When can I wear contact lenses again after LASIK?

The FDA is direct in its after-surgery instructions: do not resume wearing a contact lens in the operated eye, even if your vision is blurry. That instruction sits right next to the guidance about prescribed drops and artificial tears, because putting a lens in and taking it out means touching the eye, and the FDA warns that rubbing the eye could dislodge the flap.

Most people who ask this question are in one of two situations. The first is leftover prescription. The FDA says only a certain percent of patients achieve 20/20 vision without glasses or contacts, that you may be under treated or over treated, and that you may still need glasses or contact lenses after surgery. StatPearls reports that about 10 percent of patients have an enhancement procedure, usually within a year, with higher rates in people over 40, with high corrections, or with astigmatism. Glasses are generally the safer bridge while things settle.

The second situation is dryness making lenses uncomfortable. StatPearls reports dry eye in roughly 85 to 98 percent of patients at one week and around 60 percent at one month. Contact lenses on a dry post-LASIK eye are often not tolerated well. If you and your surgeon are considering an enhancement instead, the FDA says to wait until your eye measurements are consistent for two consecutive visits at least 3 months apart before re-operation, and warns that although distance vision may improve after re-operation, it is unlikely that glare or halos will improve.