What You Need To Know After Your LASIK Procedure Your vision will typically be somewhat hazy following your procedure so do not expect to see well immediately, but you will still be able to move about safely. You will feel some irritation in your eyes for about 2 hours, similar to an eyelash or a dry contact lens. You will receive antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eye drops to use hourly for the first full day, then four times per day for four days. A written list of post-operative instructions will be reviewed with you. After 15-30 minutes, the center optometrist will examine your eyes and recheck your corneal flap position. It is important not to forcibly close or squeeze your eyes shut or rub your eyes in any manner for 1 week, as this may dislodge or wrinkle the corneal flaps. If you elect to take any pre-operative sedation you will begin to feel sleepy. Sleeping for 2-3 hours immediately after leaving the TLC facility is strongly recommended, as sleeping speeds visual recovery, eye comfort and safety by ensuring the corneal flaps remain smooth and in perfect alignment. By the next morning patients are over-whelmingly pleased and the real excitement begins as you wake up and begin to appreciate the dramatic overnight improvement in vision. However, your vision will not be perfect and it will take a few days, to a few weeks for those with more severe prescriptions, for full visual improvement to occur. Although you may shower the next morning, keep your eyes closed and avoid eye make-up for at least 4 days. Your check-up on day 1 will determine whether you may resume driving. Most patients return to work in 1-3 days, although it may take longer for patients with very high degrees of near-sightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. Exercise, sporting activities and swimming may be resumed in 5-7 days, but any activities that may result in direct eye trauma, like boxing or karate, should be avoided for 1 month. By one month, your eye doctor will be able to determine whether a second enhancement procedure is needed to fine tune your visual results. Most typical patients only require one procedure that lasts their lifetime.