When can I fly 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

Flying itself does not harm the healing eye per an Academy ophthalmologist. Cabin air is very dry, so most people wait a few days and bring artificial tears.

An ophthalmologist answering on the Academy's patient site was asked directly by a corporate pilot and professional diver whether flying and diving would affect LASIK healing. The answer was that flying or diving will have no effect on vision or the LASIK surgery. The same answer added one restriction: no swimming for at least two weeks after the surgery.

The practical problem with flying is not pressure, it is dryness. Airplane cabins are very dry, and StatPearls reports dry eye in roughly 85 to 98 percent of patients one week after LASIK, dropping to around 60 percent at one month. Bring your artificial tears in your carry-on and use them more often than you think you need to.

The American Refractive Surgery Council, a secondary industry source, suggests roughly 1 to 2 days before flying. The bigger scheduling issue is usually your follow-up visits. The FDA says you should see your doctor within the first 24 to 48 hours after surgery and at regular intervals after that for at least the first six months, so plan travel around those appointments and ask your surgeon before booking.

When	Typical guidance
Surgery day	Stay put. You need the day 1 follow-up visit.
1 to 2 days	Flying is commonly allowed after the first follow-up, per the Refractive Surgery Council.
Any flight in the first months	Use artificial tears frequently, cabin air makes post-LASIK dryness worse.
Beach or pool trips	Swimming has its own longer wait, at least 2 weeks per the Academy and 1 to 2 months per the FDA.

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

Will my flying and diving affect LASIK surgery healing? American Academy of Ophthalmology. Accessed 2026-08-25.
Laser In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) StatPearls Publishing, NCBI Bookshelf. Accessed 2026-08-25.
What should I expect before, during, and after surgery? U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed 2026-08-25.
LASIK Recovery Timeline: When Can You Get Back to Your Activities? American Refractive Surgery Council. Accessed 2026-08-25.

When can I fly after LASIK?

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