Does LASIK hurt?
You should not experience pain during the procedure. Following the procedure, you may feel like you have been swimming in a chlorinated pool and your eyes may sting for a few hours after surgery. Since the eye is numbed using special anesthetic drops, the procedure itself is painless and there is very little discomfort. The patient is awake and comfortable throughout the procedure and may feel pressure but not pain. Most patients describe the procedure as being less uncomfortable than having their teeth cleaned. Some discomfort after the procedure may occur, although it usually disappears within 12 to 24 hours.
Because the eye is numbed using special anesthetic drops, the procedure itself is only mildly uncomfortable. The patient is awake throughout the procedure and may feel slight pressure. The most uncomfortable period is the few hours following surgery. Most patients experience tearing, which usually disappears within 6 hours. We recommend keeping your eyes closed and resting for this period.
No. The treatment itself is painless. You will be given plenty of numbing (anesthetic) drops to completely numb the eye. You may feel a light pressure sensation around your eye, and after the procedure is finished you will feel a sensation our patients describe as “wearing a poor-fitting contact lens” for a few hours . . . but you shouldn’t have any pain. We rarely find the need to prescribe anything for pain after the procedure – other than Tylenol.
