What Happens If You Rub Your Eyes After Lasik Surgery?

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LASIK stands for “laser-assisted in situ keratomileuses.” In this term, “in situ” means “in position,” and “keratomileusis” is the medical terminology for reshaping the cornea in your eye. It is a type of refractive surgery. LASIK surgery is used to treat myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. Myopia or Nearsightedness is a vision disorder where you can see objects clearly nearby, but things far away look blurry. Hyperopia or Farsightedness is a vision disorder where you can see objects far away, but close objects look blurry. Astigmatism is a widespread vision disorder that causes blurred eyesight. This surgery alters the shape of the cornea and reduces a person’s need for glasses or contact lenses. LASIK is similar to another corrective surgical procedure, PRK.Like other types of laser refractive surgery, the LASIK procedure reshapes the eye’s front surface to enable light entering the eye to focus on the retina without glasses or contact lenses. LASIK is a pain-free procedure. Also, it requires only about 20 minutes to treat both eyes. Vision improvement is immediate and often stabilizes in as little as 24 hrs.

After LASIK surgery, you should avoid rubbing your eyes for at least one month.

Risk of Rubbing Eyes After LASIK Surgery

Eye Infection

We get introduced to many harmful microbes when we rub our eyes with our hands. These dangerous microbes can affect our eyes’ health and cause an infection. It’s more likely post-surgically when the eyes are compassionate. So it’s better not to rub your eyes after LASIK to prevent eye infection.

Eye Injury

After LASIK surgery, you could unintentionally scratch your eyes with your fingers or fingernails when you rub your eyelids. If it accidentally affects the sensitive region of your eye or cornea, it can develop into a severe eye injury. So it’s advisable by the doctors not to rub your eyes after LASIK surgery to prevent eye injury.

Flap Complications

The flap that is created during the LASIK surgery is quite delicate. It needs to stay in place without any disruption to heal correctly. When you rub your eyes, you risk moving the flap out of business, delaying your recovery. So it’s advisable not to rub your eyes after LASIK surgery to prevent complications.

Dark Under Eye Circles

If you need a cosmetic reason not to do it, rubbing your eyes can develop Under Eye dark circles. When you rub your eyes, it may cause the blood vessels in the eyelids to break and leak blood. As a result, dark circles may create under your eyes. Once you get the dark circles under your eyes, it may not be easy to eliminate them effectively. So it’s better not to rub your eyes after LASIK surgery to maintain your beauty.

So, not rubbing your eyes is a small practice you must follow for clear vision and freedom from glasses and contact lenses.

There are some other risks also in doing LASIK surgery. They are as follows :

Dry Eyes: Due to surgery, there is a temporary decrease in the tear production from the eyes. For the first six months, your eyes may feel dry as they recover from the surgery. Dry eyes may reduce the quality of your vision. For this, your eye doctor might recommend eye drops for dry eyes.
Glare, Halos, and Double vision: You may have difficulty seeing at night after the LASIK surgery. This problem usually lasts for only a few days. After the surgery, you might notice changes like increased light sensitivity, glare, halos around bright light, or double vision.
Under Corrections: When a laser removes too little tissue from the eyes during surgery, you won’t get the desired results. And you won’t be able to get a clear vision. Under corrections are more common for people suffering from myopia or Nearsightedness. You may need another laser procedure to remove more tissue.
Over Corrections: It’s also possible that a laser removes too much tissue from your eye. There might be a few complications to treat over corrections.
Astigmatism: Astigmatism is caused by removing uneven tissue from the laser. Treating astigmatism requires additional surgery, contact lenses, or glasses.
Vision loss or Changes: Surgical complications can result in vision loss, but the probability of this situation is very low. Some people also face problems seeing as sharply or clearly as previously.

Pros of Lasik Surgery

LASIK is more affordable than any other process.
LASIK surgery is speedy. It is safer than any other process. Your eye surgery could take as little as 20 minutes.
Recovery is speedy. After the surgery, patients can return to most of their normal activities, including work, by the next day.

After the LASIK surgery, you need to take care of your eyes. Here are some things to do, and something not to do, during your recovery period.

Do’s and Don’ts

Do remember to wear eye protection day and night for the first three days. Don’t forget to wear dark sunglasses that block UV rays when in sunlight. Do complete rest on the day of surgery. Also, keep your follow-up appointments with your doctor to check your healing. Don’t worry about slight redness and eye irritation for the first few days; it’s normal. It’s advisable not to Drive for the first 24 hrs. Do not read, watch TV, or work on the computer for the first 24 hrs. Avoid exercise for one week. Also, you must avoid using swimming pools or hot tubs for a minimum of two weeks. Avoid lotions, creams, or makeup to your eye area for one week. It is advisable not to rub your eyes for a minimum of two weeks.