After laser eye surgery, the most important thing you can do is rest your eyes for the remainder of the day, use your prescribed drops on schedule, and avoid touching or rubbing your eyes. Most people notice improved vision within hours, but full healing takes weeks to months. What you do during that window directly affects your outcome.
The First 24 Hours
Expect your eyes to sting and burn for roughly 2 to 4 hours after the procedure. Blurry vision, light sensitivity, and a gritty or scratchy feeling are all normal during this window. The best thing you can do is go home and sleep. Napping lets your eyes begin healing while you skip the worst of the discomfort.
Your surgeon will give you protective eye shields to wear immediately after the procedure. These prevent you from accidentally rubbing your eyes in your sleep, which could shift the corneal flap (in LASIK) or disturb the healing surface. Wear the shields for at least 5 to 7 nights. If you tend to toss and turn, some surgeons recommend keeping them on for up to two weeks.
Stay off all screens for the first 24 hours. That means no phone, no laptop, no TV. Keep the lights dim at home, and if you go outside, wear the sunglasses your clinic provided.
Eye Drops and Medications
You’ll typically be sent home with two prescription drops: one to prevent infection and one to control inflammation. The standard schedule is one drop of each, four times a day, for about a week. Shake the bottles before each use. You only need to use them while you’re awake; there’s no need to set an alarm in the middle of the night.
Artificial tears (preservative-free) are just as important as your prescription drops, and you’ll rely on them much longer. Dry eye is the most common side effect after laser surgery, and frequent lubrication helps your tear film recover. Use them liberally throughout the day, especially before and after any screen time. Many people continue using artificial tears for several months.
Screen Time and the 20-20-20 Rule
After the initial 24-hour blackout, you can start using screens again, but in short bursts of 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Between sessions, close your eyes or focus on something across the room to relax your focusing muscles. A good habit to build early is the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at an object about 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.
A few screen adjustments also help reduce strain during recovery. Match your screen brightness to the room lighting so your eyes aren’t working harder than they need to. Increase the font size, turn on a blue-light filter or night mode, and keep the screen at arm’s length. If your eyes feel dry during a session, pause, apply artificial tears, and blink slowly and fully a few times to spread the moisture evenly.
When You Can Exercise Again
Light activity like walking is fine within 1 to 2 days for most LASIK and SMILE patients. After about a week, yoga, pilates, and light jogging are generally safe, though you should avoid inverted poses that increase pressure in the head.
By the two-week mark, your cornea has regained significant structural strength. Most people can return to the gym for light resistance training and stationary cycling at this point. For higher-impact activities, wait at least 2 to 4 weeks, and hold off on full-contact sports like rugby or martial arts for 6 to 12 weeks. LASIK patients specifically should be cautious about any sport involving blows to the face, since the corneal flap can be dislodged by trauma even well after surgery.
If you had surface-based procedures (sometimes called PRK or LASEK), recovery is slower. Plan on at least a full week before resuming even light activity.
Water, Pools, and Hygiene
Avoid all swimming for at least 1 to 2 weeks. That includes pools, lakes, oceans, and hot tubs. Your eyes are especially vulnerable to waterborne bacteria during early healing, and an infection at this stage can cause serious problems. After that initial period, you can swim with goggles. Wait 3 to 4 weeks before swimming without goggles, and get clearance from your surgeon first. Hot tubs and saunas should also wait at least 2 weeks.
When showering, avoid letting water run directly into your eyes for the first week. You can shower normally, just keep your face tilted away from the stream and don’t rub your eyes afterward.
Makeup and Skincare
Wait at least one week before applying any eye makeup, including mascara, eyeliner, and eyeshadow. During that first week, foundation, concealer, and lipstick are fine as long as they stay well away from your eyes. For the first few weeks after surgery, avoid applying anything near your waterline, since the application itself can irritate or poke the healing surface. When you do return to eye makeup, start with fresh products to reduce the risk of introducing bacteria.
Follow-Up Appointments
The FDA recommends seeing your surgeon within the first 24 to 48 hours, then at regular intervals for at least the first six months. Most clinics schedule check-ups at the one-day, one-week, one-month, three-month, and six-month marks. These visits are where your surgeon monitors healing, checks your prescription stability, and catches any complications early. Don’t skip them, even if your vision feels perfect.
Normal Symptoms vs. Warning Signs
For the first several days, some degree of discomfort, dryness, scratchiness, and blurry vision is expected. Glare and halos around lights, especially at night, are common in the early weeks and typically fade over time. Light sensitivity can linger for a few weeks as well.
What isn’t normal: sudden redness in the eye, a sharp decrease in vision after it had been improving, or increasing pain rather than decreasing pain. If you notice any of these, contact your eye care provider promptly. Infections and other complications are rare, but they respond much better to early treatment.
What to Expect Over Weeks and Months
Vision often fluctuates during the first few weeks. You might see perfectly one morning and notice slight blurriness by the afternoon, especially if your eyes are dry or fatigued from screen use. This is normal. Your cornea is still settling into its new shape, and your tear film is reestablishing itself.
Most people reach stable vision by the one- to three-month mark. Outcomes with modern technology are remarkably precise. A 2025 study presented to the American Academy of Ophthalmology found that 98% of patients treated with the latest platform achieved 20/12.5 vision or better, and every treated eye landed within a quarter-diopter of the target prescription. While individual results vary, the vast majority of patients end up with vision as good as or better than what they had with glasses or contacts.
Dry eye symptoms tend to peak in the first month and gradually improve, though some people experience dryness for 3 to 6 months or occasionally longer. Keeping up with artificial tears, staying hydrated, and using a humidifier in dry environments all help during this stretch.