must contact your ophthalmic surgeon immediately.

If your vision starts to become increasingly blurred you must contact your ophthalmic surgeon immediately. It is not unusual for your eye to be slightly blurred following surgery. Your vision should be reasonably good the morning after surgery and it will then improve over the next few days.

It is very important to follow these instructions as failure to do so may affect the outcome of your surgery.