Why do I must stop wearing contact lenses before Lasik? When should I stop it?
If you wear contact lenses, you will be asked to stop wearing
contact lenses for some days before Lasik eye surgery. This may
sound like a great inconvenience, but there is good reason for it.
All contact lenses can temporarily change the shape and
thickness of the cornea to some degree. If your corneas are
still changing from contact lens wear, important measurements at
your pre-operative exam may be affected, these measurements,
which determine how much corneal tissue to remove. You may have
a higher risk of a poor visual outcome from LASIK. A period of
time without contacts restores your cornea to its natural shape.
The FDA recommends that LASIK patients adhere to the following guidelines:
● Soft contact lenses
You should stop wearing it for 2 weeks before your initial evaluation of Lasik.
● Toric soft contact lenses & Rigid gas permeable lenses
You should stop wearing it for at least 3 weeks before your initial evaluation of Lasik.
● Hard contact lenses
You should stop wearing it for at least 4 weeks before your initial evaluation of Lasik.
After the days that you do not ware contact lenses, the Lasik
surgeons will look at the shape of your corneas and decide
whether the measurement results are interpretable. If not, then
you may have to continue without the contact lenses for a few
days longer and return for repeat measurements. Listed above are
the minimal guidelines of stop wearing contact lenses before
Lasik, however the longer you can stop wearing it, the better.
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