LASIK recovery — week by week

What healing actually looks like — week by week — for lasik.

Recovery timeline

1. Day of surgery
   Procedure takes ~10 minutes per eye. Vision blurry immediately, dramatically clearer by next morning. Sleep with goggles.
2. Day 1
   Most patients legal to drive. Eye drops on schedule. No rubbing.
3. Week 1
   Vision stabilizes. Mild fluctuations, especially in dim light.
4. Weeks 2–4
   Dry eye symptoms peak in many patients. Preservative-free tears regularly.
5. Months 1–3
   Final vision settles. Halos and starbursts (if present) gradually fade.
6. Years 5–10
   Most enhancements happen at 5–10 years. Presbyopia (age-related) returns regardless.

Quick reference

Back to work

1–2 days for most.

Exercise

No water/swimming for 2 weeks. Contact sports: 4 weeks (eye protection important for life).

What's normal vs. what to call about

Some swelling, bruising, asymmetry, numbness, and tightness are expected in the first weeks. Sudden severe pain, fever above 101°F, drainage, spreading redness, or one-sided swelling that worsens after improving warrant a same-day call to your surgeon.

See lasik results across the recovery curve on the main LASIK page.