Most people work and drive the day after LASIK, but full stability takes three to six months.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology notes the day-after follow-up usually clears you for work and driving. The FDA's recovery guidance sets the rest of the timeline: an eye shield at night while the flap heals, no eye makeup for about two weeks, no strenuous or contact sports for about four weeks, and no swimming or hot tubs for about eight weeks. Vision fluctuates during the three-to-six-month stabilization period, and dry eyes, glare, halos, and night-driving difficulty are common while it settles.
What to do
Common questions
What is LASIK recovery like?
Faster than almost any other surgery, with a few weeks of quirks. The American Academy of Ophthalmology says most people can return to work and drive the day after LASIK, once the surgeon checks the eye at the first follow-up. Expect the first hours to feel gritty, watery, and light-sensitive, then rapid improvement overnight. The longer arc: the FDA says vision can fluctuate and take three to six months to fully stabilize, and dry eyes, glare, halos around lights, and tricky night driving are common during that period. You will wear an eye shield at night at first so you cannot rub the flap in your sleep, use prescribed drops, and stay out of eye makeup for about two weeks and out of pools and hot tubs for about eight weeks, per FDA guidance. Contact and strenuous sports wait about four weeks. Most people end up happy they did it, but go in with eyes open about the temporary dry eye and night-vision phase rather than expecting perfect vision on day one.