How long until my vision stabilizes after LASIK?

December 1, 2006 8:36 PM

For those mefites who have had LASIK, how long after the surgery did it take for your vision to stabilize? I had my surgery yesterday, and I had a follow-up appointment this morning. I already have 20/15 in my right eye, but my left eye is still pretty blurry. The Doctor at the followup appointment said the blurry vision in my left eye could be due to the fact that my left eye is still quite dry. I did have a stronger prescription and longer laser treatment in my left eye. He said that I may need enhancement surgery, but that we would not be able to tell if I needed it for 3 months, which is supposedly the time it takes for my vision to stabilize. The real question is did you achieve the best possible vision right away, or can it really take weeks or months before the best results of the surgery are realized?
posted by speedoavenger to Health & Fitness (17 answers total)

It took me about a week before all the swelling went down and things stabilized, and stopped improving. It's 4 years later, and my vision isn't quite what it was right after the surgery anymore, but it's 98%.
posted by blue_beetle at 8:48 PM on December 1, 2006

About 4 days. I went to work the next day, rested up Sat & Sun, and was fine by Monday. Vision pretty much stabilized except for my left eye which got a little less good - which incidentally was the eye that saw blury grey for a couple of days immediately after the surgery.
posted by porpoise at 8:50 PM on December 1, 2006

It was about 4 days for me.
posted by tkolar at 8:59 PM on December 1, 2006

It was about a week for me. I found if my eyes were dry, my vision was blurred. Using the eyedrops improved my vision immediately.

It has been 7 years since my surgery, I now notice I can't see as sharp in dim lighting. Dr said that is due to aging :( gee, I'm only 45, still no need for reading glasses.
posted by JujuB at 9:14 PM on December 1, 2006

Response by poster: It's amazing how much my eyes have changed in one day. I still have to pinch myself to realize that I don't need glasses anymore. Hopefully my vision will be even better by next week. Thanks!
posted by speedoavenger at 9:15 PM on December 1, 2006

A week or two for me. I had it about 7 months ago. Oddly it feels like it peaked in clarity 3-6 months afterwards, and in the last month seems to have gotten a little blurry. Anyone else have this? Plus my eyes differed before and (I think) after.
posted by gottabefunky at 9:37 PM on December 1, 2006

It can take months to stabilize; it happened to my father. Age may be a factor.
posted by furiousthought at 11:17 PM on December 1, 2006

Me and my wife had it done on the same day. She had a small correction, but mine was huge.

Hers was handled by the computer, but mine was done by hand to leave enough cornea.

Within a day or 3, she was 20/10 or 20/15.

My vision fluctuated for a while, did multiple followups. They had me wait 6-9 months for it to stabilize, and then did a touchup. After the touchup, it took me a few more weeks to stabilize, and I'm ~20/15 now.

So it definitely takes a bit of time.
posted by Lord_Pall at 2:53 AM on December 2, 2006

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but those who have done it, would you do it again? I'm 22, with pretty lousy vision and an active lifestyle (read: kayaking, rock climbing) and I wear contracts now and, while I'd like to do surgery, I'm leery.
posted by craven_morhead at 8:14 AM on December 2, 2006

My vision fluctuated for about 3 years (post 1999).

It's been 7 years for me, and I still have to wear glasses, and my vision with glasses is still far worse than it was before LASIK.

But reputable sources tell me I'm a worst-case-scenario, and that the technology has improved vastly since 1999, and I'm inclined to believe them. It just sucks not being able to see anything worth a damn at night.
posted by dmd at 8:56 AM on December 2, 2006

with a -13 diopters in each eye and a mild astigmatism, im waiting for intra-ocular lenses.

my dad (diabetic retinopathy) just had them (no astigmatism) and is ecstatic.

anybody had completely new lenses put in?

anybody had a SUCCESSFUL lasik with eyes like mine?
posted by oigocosas at 10:00 AM on December 2, 2006

I had mine done 4 years ago (age 22). I could not see to drive before, and I was 20/20 within 24 hours.

Against the doctor's directions I drove a few hours home 4 hours after i had it done. All was well.

I expierenced a little dryness if I was out drinking the night before. This lasted about 3 months or so. Not a big deal.

I love it!
I love it!
I love it!
I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Best money I have spent!
posted by Slenny at 10:57 AM on December 2, 2006

I'm about 4 months after. My vision was stable at one month (possibly sooner), and subjectively, I'd say it was pretty much stabilized after one day. What I've noticed that's weird is that my vision at the end of the day is worse than at the beginning.

My correction wound up being about 0.3 diopters shy of perfect, which is annoying (my vision now is not as good as it had been with glasses, and I'm very aware of it) but I can live with. Apparently they won't attempt touch-ups of less than 0.5 diopters, so unless my vision gets either worse or better (unlikely, but possible), I'm stuck with it.

Would I do it again? Yes.
posted by adamrice at 1:26 PM on December 2, 2006

Occasionally I would have one eye or the other go blurry, usually in the morning, for up to six months later. My LASIK was in 2002, and I've had no problems since then.

One thing that freaked me out: I had a massage at a street fair a year or so ago, where I sat in one of those chair things and had some cushions pressing against my eyes. When it was over my vision was suddenly VERY blurred. I thought I'd just undone thousands of dollars of eye surgery. Luckily, it went back to normal in about five minutes.

Yeah, definitely the best money I ever spent.
posted by CMichaelCook at 3:15 PM on December 2, 2006

My experience is the same as dmd. I would give anything to go back to my old eyes. If you are in the 5% of people with long term problems from lasik, be prepared for it to really fuck your life up.
posted by vronsky at 3:41 PM on December 2, 2006

JujuB - I'm also seven years out, and have the same problem with dim light. And I'm only 31. The doctor explained - it's kind of complicated, but something about how the corrected area is only a certain amount of the eye, so when your pupils are at their largest, they are larger than the corrected part so you get blurriness around the edges.
posted by clarissajoy at 5:23 PM on December 2, 2006

clarissajoy - That makes sense.

craven_morhead - I would do it again in a second! My vision was 20/-675. I could only see about an inch from the end of my nose.
posted by JujuB at 7:36 PM on December 4, 2006