When can I shower and wash my hair 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

Most people shower the day after surgery, keeping soap, shampoo, and spray out of the eyes. Washing the face and hair needs care not to rub the eye.

The Refractive Surgery Council, a secondary industry source, says you should be able to shower the day after your surgery, just be sure to keep soap and any chemicals out of your eyes. Surgeons differ on whether that means day 1 or a couple of days, so use the instruction sheet you were handed.

The rule that matters more than the date is what you do with your hands and the water. The FDA says the eye shield exists to prevent you from rubbing your eye and putting pressure on it while the flap heals, and warns that rubbing your eye could dislodge the flap. So do not let the shower spray hit your eyes directly, keep your eyes closed while rinsing, and pat your face dry instead of scrubbing it.

Shampoo, conditioner, face wash, and hair products are chemical irritants, and the FDA groups lotions and creams around the eye into a wait of up to two weeks to help prevent infection. Tipping your head back at a sink is easier to control than a standing shower for the first several days. If something does get in the eye, rinse with preservative free artificial tears or sterile saline rather than rubbing, and call the office if irritation does not settle.

When	Typical guidance
Surgery day	Skip the shower or keep the face completely dry. Wear the shield to sleep.
Day 1 onward	Showering is commonly allowed, keeping soap and chemicals out of the eyes.
First 1 to 2 weeks	Avoid direct spray to the face, do not rub the eyes when drying.
Face creams and lotions near the eye	The FDA says wait up to two weeks or until your doctor says otherwise.

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

LASIK Recovery Time: What to Expect American Refractive Surgery Council. Accessed 2026-08-25.
What should I expect before, during, and after surgery? U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed 2026-08-25.

When can I shower and wash my hair after LASIK?

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