LASIK Frequently Asked Questions

No, LASIK is a virtually painless procedure. Numbing eye drops and mild oral sedation ensure your comfort. Most patients feel only slight pressure during the procedure and experience minimal discomfort afterward.

Contact lenses can alter the shape of your cornea and cause inaccurate pre-operative measurements. To obtain the best results, remove your contact lenses so the cornea returns to its natural shape. Soft lenses should be removed at least one week before your exam; rigid or gas permeable lenses should be removed at least three weeks prior.

After LASIK, you may feel mild irritation, burning, or watery eyes for a few hours. Most patients notice improved vision within 24–48 hours. You’ll use prescription eye drops to prevent infection and inflammation and follow activity restrictions, such as avoiding swimming and eye rubbing.

Yes, LASIK is a safe and widely performed procedure. At Eye Surgeons of Indiana, we carefully screen candidates to ensure the procedure is appropriate, and modern laser systems provide precise and predictable results. Complications are rare, and most patients achieve excellent vision.

Choose a provider with board-certified ophthalmologists experienced in LASIK and advanced laser technology. At Eye Surgeons of Indiana, our surgeons specialize in personalized care, performing thousands of procedures with a commitment to safety, precision, and superior visual outcomes. Your LASIK provider should consider the safest option for your individual eyes. At Eye Surgeons of Indiana, we believe that LASIK may not be the right procedure for everyone. LASIK is only one of several options we have available to help people obtain better vision without glasses and contact lenses. Thorough pre-procedure testing determines if LASIK, PRK, EVO, Refractive Lens Exchange–or even something more customized–is the best choice for you. At Eye Surgeons of Indiana, you’ve chosen a provider with board-certified optometrists and ophthalmologists experienced in all these options.

PRK, short for Photorefractive Keratectomy, is another laser vision correction procedure. Unlike LASIK, it does not involve creating a corneal flap. Instead, the laser reshapes the surface layer of the cornea. PRK is ideal for patients with thinner or irregular corneas. Visual outcomes are similar, though recovery takes slightly longer than LASIK.

Yes, both LASIK and PRK permanently reshape the cornea to correct refractive prescriptions like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. However, natural aging changes may affect vision later in life, and enhancements are possible if needed.

Most patients achieve 20/20 vision or better after LASIK. However, you may still need glasses for reading or specific tasks, particularly as you age and develop presbyopia (age-related difficulty focusing up close).

The procedure itself typically takes 10–15 minutes to perform. Accounting for pre-procedure preparation and a post-procedure exam, plan to be at our LASIK Center for two hours.

Most patients return to work and normal activities within 48 hours. Full visual stabilization can take one to three months, during which your eye doctor will monitor your healing.

Candidates must be 18 years or older with a stable prescription for at least one year. Younger patients may not yet have stable vision, which can affect long-term results.

Yes, LASIK can correct mild, moderate, and some higher levels of astigmatism by reshaping the cornea to allow light to focus properly on the retina.