time off after lasik eye surgery

I raced two weeks after my Lasic surgery. My doc said the eye heals very quickly.

I had Lasik done in March of 1999 (in Canada), after wearing contacts for 20 years. First let me start by saying that every's eyes recover and heal at a different rate, and the results of Lasik vary as well. All I can do is relay my experience.

My eyes did heal/recover very fast after surgery, but I was still very careful in the first few months. You only have 1 pair of eyes, so treat them accordingly! I stayed out of smokey environments like bars. Riding in dusty conditions would not be good. You don't want anything to infect your eyes or affect the healing process. My eyes were pretty dry for the first 6 months, so I used special lubricating drops throughout the day.

The biggest thing I remember was how long it took for my eyesight to stabilize. For the first 2-3 months my near vision was horrible. I couldn't hardly read. Had to buy cheapo reading glasses just to read the newspaper and work on the computer. Medicine bottles - forget about it. Distance vision was fairly good during the day, but really sucked at night. Huge halos around every light. It took about 1-2 years before my vision improved to where it is now. It was a very slow process. Even today, it's still best outdoors on bright sunny days, and worst in dimly-lit resturants or at dusk.

If you feel comfortable enough with your vision at this point to ride, then I'd say go ahead. If your vision is still flucuating, just be aware that this may affect your coordination while riding. And stay out of dusty conditions!

Hope this helps!

I waited a month and a half just to be safe. I probably would have been OK after a month but figured why take the chance.

Smit-Dog,
Can you tell us the strength / power of you eyes prior to the Lasik?
Why did you go to Canada for the procedure? How much was the cost?

I had it done in March of 1999. At the time, there were a handful of places in the States doing the procedure, but the guy I went to in Canada had been doing them for years, and had something like 12,000 procedures under his belt. I felt that the experience he had, along with reputation and references, made me feel more comfortable.

Cost was $4,400 US. Not sure of the cost now. My insurance did not pay for it, but at the time I did talk with some people and their insurance did cover it. It would have definitately been cheaper to have had it done in the States, but I wasn't concerned with price. You only have one pair of eyes! In fact, a lot of US docs were advertising 2-for-1 deals (both eyes for the price of 1). That'll make me buy a pizza, but not go under the knife and laser!

Here we are 3 years later, and I'd consider a US doctor. Again, it really depends on their experience and success rate. The doc I went to had records of all his procedures, along with percent breakdown of issues, problems, etc. Here's his web site if interested: www.lasik-centers.com

My vision was about -8.0, if that means anything to you. About 20/200. I couldn't see squat. The worse your eyes are, the less likely you'll get right to 20/20. I think I got down to 20/15. It's not an exact science. The final shape of your eye, and therefore the vision, depends on how the eye heals. Since the healing process may take weeks, months, or longer, it really varies by individual. It's basically up to the doctor how much to shave off with the laser, based on his experience, your age, your vision, etc. I think I was somewhat lucky in the fact that both eyes turned out with equal strength, and a followup by a different ophthalmologist confirmed that under a microscope there was virtually no scar tissue from the incision. He was very impressed with the results.

I had worn contacts or glasses for over 25 years (since about 4th grade). I finally decided to do it after yet another frustrating incident with contacts. I was skiing out west, racing one of those Nastar courses. Half way through the gates, I blinked funny, and one contact popped out and landed on the inside of my goggles. Flying downhill with one blind/unbalanced eye, I made it to the bottom and went to try and put the contact back in. Well by that time it was all dried out, and unsalvagable. All my extra contacts were 2 hours away back at the condo. So I had to ski the rest of the day like that. I decided that I'd had enough!

Good luck with what ever you do...