LASIK FAQs

For the first few nights after LASIK, you’ll wear special protective eye shields while you sleep. This keeps you from accidentally rubbing or bumping your eyes while they’re healing. It’s also a good idea to sleep on your back if possible to avoid putting pressure on your eyes. Following these simple steps will give your eyes the best chance to heal quickly and comfortably.

You should avoid using your phone, computer, or any digital screens for the first 24 hours after LASIK to give your eyes a chance to rest. After that, you can slowly reintroduce screen time, but try to keep it minimal at first and take frequent breaks to avoid eye strain. Your eyes may feel a little dry or sensitive early on, so staying mindful of screen use helps support faster healing.

Most patients only need a day or 2 of rest after LASIK. Many people feel well enough to return to work and normal activities within 24 to 48 hours. However, it’s important to avoid strenuous exercise, swimming, or heavy lifting for about a week to allow your eyes to heal properly. Your surgeon will give you specific aftercare instructions to make sure your recovery goes smoothly.

No, LASIK is not painful. We use anesthetic drops to numb the eyes prior to treatment to keep you comfortable during the procedure. Patients feel a sensation of mild pressure but should not experience pain during surgery. Your doctor will also prescribe postoperative medications and lubricating drops to prevent infection and keep you as comfortable as possible as you heal.

There’s no strict age limit for LASIK, but typically, it’s most beneficial for people between the ages of 18 and their early 40s. After 40, natural changes in the eye, like presbyopia (age-related near vision loss), may mean LASIK isn’t the ideal solution for you on its own. However, depending on your goals and eye health, there are still excellent surgical options available even later in life. The best way to know if LASIK—or a related procedure—is right for you is to schedule a personalized consultation with one of our expert providers.

LASIK consistently earns some of the highest patient satisfaction rates among all medical procedures, with some studies showing satisfaction rates of 95% or higher. Regret after LASIK is very rare, and the overwhelming majority of patients are thrilled with their improved vision and the lifestyle benefits it brings.

That being said, careful screening before surgery helps ensure the best outcomes, which is why it’s important to choose an experienced provider who can determine if you’re a good candidate.

For most patients, LASIK is absolutely worth the financial investment. While the upfront cost can seem significant, it’s often less expensive over time compared with the ongoing costs of glasses, contact lenses, solutions, and regular prescription updates. Many patients find that LASIK pays for itself within a few years and say that it’s next to impossible to put a dollar amount on the added freedom that their clearer vision provides. Plus, financing options are available to make your investment even more accessible.

Yes, you are awake during LASIK surgery, but there’s no need to worry. Before the procedure begins, your surgeon will give you numbing eye drops to prevent pain, and you may also be given a mild sedative to help you stay relaxed.

During your procedure, you’ll be asked to focus on a light while the surgeon works. The entire process is very quick—typically just a few minutes per eye. Most patients report feeling some slight pressure but no pain. We will guide you through every step to ensure you stay comfortable and calm.

Patients who are in poor health or who have dry eye, autoimmune disorders, diabetes, or glaucoma ae usually not good candidates for LASIK surgery. It is important to have a consultation with one of our eye doctors to assess the condition of your eyes to determine whether or not you are a good candidate for LASIK eye surgery.

The average cost of LASIK in the United States ranges between $2,000 and $3,000 per eye. The cost of LASIK at nJoy Vision falls within this range, and nJoy Vision runs several LASIK savings promotions throughout the year to further reduce the cost of LASIK for our patients. That means that LASIK at nJoy Vision will pay for itself in as little as five years when compared to the ongoing cost of eye care over that same timeframe.

LASIK is considered an elective procedure, so most insurance companies do not provide coverage, although some insurance plans do offer a LASIK benefit. If you have an HSA or FSA, you may be able to pay for LASIK with pre-tax dollars. We accept all major credit cards and offer financing options.

No, the procedure may not eliminate the need for reading glasses even if you have never worn them before. LASIK surgery will not prevent the normal aging change in the lens of the eye that causes blurry reading vision sometime after age 40 (presbyopia).

When most people start experiencing presbyopia, they simply purchase reading glasses and use them when needed to see small print. But there are procedure options available if you have presbyopia and want to reduce or eliminate your need for reading glasses. We will discuss this with you during your free consultation.

Dry eye can be a side effect of LASIK. During the first few weeks to months following the procedure is when most patients experience some degree of dry eye symptoms. For many patients, LASIK isn’t the trigger for dry eye as they have reported having dry eye symptoms before surgery. Some patients may experience dry eyes for only a month, yet others may experience dry eyes for longer, depending on the causative agent. Previous dry eye prior to LASIK may require longer treatment.

Occasionally, reactions to the antibiotic or steroid drops following surgery may cause the ocular surface to be dry and extend the treatment time for dry eye. Occasionally, it may require additional prescription medications for dry eye or punctal plugs to treat the dry eye. Advancements in LASIK technology and pre- and post-operative care have significantly reduced the occurrence and severity of dry eyes.

While every recovery varies, some patients start enjoying clearer vision within 24 to 48 hours. However, full recovery and vision stabilization may take up to 6 months. Our team monitors your progress to ensure your vision is improving as expected.

LASIK surgery permanently changes the vision of patients with issues such as nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism. That doesn’t mean vision won’t change over time. Everyone develops presbyopia — age-related vision changes — in their 40s. This condition makes it difficult to read or do other tasks that require near vision without the use of reading glasses. Lens Replacement at nJoy Vision is a treatment option for presbyopia and ensures that cataracts won’t develop later in life.

The immediate recovery time following LASIK surgery is usually about 48 hours, but it varies from patient to patient. Blurred vision and some discomfort are normal during this time. Most patients are able to return to work after 1-2 days unless the environment is dirty or dusty. Recovery after LASIK is a gradual process, and it’s important to maintain your post-operative care with your eye doctor. It can take up to 6 months for your vision to fully stabilize.

Most patients can resume light exercise within a few days but should avoid contact sports or activities with a high risk of eye injury for at least one month after the procedure. Your eye surgeon will share detailed postoperative instructions, including any restrictions. It’s essential to follow them closely for optimal recovery and results.

We recommend waiting 24 hours before showering or washing your face. You should postpone swimming in a pool for at least a week.

In many cases, your doctor will give you permission to drive the day after your procedure. Every patient is different, however, so your case may vary.

Blurry vision immediately after laser eye surgery is expected. Even though you should notice improved vision within 48 hours after the procedure, some patients experience blurry vision for up to 2 weeks. Eye drops can help clear up your vision.

Our LASIK doctors recommend taking off the day after your surgery. Occasionally, our doctors recommend taking additional time off—but this is usually only when you work in a high-risk environment. It is important that there is not a significant risk of exposure to infection or injury in the days following LASIK. Some patients are comfortable and released to return to work the next day.

Complications usually can be successfully managed medically or with follow-up care. The expected frequency and severity of complications vary, depending on how much nearsightedness, farsightedness and/or astigmatism you have prior to the procedure and other factors.

Often, people wonder what will happen if they blink during LASIK. During your procedure, a small medical device is used to keep the eyelids open, ensuring that blinking is prevented. Additionally, we use numbing eye drops and lubricating eye drops to keep your eye moist, eliminating any discomfort or urge to blink.

You should stop wearing soft contact lenses two weeks before your consultation and leading up to surgery. Rigid gas permeable lenses and soft contact lenses that correct for astigmatism need to be out longer. An initial screening can be performed before discontinuing contact lens wear. Your doctor will determine the length of time required to remove them.

Absolutely. LASIK can safely and effectively treat myopia (nearsightedness), as well as farsightedness. However, it may be best for patients with low to moderate myopia. During your consultation with one of our board-certified ophthalmologists, we’ll determine your candidacy for LASIK or guide you toward one of our other innovative myopia treatments.

The iLASIK™ wavefront-guided laser is FDA-approved for the correction of up to +4.00 diopters of farsightedness (hyperopia) with up to +2.00 diopters (D) of astigmatism. But factors such as the shape of your cornea and how much astigmatism you have may influence the amount of hyperopia that can be corrected in your eyes. We can advise you of your specific needs at your free consultation.

The iLASIK™ wavefront-guided laser is FDA-approved for the correction of up to -11.00 diopters of nearsightedness (myopia) with astigmatism (up to -5.00 diopters) and without astigmatism. The actual amount of myopia that can be corrected depends on factors including the thickness and shape of your corneas and how much astigmatism you have. We will discuss these factors with you at your free consultation.

• For nearsightedness, the iLASIK™ procedure can correct up to -3.00 diopters of astigmatism
• For farsightedness, it can correct up to +2.00 diopters of astigmatism
• For mixed astigmatism, 1.00 to 5.00 diopters

It depends on how thin your corneas are, how much refractive error you have, and other factors. The procedure corrects your vision by reshaping the cornea. In this process, a very small amount of tissue is removed from the central cornea.

During your free consultation, we will take detailed measurements of the thickness and shape of your cornea and calculate how much laser treatment is required to fully and safely correct your vision.

Dry eyes can affect the accuracy of pre-operative measurements that are crucial to achieving good vision after the LASIK procedure. Also, dry eyes can affect how well and how quickly your eyes heal.
For these reasons, if you have dry eyes you need to have the condition successfully treated before proceeding with LASIK. We will discuss this with you during your free consultation.

You should not have laser eye surgery if you are pregnant or nursing because these conditions may cause temporary and unpredictable changes in your cornea.

Previous eye surgeries may impact your LASIK candidacy. A comprehensive eye examination will help determine if you’re a suitable candidate, depending on the type and outcome of your prior procedure.

Yes, LASIK effectively treats nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. It can treat more than 95% of all refractive conditions.

Patients must be at least 18 years old to undergo this treatment. Your vision must remain stable for one year before getting LASIK surgery. Your doctor can help you know if your prescription is stable.

Several factors can disqualify someone from LASIK, including thin or irregular corneas, unstable vision, severe dry eye, or certain medical conditions like autoimmune diseases or uncontrolled diabetes. Eye conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma, or retinal disorders may also make LASIK unsuitable. Additionally, if you’re pregnant or nursing, your surgeon may recommend waiting until your vision stabilizes after hormonal changes.

The good news is that even if LASIK isn’t the right fit for you, many patients still qualify for other advanced vision correction options. A personalized consultation is the best way to determine the safest and most effective treatment for your eyes.

The decision to have laser vision correction treatment depends on the results of a thorough preoperative evaluation. Most patients qualify if they are mildly to moderately nearsighted or mildly farsighted with or without astigmatism. We offer other vision treatment options for patients who aren’t good candidates for LASIK. A free consultation is available to determine whether or not you are a candidate for laser vision correction.

LASIK is a serious medical procedure. It’s important to choose a LASIK specialist in OKC who has extensive training and experience. Our LASIK surgeons are certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and exceptionally skilled in microsurgery for the eye.

The procedure typically takes 5-10 minutes per eye, with the laser treatment lasting less than one minute per eye. Patients are usually in the surgery suite for no more than 15 minutes and at our facility for 1.5 to 2 hours. Patients need to have someone drive them home following their procedure.

Because LASIK is an elective procedure that requires you to pay out-of-pocket, many prospective patients wonder if the procedure is really worth it. While you must pay an up-front surgical cost, it’s helpful to consider the long-term savings you will reap by no longer having to purchase prescription glasses, contact lenses, and related supplies. According to LASIK patients on the popular medical review site RealSelf, the life-changing effects of this 15-minute procedure are considered well worth the expense—they give the procedure an impressive 91% “Worth It” rating.

The FDA first approved the technology for LASIK eye surgery in 1998, and it is safer now than ever. Thanks to the leading-edge laser eye surgery technology and the latest techniques we use here at nJoy Vision in OKC, LASIK is safer and more effective than ever before. There are risks associated with LASIK that we discuss with each patient. Still, recent research indicates that LASIK has a 99% success rate in achieving 20/40 vision or better and a 90% success rate in achieving 20/20 vision or better.

Patients who are in poor health or who have dry eye, autoimmune disorders, diabetes, or glaucoma ae usually not good candidates for LASIK surgery. It is important to have a consultation with one of our eye doctors to assess the condition of your eyes to determine whether or not you are a good candidate for LASIK eye surgery.

It depends on how thin your corneas are, how much refractive error you have, and other factors. The procedure corrects your vision by reshaping the cornea. In this process, a very small amount of tissue is removed from the central cornea.

During your free consultation, we will take detailed measurements of the thickness and shape of your cornea and calculate how much laser treatment is required to fully and safely correct your vision.

Dry eyes can affect the accuracy of pre-operative measurements that are crucial to achieving good vision after the LASIK procedure. Also, dry eyes can affect how well and how quickly your eyes heal.
For these reasons, if you have dry eyes you need to have the condition successfully treated before proceeding with LASIK. We will discuss this with you during your free consultation.

You should not have laser eye surgery if you are pregnant or nursing because these conditions may cause temporary and unpredictable changes in your cornea.

Previous eye surgeries may impact your LASIK candidacy. A comprehensive eye examination will help determine if you’re a suitable candidate, depending on the type and outcome of your prior procedure.

Yes, LASIK effectively treats nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. It can treat more than 95% of all refractive conditions.

Patients must be at least 18 years old to undergo this treatment. Your vision must remain stable for one year before getting LASIK surgery. Your doctor can help you know if your prescription is stable.

Several factors can disqualify someone from LASIK, including thin or irregular corneas, unstable vision, severe dry eye, or certain medical conditions like autoimmune diseases or uncontrolled diabetes. Eye conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma, or retinal disorders may also make LASIK unsuitable. Additionally, if you’re pregnant or nursing, your surgeon may recommend waiting until your vision stabilizes after hormonal changes.

The good news is that even if LASIK isn’t the right fit for you, many patients still qualify for other advanced vision correction options. A personalized consultation is the best way to determine the safest and most effective treatment for your eyes.

The decision to have laser vision correction treatment depends on the results of a thorough preoperative evaluation. Most patients qualify if they are mildly to moderately nearsighted or mildly farsighted with or without astigmatism. We offer other vision treatment options for patients who aren’t good candidates for LASIK. A free consultation is available to determine whether or not you are a candidate for laser vision correction.

Absolutely. LASIK can safely and effectively treat myopia (nearsightedness), as well as farsightedness. However, it may be best for patients with low to moderate myopia. During your consultation with one of our board-certified ophthalmologists, we’ll determine your candidacy for LASIK or guide you toward one of our other innovative myopia treatments.

The iLASIK™ wavefront-guided laser is FDA-approved for the correction of up to +4.00 diopters of farsightedness (hyperopia) with up to +2.00 diopters (D) of astigmatism. But factors such as the shape of your cornea and how much astigmatism you have may influence the amount of hyperopia that can be corrected in your eyes. We can advise you of your specific needs at your free consultation.

The iLASIK™ wavefront-guided laser is FDA-approved for the correction of up to -11.00 diopters of nearsightedness (myopia) with astigmatism (up to -5.00 diopters) and without astigmatism. The actual amount of myopia that can be corrected depends on factors including the thickness and shape of your corneas and how much astigmatism you have. We will discuss these factors with you at your free consultation.

• For nearsightedness, the iLASIK™ procedure can correct up to -3.00 diopters of astigmatism
• For farsightedness, it can correct up to +2.00 diopters of astigmatism
• For mixed astigmatism, 1.00 to 5.00 diopters

Complications usually can be successfully managed medically or with follow-up care. The expected frequency and severity of complications vary, depending on how much nearsightedness, farsightedness and/or astigmatism you have prior to the procedure and other factors.

Often, people wonder what will happen if they blink during LASIK. During your procedure, a small medical device is used to keep the eyelids open, ensuring that blinking is prevented. Additionally, we use numbing eye drops and lubricating eye drops to keep your eye moist, eliminating any discomfort or urge to blink.

You should stop wearing soft contact lenses two weeks before your consultation and leading up to surgery. Rigid gas permeable lenses and soft contact lenses that correct for astigmatism need to be out longer. An initial screening can be performed before discontinuing contact lens wear. Your doctor will determine the length of time required to remove them.

The immediate recovery time following LASIK surgery is usually about 48 hours, but it varies from patient to patient. Blurred vision and some discomfort are normal during this time. Most patients are able to return to work after 1-2 days unless the environment is dirty or dusty. Recovery after LASIK is a gradual process, and it’s important to maintain your post-operative care with your eye doctor. It can take up to 6 months for your vision to fully stabilize.

Most patients can resume light exercise within a few days but should avoid contact sports or activities with a high risk of eye injury for at least one month after the procedure. Your eye surgeon will share detailed postoperative instructions, including any restrictions. It’s essential to follow them closely for optimal recovery and results.

We recommend waiting 24 hours before showering or washing your face. You should postpone swimming in a pool for at least a week.

In many cases, your doctor will give you permission to drive the day after your procedure. Every patient is different, however, so your case may vary.

Blurry vision immediately after laser eye surgery is expected. Even though you should notice improved vision within 48 hours after the procedure, some patients experience blurry vision for up to 2 weeks. Eye drops can help clear up your vision.

Our LASIK doctors recommend taking off the day after your surgery. Occasionally, our doctors recommend taking additional time off—but this is usually only when you work in a high-risk environment. It is important that there is not a significant risk of exposure to infection or injury in the days following LASIK. Some patients are comfortable and released to return to work the next day.

No, the procedure may not eliminate the need for reading glasses even if you have never worn them before. LASIK surgery will not prevent the normal aging change in the lens of the eye that causes blurry reading vision sometime after age 40 (presbyopia).

When most people start experiencing presbyopia, they simply purchase reading glasses and use them when needed to see small print. But there are procedure options available if you have presbyopia and want to reduce or eliminate your need for reading glasses. We will discuss this with you during your free consultation.

Dry eye can be a side effect of LASIK. During the first few weeks to months following the procedure is when most patients experience some degree of dry eye symptoms. For many patients, LASIK isn’t the trigger for dry eye as they have reported having dry eye symptoms before surgery. Some patients may experience dry eyes for only a month, yet others may experience dry eyes for longer, depending on the causative agent. Previous dry eye prior to LASIK may require longer treatment.

Occasionally, reactions to the antibiotic or steroid drops following surgery may cause the ocular surface to be dry and extend the treatment time for dry eye. Occasionally, it may require additional prescription medications for dry eye or punctal plugs to treat the dry eye. Advancements in LASIK technology and pre- and post-operative care have significantly reduced the occurrence and severity of dry eyes.

While every recovery varies, some patients start enjoying clearer vision within 24 to 48 hours. However, full recovery and vision stabilization may take up to 6 months. Our team monitors your progress to ensure your vision is improving as expected.

LASIK surgery permanently changes the vision of patients with issues such as nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism. That doesn’t mean vision won’t change over time. Everyone develops presbyopia — age-related vision changes — in their 40s. This condition makes it difficult to read or do other tasks that require near vision without the use of reading glasses. Lens Replacement at nJoy Vision is a treatment option for presbyopia and ensures that cataracts won’t develop later in life.

LASIK is considered an elective procedure, so most insurance companies do not provide coverage, although some insurance plans do offer a LASIK benefit. If you have an HSA or FSA, you may be able to pay for LASIK with pre-tax dollars. We accept all major credit cards and offer financing options.