How Soon Can I Drive After LASIK?
What to Know About Driving After LASIK
When deciding whether or not to undergo LASIK surgery, many candidates have questions about life after the surgery. How soon can I wear makeup? When can I take a shower? Will I need glasses? Those are all questions that we’ve heard, and they’re questions that we’ve answered, among others, on our LASIK blog. Today, we’ll be talking about driving after LASIK surgery.
Can I drive myself to and from my LASIK surgery appointment?
No, you cannot drive home from your LASIK surgery. So, you’ll want to make sure you have a ride lined up in advance of the procedure. Some patients experience immediate improvements to their vision directly following their surgery and think they would be fine to drive themselves home—but that is not safe or advisable. During your recovery process, there may be some blurriness after your surgery. And, your eyes will likely be sensitive to light for a couple of hours following your procedure due to the numbing eye drops used. If you are prescribed sedatives before your surgery, your reaction time will be affected, making it unsafe for you to be in the driver’s seat on the road. We advise our LASIK patients to simply focus on resting for the remainder of the day.
So, when can you actually drive again after LASIK?
You should not drive the day of your surgery. However, you can resume driving after LASIK once you can see well enough to do so. This may be the very next day after your procedure or within the week after LASIK.
In your follow-up appointment the day after your surgery, your vision will be checked to see if it is good enough to be legal to drive without corrective lenses. If this is the case, then you may receive paperwork that states that the “requires corrective lenses” restriction can be removed from your license. You can then bring this paperwork to your DMV to have your restriction lifted.
Do you have more questions about the LASIK process? Check out our past blog posts and our FAQ page to see the questions that we’ve answered. If you have more questions, give us a call – we’re always happy to talk!
Book your free LASIK consultation