What to Expect after Laser Blended Vision

Laser Blended Vision is suitable for anyone with Presbyopia who is also a suitable candidate for LASIK corneal laser eye surgery. This includes a range of preoperative prescriptions, whether you are myopic (short sighted), hyperopic (long sighted) or have astigmatism, or a combination. If you have never worn glasses before but are finding that you now need reading glasses for close up activities you may only need one eye treated.

Your surgeon will do a complete eye examination to check you for suitability and discuss your lifestyle and visual goals that you want to achieve from the procedure.

The dominant eye is determined and a number or visual tests and scans are done to identify the level of correction required for distance and near vision on each eye. Your treatment is tailored to your individual visual needs.

During the LASIK surgery a corneal flap is created and the laser correction is done. The laser has a tracking device that allows the laser to follow any small movements of the eye with precision. The laser creates different power zones meaning that the dominant eye cornea is corrected for distance and intermediate vision and the non-dominant eye corneal corrected for near and intermediate vision.

The laser only takes between 3 and 15 seconds to perform the required treatment on each eye and the entire procedure takes around 10-15 minutes for both eyes.

Typically there are 3 stages of recovery:

Stage 1 – Immediate and day one healing

Early recovery is fast and you will be given eye drops (artificial tears and an antibiotic) to help with any temporary discomfort and advised to rest your eyes closed for a few hours. The vision is foggy for the first 4-5 hours. Following the procedure you need to be careful not to rub your eyes and you will be provided with eye shields to wear at night.

Most people can go back to normal activities just 24 hours after surgery. Other symptoms you may experience include: dry eye sensation, night vision halos, slight blurring and visual fluctuations.

Stage 2 – The first few weeks after surgery

A number of healing changes are occurring in the cornea in the first few weeks. This healing process may cause your vision to fluctuate from morning to evening, near to distant and you should expect to see halos around the lights of cars at night. Although symptoms vary between people, the fluctuations are normal and will settle as the healing progresses and your brain adapts to your new vision. The healing of the cornea needs to take place first, before expecting the brain to adapt fully. The best thing you can do to help with the fluctuations is to use your artificial tears to lubricate your eyes.

Stage 3 - The adaptation period

This is the longer phase of the recovery where the dry eye sensation and laser blended vision recovers completely. The ‘blending’ is the process where your brain learns to see from near through to distant vision combining the information from each eye. This process can take a few weeks to a year, with the average being around 3 months.  It is important to avoid shutting one eye to see either distant or near vision. Always use both eyes as your vision will adapt and people often comment that they wake up one day fully adjusted and natural.

The aim of Laser Blended Vision is to maximise your independence from glasses. Some people find that they may still need to use glasses in some situations, such as reading very small print, or in dim lighting situations such as late at night or driving long distances at night. This can be 1 in 20 people.

The treatment typically lasts more than 10 years but this will vary slightly from person to person.  Medical research has shown that once the cornea has been reshaped, it should not change, but with increasing age cataracts can start to have an effect. Your eye surgeon will discuss your suitability and any concerns you may have with you.

Contact Bowen Eye Clinic if you want to find out more about Laser Blended Vision and your suitability. 0800 69 20 20