When can I wear eye makeup 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

The FDA says you may need to wait up to two weeks before using lotions, creams, or makeup around the eye, to help prevent infection.

The FDA is specific here. To help prevent infection, you may need to wait for up to two weeks after surgery, or until your doctor advises you otherwise, before using lotions, creams, or makeup around the eye. The FDA also says your doctor may ask you to continue scrubbing your eyelashes for a period of time after surgery.

The reason is contamination and particles. The FDA says that before surgery you should stop using creams, lotions, makeup, and perfumes the day before, because these products and debris along the eyelashes may increase the risk of infection during and after surgery. The same logic applies while the flap is still sealing.

The Refractive Surgery Council, a secondary industry source, puts eye makeup at roughly 1 week. Surgeons vary. When you do restart, use fresh product rather than the tube that was open before surgery, avoid anything that flakes into the eye, and be gentle removing it, because the FDA warns that rubbing the eye could dislodge the flap.

When	Typical guidance
Day before surgery	Stop creams, lotions, makeup, and perfumes, per FDA guidance.
First week	No makeup around the eye.
Around 1 to 2 weeks	The FDA says up to two weeks, or until your doctor says otherwise.
When you restart	Use fresh product and remove it gently without rubbing the eye.

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.
LASIK Recovery Timeline: When Can You Get Back to Your Activities? American Refractive Surgery Council. Accessed 2026-08-25.

When can I wear eye makeup after LASIK?

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