What You Should Do Before You Get LASIK in Orange County

Imagine you have finally made the big decision and have covered the LASIK eye surgery cost to get corrective eye surgery. This is a very exciting time in your life! However, with all the anticipation of the big procedure ahead, your nerves begin to get the best of you. Nevertheless, have no fear because the LASIK Orange County eye care professionals are here to help you understand all the things you need to know before your laser vision correction, so all you have to do is show up on time and be calm, cool, and collected. 

Be Truthful About Your Medical History

During your consultation preparation, the LASIK Orange County eye doctor will ask you about your medical history. It’s very important that your LASIK eye doctor has all the correct details in your chart. Don’t leave out or gloss over any of your ocular or medical problems, allergies, or medications. Your eye surgeon can only use the information that you choose to give, so make sure they get the whole picture. Don’t just decide which information is important for your physician. Let them determine that. 

Drink Plenty Of Water Before The Surgery

The human body is made up of sixty percent water. Water is vital in the functioning of every cell, organ, and tissue. Water helps to keep the body hydrated, promote healing, and flush waste. Laser eye surgery can temporarily make your eyes more vulnerable to dryness, so it’s important to hydrate your body from the inside out. Also, the use of over-the-counter artificial tears can help to reduce the feeling of dryness very quickly after your LASIK Orange County treatment. 

You can never go wrong when you stay hydrated. Every day, it’s recommended that you drink at least eight 8-oz glasses of water per day.  It isn’t a good idea to consume alcohol before LASIK surgery since it can be dehydrating and interfere with medications used for the procedure, so stay away from alcohol on surgery day. 

Can I Drink Caffeine Before LASIK?

Throughout the procedure, you want to remain calm and relaxed. Caffeine is a dehydrating substance, but above all, it can make you jumpy and impair your ability to relax, focus and stay still during the laser eye procedure. 

Can I Drink Alcohol Before LASIK?

Even though you don’t have to limit yourself when it comes to what you can or cannot drink when it comes to the days working up to your LASIK surgery, the day of the procedure you should avoid alcohol completely for a few reasons. 

Similar to caffeine, alcohol is dehydrating. Particularly if you have dry eyes before LASIK then on the day of surgery, you want to avoid anything that could make your eyes worse. 

Furthermore, before your surgery, your doctor will give you an oral sedative to help you relax and it isn’t a good idea to mix this with alcohol. Even though you will be relaxed, you will still be awake during the procedure and alcohol can make focusing more challenging. Right after the surgery, you will be given an oral pain pill and that, similar to medication given before your operation to relax, shouldn’t be taken with alcohol. 

Can I Use Eye Drops Before LASIK?

During the initial consultation, one of the factors that your eye doctor will look at when determining if surgery is a safe option is the tear film. Sometimes specific medical conditions or medications can make patients more vulnerable to dryness. To enhance the quality of a patient’s tear film, your doctor may be encouraged him or her to use over-the-counter artificial tears. If you use medicated eye drops, let your doctor know so they can better instruct you on whether you will need to stop using them in the days coming up to, or on the day of, the surgery. If you take allergy eye drops or decongestants, you will want to stop taking those on the day of surgery, but you can usually start them again the next day.

Stop Wearing Contacts Before LASIK

Getting ready for LASIK can be difficult for contact lens wearers. Your doctor will tell you to stop wearing contact lenses before a LASIK surgery. How long you will have to stop wearing contacts depends on their material. For soft lenses, you will need to stop wearing your contacts for five to seven days leading up to your pre-operative exam and surgery.

If you wear toric lenses, which correct astigmatism, then you will have to stop wearing them for ten to fourteen days. For other types of specialty lenses, you will be told at your initial consultation precisely how long you will have to stop wearing them leading up to surgery. 

But why do you have to stop wearing contacts before LASIK? It’s because contact lenses can distort the shape of the front surface of the patient’s eye, the cornea, and corneal measurements are vital in LASIK calculations. So, it’s important to stop wearing contacts before LASIK when you go for your initial consultation. 

Do You Have To Wear Glasses Before LASIK?

If you can’t wear contacts, can you wear glasses then? It depends on your prescription and how much you rely on corrective lenses. If you have a high prescription, not wearing contacts before LASIK consultation can be difficult. It is crucial however that you can work safely in the time leading up to the surgery that you aren’t wearing contact lenses. Make certain to get a pair of updated glasses if you require them. 

At Excel Laser Vision Institute, LASIK surgery enhances your vision. However, the appropriate care has to be taken before and after LASIK surgery. If you want to know more about LASIK surgery, please do not hesitate to call us at (310) 905-8622.