Do you love to travel? Are you worried that LASIK eye surgery will interfere with your travel plans? Figuring out the right time to get LASIK is important.
You need to consider many different factors. This can include the time of year, vacations you want to take, and when you can take time off work. For most vacations, it involves taking a plane. But if you get LASIK, can you still fly to travel?
Why You Should Wait On Flying After LASIK
Patients love LASIK because this procedure has a short recovery time. While you need to think about recovery time, it is important to consider your travel plans.
Most doctors recommend not flying until you’re cleared at your follow-up appointment. Usually, doctors recommend waiting at least one or two weeks before flying.
If possible, you should wait at least a month. This gives your eyes time to heal from the procedure. Another important reason to wait to travel is to make sure there are no complications.
It is best to stay in town, so you can go to your surgeon if something does happen. After having LASIK, your eyes are much more susceptible to bacteria and infections.
When booking LASIK, it is recommended that you avoid traveling until your eyes heal. But if you do need to travel, there are things you can do to make it a more enjoyable experience.
Drink Water
Stay hydrated! Keeping your eyes moisturized is important after a procedure like LASIK. Drinking enough water is crucial especially while you’re flying.
It may be tempting but skip the mimosas because they will dehydrate you.
Bring Eye Drops
Dry eye is one of the most common short term side effects of LASIK. You can also be more sensitive to drier air.
Airplanes often have drier air. A combination of eyes that are healing after LASIK and flying can lead to dry eyes.
If you want to avoid dry eye while flying, keep vials of eye drops or artificial tears in your carryon. These vials are under 3 ounces, so you should have no problem meeting TSA requirements.
Reduce Eye Strain
As your eyes heal, you should rest your eyes. If you had LASIK less than a month ago, the best thing you can do while flying is to rest your eyes.
Try not to use your phone, computer, or tablet during this time. Taking part in these activities could lead to eye strain. Instead, rest your eyes, relax, and take a well-deserved nap!
The recovery time after LASIK may be quick, but a little extra rest is always a good thing. This can help your eyes heal faster, and keeps them lubricated.
Don’t Touch Your Eyes
After LASIK, it’s normal if your eyes feel itchy, irritated, or more uncomfortable. The automatic response most people have to these feelings is wanting to touch their eyes.
This is the last thing you should do, especially on a plane! Planes are covered in germs and bacteria. Anything, including seatbelts, the sink, door handle, or the seat in front of you could be covered in bacteria.
If you touch your eyes after touching any of these things, you could get an eye infection. There’s no way to be on a plane and not touch anything, so always wash your hands and bring hand sanitizer.
When you get off the plane, make sure to wash your hands again just to be safe.
These steps will let you have a good travel experience post-LASIK eye surgery. If you have prior approval from your doctor, you should have no problem flying after LASIK.
Ready to find out if LASIK could be right for you? Schedule a LASIK consultation at South Texas Eye Institute in San Antonio, TX now! Why not start off the new year with the possibility of visual freedom from glasses and contacts?
