Are halos and starbursts at night normal after LASIK?

General information about typical recovery, not medical advice. Every eye and every surgery is different, and your surgeon's instructions override anything on this page. Read our full disclaimer.

Short answer

Yes, early on. The FDA lists glare, starbursts, and halos as normal early symptoms, and says they may persist during the three to six month stabilization period.

What's normal

The FDA lists sensitivity to light, glare, starbursts, and halos around lights among the things you may experience immediately after LASIK, and says these symptoms should improve considerably within the first few days. It then adds that glare, halos, difficulty driving at night, and other visual symptoms may also persist during the stabilization period, which it puts at up to three to six months.

StatPearls reports that about 20 percent of patients will report some form of visual change, including glare, halos, star-bursting, haze, and decreased contrast sensitivity, and that these tend to stabilize three to six months after the procedure. The Academy also lists halos and glare among the usually temporary side effects of LASIK.

Practically, this shows up as rings or spikes around headlights, streetlights, and traffic signals, and it is worse in the dark when the pupil is larger. Many people find daytime vision is excellent long before night driving feels normal again.

Usually loudest in the first days to weeks, clearly fading by 1 to 3 months, and generally stabilized by 3 to 6 months per FDA and StatPearls.

When it stops being normal

Halos that are getting worse rather than fading, or that appear suddenly after they had already settled, deserve a call. The FDA says to contact your eye doctor immediately if you develop any new, unusual, or worsening symptoms at any point after surgery, and separately warns that some patients develop glare, halos, or double vision that can seriously affect nighttime vision and may not resolve.

New halos combined with pain, redness, or dropping vision are a different problem than routine post-LASIK glare and should be seen promptly. Also know the limits of a fix: the FDA says that although distance vision may improve after an enhancement, it is unlikely that other visual symptoms such as glare or halos will improve. If night vision is your main complaint, discuss that specifically with your surgeon before agreeing to more surgery.

Call your surgeon now if you notice any of these

Severe eye pain, or pain that gets worse instead of better, at any point after surgery
Vision or any other symptom that is getting worse instead of better, rather than improving over the first days
Sudden decrease or sudden loss of vision in either eye
Any new or unusual symptom at any point after surgery, which the FDA says could signal a problem that may lead to loss of vision if not treated early enough
Signs the corneal flap may have moved, such as a sudden sharp foreign body or scratching sensation, sudden blurring, tearing, and light sensitivity, especially after rubbing, bumping, or being hit in the eye. The FDA warns that rubbing the eye could dislodge the flap, and StatPearls lists flap dislodgement among corneal flap complications reported in about 0.1 to 4 percent of patients
Signs of diffuse lamellar keratitis, a sterile inflammation in the layer under the flap, which StatPearls says usually appears one to two days after surgery in as many as 1 in 50 cases and shows up as blurriness and a foreign body sensation. It typically resolves with appropriate steroid treatment after about a week, but it needs the surgeon to see it and change your drops
Signs of infection, such as increasing redness, discharge, worsening light sensitivity, and dropping vision. StatPearls reports infectious keratitis in less than 0.1 percent of patients, with atypical mycobacteria typically appearing one to two weeks after surgery
Any eye injury or blunt trauma to the operated eye, at any time after LASIK, because the flap interface never regains full corneal strength
New floaters, flashes of light, or a curtain or shadow across part of your vision. StatPearls lists retinal detachment, vitreous hemorrhage, and posterior vitreous detachment among rare complications occurring in less than 0.1 percent of patients

These warning signs after LASIK can point to problems that need same-day care. Do not wait for your next scheduled visit. If you cannot reach your surgeon's office, use their on-call line, or go to an emergency room.

Sources: U.S. Food and Drug Administration; StatPearls Publishing, NCBI Bookshelf; Journal of Refractive Surgery

Sources

What should I expect before, during, and after surgery? U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed 2026-08-25.
Laser In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) StatPearls Publishing, NCBI Bookshelf. Accessed 2026-08-25.
LASIK: Laser Eye Surgery American Academy of Ophthalmology. Accessed 2026-08-25.
What are the risks and how can I find the right doctor for me? U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed 2026-08-25.

Are halos and starbursts at night normal after LASIK?

What's normal

When it stops being normal

More on LASIK recovery

Sources