When can I drive after SLT laser treatment?

The American Academy of Ophthalmology says to plan to have someone drive you home after laser trabeculoplasty, and that your vision may be blurry for a couple of hours afterward. The Glaucoma Research Foundation gives the same advice in its laser surgery overview, noting the eye may be a bit irritated and vision slightly blurry, and that you should arrange a ride home.

The blur is short-lived for most people. Because the Glaucoma Research Foundation says people can generally resume their normal routine the next day after laser surgery, driving usually falls back into place quickly once your vision is clear and comfortable. There is no published waiting period measured in weeks the way there is with incisional eye surgery.

Two practical points. First, blurry vision and glare are not safe driving conditions no matter how minor the procedure was, so judge by how you actually see, not by the clock. Second, if you have glaucoma-related vision loss, your driving status is a separate conversation with your ophthalmologist and your state licensing rules. SLT does not change that, because it does not restore vision that was already lost.