How long do I need to stop wearing contact lens before LASIK evaluation?

Doctor's Answers 1

Wearing contact lenses for an extended period of time will result in changes to the front part of the eye (cornea).

Before the pre-LASIK assessment, patients are advised to lay off contact lens wear for a period of 3 days to 1 month depending on the type of contact lens they are using. This difference is due to the rigidity of the contact lens material.

At my practice, I will advise my patients to stop soft contact lenses (toric/non-toric) for at least 3 days and hard lenses (RGP) for at least 14 days.

From my past experience, I personally find that 3 days (for soft contact lenses) is enough for the cornea to return to its original state. However, if during the assessment, I detect any possible corneal changes, I will then advise my patient to stop contact lens wear for a longer duration before re-evaluating.

If your surgeon does not detect any corneal abnormalities during the initial evaluation, it is most likely that the results are accurate.

Similar Questions

How can I prevent blood clots on the whites of my eyes after LASIK?

Hi Susanne In the first step of the LASIK procedure, a ‘flap’ is created using a femtosecond laser (or, in the past, a special blade called a microkeratome). During this step, the laser is ‘connected’/docked to the eye with a ring-like device that grips the white part of your eye. You can watch an animation here: There are many small blood vessels on this part of the eye, and sometimes the suction pressure providing the grip may cause some of the blood vessels to leak some blood, causing red patches after the LASIK.

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How long is the recovery period for Epi-Lasik before my vision stabilizes? Can I still go for enhancement after Epi-Lasik?

Epi-LASIK (which is essentially photorefractive keratectomy/PRK) refers to laser treatment of the surface of the cornea, after the surface layer of epithelial cells has been peeled away. After treatment, the surface of the eye/cornea is ‘raw’ and has no epithelial covering. This epithelial layer grows back eventually, but the time it takes to grow back and become normal again is what causes the delayed healing of epi-LASIK/PRK versus conventional bladeless/femtosecond laser LASIK.

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