Is a red spot on the white of my eye normal after LASIK?

What's normal

The FDA lists it directly: after surgery, along with light sensitivity, glare, starbursts, or halos, the whites of your eye may look red or bloodshot. During LASIK a suction ring applies very high pressure to the eye to hold it still, which can break tiny surface blood vessels. The result is a flat red patch on the white of the eye.

The Academy explains what this is in general terms. A subconjunctival hemorrhage is when one or more blood spots appear on the white of your eye, caused by tiny blood vessels in the conjunctiva breaking and blood leaking between the conjunctiva and the sclera. The Academy compares it to an ordinary bruise on the skin, and says it is usually harmless and often heals on its own.

It looks much worse than it is. The Academy says usually the only symptom is a red spot in your eye, sometimes with mild irritation, and that depending on how big the spot is, clearing may take a few days or a few weeks. The patch often spreads and turns yellowish or greenish as it fades, which is normal for a bruise.

Typically visible from day 0 or 1, often spreads before it fades, and clears over a few days to a few weeks per the Academy.

When it stops being normal

The red patch itself is not the concern. What matters is what comes with it. Redness combined with real pain, increasing light sensitivity, discharge, or vision that is getting worse is a different picture. The FDA says contact your doctor immediately if you experience severe pain, or if your vision or other symptoms get worse instead of better, and separately notes that complications such as inflammation or infection may require another procedure or intensive treatment with drops.

Also call if the redness is new and appeared after an eye injury or after you rubbed or bumped the eye, because the FDA warns that rubbing could dislodge the flap. The Academy advises seeing an ophthalmologist if subconjunctival hemorrhages happen frequently.