Light Sensitivity and Tearing in the First Days After LASEK: Expected or a Warning Sign?

The bathroom light is the first surprise. It is the same 40-watt bulb it was yesterday, but on the morning after surgery it lands like a camera flash, and the eyes answer with a steady run of tears that no tissue seems to catch. Somewhere between the second and third squint, a reasonable person starts to wonder whether this is what everyone meant by “a few rough days,” or whether something has gone wrong.

LASEK light sensitivity in the first days is one of the most searched worries in refractive surgery, and for good reason: it is intense, it arrives fast, and the reassurance in the consent leaflet rarely captures how it feels at 7 a.m. with the curtains open.

This explainer walks through what is happening on the surface of the eye, what a typical week looks like, where the line sits between expected discomfort and a genuine red flag, and which questions are worth asking the surgical team before the appointment ends.

Why do the first days after LASEK bring light sensitivity and tearing?

LASEK stands for laser-assisted subepithelial keratectomy, a form of surface laser eye surgery in which the outermost layer of the cornea is loosened, moved aside, and then laid back over the reshaped tissue. That outer layer, the epithelium, is only a few cells thick, but it is one of the most densely innervated tissues in the body. Disturb it, and the nerves underneath fire freely.

Those nerves belong to the trigeminal system, the same nerve network that carries sensation from the face. When they are irritated, two reflexes switch on at once. One is photophobia, the medical word for painful sensitivity to light, which happens because the same nerve pathways that sense corneal injury also modulate how the brain processes brightness. The other is reflex tearing: the lacrimal gland floods the surface in an attempt to wash away whatever is causing the irritation.

Inflammation adds a second layer. The laser and the epithelial disturbance release chemical signals that lower the threshold at which nerves fire, so an ordinary desk lamp feels harsh. The bandage contact lens placed at the end of surgery shields the healing surface, but it cannot switch the nerves off.

None of this is a sign of damage to the reshaped cornea itself. The National Health Service describes gritty, sore eyes and light sensitivity as common effects in the days after laser eye surgery, and notes that surface techniques such as LASEK and PRK tend to be more uncomfortable in recovery than flap-based LASIK. The discomfort tracks the healing of the surface layer, not the outcome of the treatment. Understanding that distinction is the single most useful thing a person can carry into the first 72 hours.

What actually happens during LASEK, and why the surface matters

Every laser vision correction procedure does the same core job: an excimer laser, a cool ultraviolet laser that removes tissue with sub-micron precision, reshapes the corneal stroma, the thick middle layer that gives the cornea its curve. Changing that curve changes how light focuses on the retina. Where the techniques differ is in how the surgeon reaches the stroma.

In LASIK, a thin hinged flap of cornea is cut and lifted, the laser treats the tissue beneath, and the flap is repositioned. Most of the epithelium stays attached to the flap, which is why LASIK patients often report only mild grittiness by the next day.

In LASEK, no flap is made. A dilute alcohol solution is applied for a short time to loosen the epithelium, which is then gently rolled or lifted aside as a sheet. The laser reshapes the exposed stroma, and the epithelial sheet is repositioned over the treated area. A bandage contact lens is placed on top. In PRK, the closely related surface technique, the epithelium is removed rather than preserved and regrows from the edges.

The trade-off is straightforward. Avoiding a flap preserves more of the cornea’s structural thickness and removes flap-related complications from the list of risks, which is why surface ablation is often discussed for thinner corneas or for people in contact sports. The cost is a slower, sorer first week, because the surface has to reattach or regrow rather than simply settle back into place. A Cochrane systematic review comparing LASIK with PRK for short-sightedness found that surface ablation was associated with more early postoperative discomfort and slower initial visual recovery, with similar refractive results once healing was complete. That pattern is the backdrop to everything that follows.

Who LASEK is usually for, and who is usually asked to wait

Surface laser techniques are usually considered for adults whose glasses or contact lens prescription has been stable for at least a year and who fall within the treatable range for short-sightedness, long-sightedness or astigmatism. The NHS notes that laser eye surgery is generally offered from around 18 years, once the eye has stopped changing.

Beyond that baseline, LASEK tends to be raised in specific situations rather than as a default. Surgeons commonly discuss it when the cornea is thinner than average, when corneal mapping shows a shape that makes flap creation less attractive, when someone has a job or hobby with a meaningful risk of blunt eye trauma, or when dry eye is already a concern, since flap creation cuts more of the corneal nerves that drive tear production.

Some people are usually asked to wait, and a smaller group are advised against laser surgery altogether. Mayo Clinic lists conditions that make refractive surgery less suitable or inadvisable, including an unstable prescription, keratoconus or other corneal thinning disorders, uncontrolled autoimmune disease, poorly controlled diabetes, active eye infection or inflammation, and pregnancy or breastfeeding, when hormonal shifts temporarily change the cornea and the prescription.

People with severe dry eye are often treated for that first, and anyone taking medicines that slow wound healing is assessed individually. The pre-operative assessment, with corneal thickness measurement, topography and a careful tear-film check, is where these decisions are made, and it is the surgeon’s job to weigh them.

Why does this matter for a question about light sensitivity? Because the very features that make someone a LASEK candidate, particularly pre-existing dryness, can also make the first days feel harsher. Knowing that in advance turns an alarming morning into an anticipated one.

LASEK light sensitivity in the first days: what a typical timeline looks like

No two corneas heal on an identical schedule, but the broad shape of the first week is well described in surface ablation literature and patient guidance from the NHS and Mayo Clinic. Read what follows as a typical pattern, not a promise.

The surgery day itself is often deceptively calm. Anesthetic drops keep the eye numb for a short while, and many people feel little beyond a scratchy awareness. As the drops wear off over the following hours, burning, stinging and a strong urge to keep the eyes closed usually build. Light feels aggressive. Tears run.

Days one to three are typically the most demanding. The epithelium is still reattaching under the bandage lens, and nerve endings remain exposed at the edges. This is the window in which photophobia peaks and when most people want a dark room, a cool compress over closed lids and something to occupy the ears rather than the eyes.

Somewhere around days three to five, the surface usually closes. The change is often noticeable within a single day: the eye feels less raw, tearing slows, and a lamp becomes tolerable again. Many surgical teams schedule the bandage lens removal for this point once they have confirmed the epithelium has healed. The NHS advises that eyes commonly feel gritty and uncomfortable for a few days after laser eye surgery, with symptoms settling over the following weeks.

By the end of week one and into week two, residual light sensitivity is usually mild and situational, most obvious outdoors or under fluorescent lighting. Vision at this stage is frequently blurry or fluctuating, which is a separate process from the surface healing and takes longer. Mayo Clinic notes that vision after laser refractive surgery can take two to three months to fully stabilize. Expect the eyes to feel better well before they see their best.

How long does light sensitivity last after LASEK compared with LASIK?

The most common frustration in online forums comes from people who read a LASIK recovery account, then had LASEK and assumed something was wrong when day two felt nothing like the description. The procedures share a laser but not a healing curve.

The table below summarizes typical early-recovery features drawn from Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Cochrane review comparing surface ablation with LASIK. Ranges are typical, not guaranteed, and individual teams may quote slightly different figures based on their own protocols.

Feature	LASEK / PRK (surface)	LASIK (flap)
Epithelium disturbed	Yes, lifted or removed	Minimal, stays on flap
Peak light sensitivity	Days 1–3	First 24 hours
Marked tearing	Common for several days	Usually hours to a day
Bandage contact lens	Usual, removed once surface heals	Not usually needed
Functional vision	Often a week or more	Often within a day
Vision stabilizing	Weeks to about 3 months	Weeks to about 3 months
Anti-inflammatory drops	Often continued for weeks	Usually shorter course

Two points deserve emphasis. First, the slower start of LASEK is not a defect of the procedure; it is the direct consequence of choosing not to cut a flap. Second, the finish line is similar. The Cochrane review found comparable refractive outcomes between the two approaches once healing was complete, even though the early experience differed. Someone who chose LASEK for a thin cornea or an active lifestyle has not traded away results, only comfort in the first week.

So how long does light sensitivity last after LASEK? For most people, the intense phase is measured in days and the mild phase in weeks. Sensitivity that is still severe beyond the first week, or that returns after improving, is the pattern that warrants a call rather than patience.

Why does the eye tear so much, and is watering a good sign?

Tearing after LASEK confuses people because the same surgery is famous for causing dry eye. Both are true, and they happen for different reasons at different times.

The tears of the first days are reflex tears. When corneal nerves detect injury, they signal the lacrimal gland, tucked above the outer corner of the eye, to release a watery flood. This is the same mechanism that makes eyes stream when an eyelash gets in or when chopping onions. Reflex tears are thin, plentiful and poor at staying on the surface, which is why they spill over the lid margin and run down the cheek rather than lubricating the eye properly.

Is it a good sign? In the sense that it means the nerves are alive and the protective reflex is working, yes. It is not a measure of healing speed, and a person who tears less is not necessarily healing more slowly. The volume usually falls as the epithelium closes and the nerve endings are once again covered.

The dryness comes later. Both LASIK and surface ablation cut some of the fine nerve branches that tell the eye how much basal tear to produce, and the NHS and Mayo Clinic both list dry eye as a common effect that can last weeks to months. Surface techniques generally disturb fewer of these nerves than a flap does, but the effect is not zero.

Two practical cautions. Wiping tears with a tissue is fine on the cheek, but rubbing the closed lid or dabbing near the lashes risks shifting the bandage lens. And a sudden change in the character of the discharge, from watery and clear to thick, yellow or green, or a crusting that glues the lashes together, is not reflex tearing and should be reported the same day.

What the bandage contact lens does, and what happens when it comes out

The soft lens placed at the end of LASEK has no prescription and is not there to correct vision. It is a physical shield. Every blink drags the upper lid across the cornea, and without protection that friction would repeatedly disturb the fragile epithelial sheet as it tries to reattach. The lens takes that friction, keeps the surface moist and reduces the exposed nerve stimulation that drives photophobia and tearing.

It also changes how the eye feels. Many people describe an awareness of the lens, a mild foreign-body sensation, which is expected. What is not expected is a sharp increase in pain, a feeling that the lens has folded or moved to the side, or the sensation that it has come out entirely. A displaced or lost bandage lens exposes the healing surface, and the correct response is to phone the surgical team rather than to attempt to reposition it or to leave it and hope.

Removal is typically scheduled once the surface has closed. Surgical teams check for this with a slit lamp, a microscope with a bright angled beam, often using a fluorescein dye that glows where epithelium is missing. When the dye no longer highlights a defect, the lens can come out.

The hours after removal deserve a mention because they catch people off guard. Light sensitivity and grittiness frequently rebound briefly, since the newly healed surface is smooth but not yet fully bonded to the tissue beneath, and the lid now touches it directly. This rebound is usually short. What should not happen is a return of the raw, severe pain of day one, which can indicate the epithelium has been disturbed again. That, too, is a same-day call.

Which eye drops are usually prescribed, and what they do

Most surface ablation regimens involve three groups of drops. What follows is mechanism and typical purpose only; how often to use them, for how long and whether to adjust anything are decisions for the prescribing clinician, and the written schedule from the surgical team overrides anything in a magazine.

Antibiotic drops are used because the healing epithelium is, for a few days, an open door for bacteria. The lens on the surface is another potential reservoir. Antibiotics do not speed healing and do not affect light sensitivity; they are there to reduce infection risk while the barrier is incomplete, and they are usually stopped once the surface has closed.

Anti-inflammatory drops address the other half of the discomfort. Corticosteroid drops damp down the inflammatory signals that sensitize corneal nerves, and in surface ablation they are often continued for several weeks, sometimes on a tapering schedule, because they also reduce the risk of corneal haze, a cloudiness that can develop as the stroma heals. Prolonged steroid use can raise pressure inside the eye in some people, which is one reason follow-up visits include a pressure check. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drops are sometimes used briefly for pain in the first days; they can slow epithelial healing if used longer, so teams tend to limit them.

Lubricating drops, ideally preservative-free during the early weeks, do the unglamorous work of keeping the surface wet and reducing the friction that provokes tearing and light sensitivity. They can usually be used more liberally than the medicated drops, but the team will confirm this.

Some surgeons also prescribe short-term oral pain relief. Whatever is on the list, the sequence matters: a gap of several minutes between different drops prevents one from washing out the other. If a drop causes marked stinging, blurred vision that does not clear or a rash on the lids, the team should hear about it before the next scheduled dose.

Can I watch TV or use a phone 3 days after LASEK?

The honest answer is that screens will not harm the healing cornea, and neither will reading. The epithelium does not know whether the light landing on it comes from a television or a window. What screens do is expose the eye to sustained brightness, reduce blink rate, and invite concentration, all of which make a raw surface feel worse.

Blink rate is the key mechanism. Studies of screen use consistently show that people blink far less when focused on a display, and a healing surface depends on frequent blinking to spread tears and keep the bandage lens moving smoothly. Less blinking means more dryness, more friction and more of the burning that drives tearing.

On day three, therefore, the sensible framing is tolerance rather than permission. If the room is dim, the screen brightness is turned well down, the session is short and the eyes are closed or lubricated between episodes, a little television is unlikely to cause harm. If the light hurts, that is the answer; the eye is asking for rest, and there is no medical benefit to pushing through.

Small phones are usually worse than large screens at distance, because near focus increases strain and people hold them close and bright. Audiobooks, podcasts and radio fill the gap for many people through the first few days.

The NHS advises avoiding activities that risk getting water, sweat or dust into the eye during the early recovery period, which is a more important restriction than screen time. Swimming, dusty environments and eye makeup are typically off the list for longer than screens are. The surgical team will give a return-to-activity timetable, and the return to driving in particular depends on a documented vision check, not on how the eyes feel.

How long does LASEK take to heal, and when does vision stabilize?

Healing after LASEK happens in three overlapping phases, and people who understand this are far less likely to panic in week two when their vision seems worse than it was on day five.

The first phase is surface closure. The epithelium reattaches or regrows over a few days, and this is the phase that governs pain, tearing and photophobia. The NHS describes gritty, uncomfortable eyes for a few days after laser eye surgery.

The second phase is epithelial remodeling. The freshly healed surface is intact but uneven, rather like new paint before it has dried flat. Light scatters through it, and vision is often blurry, hazy or fluctuating from hour to hour. This phase runs for weeks, and it is why surface ablation patients generally reach functional vision later than LASIK patients, a difference documented in the Cochrane comparison of the two approaches.

The third phase is stromal settling. The reshaped tissue beneath the surface continues to adjust, and the prescription can drift slightly before it stabilizes. Mayo Clinic advises that vision after laser refractive surgery may take up to two to three months to fully settle, and Johns Hopkins Medicine similarly describes weeks to months of gradual stabilization with follow-up checks along the way.

Where does this leave the question of LASEK recovery time? Comfort in days, useful vision in one to a few weeks, and a final prescription measured in months, with wide individual variation. The team will typically check at around a week, a month and three months, though schedules differ.

The practical consequence is patience with two exceptions: vision that suddenly worsens after having improved, or vision that is still poor when the team expected improvement, should be reported rather than waited out.

Sunglasses, dark rooms and other comfort measures that actually help

Comfort measures after LASEK are low-tech and mostly about reducing the stimulus reaching irritated nerves. None of them speed healing; all of them make the wait more bearable, and a calmer eye tears less.

Sunglasses are the obvious one and worth taking seriously even indoors on the first days. Wraparound styles block light entering from the sides, where the lids give least protection. Outdoors, they also keep wind and dust off the bandage lens. Many people keep a pair by the bed for the first morning trip to the bathroom, which is, reliably, the moment the brightness surprises them.

Dimming the home helps more than most expect. Closing blinds, using lamps rather than overhead lights, and turning screen brightness down turn a hostile environment into a tolerable one. A dark room with the eyes closed is where many people spend much of days one and two, and that is entirely appropriate.

A cool compress over closed lids can ease the burning sensation. It should be clean, not dripping, and rest on the lids without pressure, since pressing on the eye risks shifting the lens. Anything applied to the eye should be fresh each time.

Sleep is underrated. The eyes are closed, tear film is undisturbed and the lids act as a natural bandage. The protective shields many teams supply for night-time use are there to stop rubbing during sleep, an unconscious risk that is hard to control any other way.

What does not help: rubbing the eyes, rinsing them with tap water, using leftover drops from a previous prescription, or wearing eye makeup near the lashes. The NHS specifically advises against rubbing the eyes and against getting water in them during early recovery. Rubbing is the habit most likely to undo a smoothly healing surface, and it is worth warning a partner to say something if they see it happening.

What people often get wrong about light sensitivity after LASEK

Recovery forums are full of well-meaning advice, and some of it points in exactly the wrong direction. A few corrections, grounded in what the evidence and mainstream guidance actually say.

Myth: severe photophobia on day two means the laser damaged the eye. In LASEK, light sensitivity comes from the disturbed epithelium and the exposed nerves beneath it, not from the laser-treated stroma. The Cochrane comparison of surface ablation and LASIK found more early discomfort with surface techniques alongside comparable refractive outcomes, which is the opposite of what this myth predicts.

Myth: if the eye is tearing, it cannot be dry. Reflex tears in the first days and reduced basal tear production over the following weeks are separate processes. Both can be present, and lubricating drops are still useful even while the eyes are streaming.

Myth: less pain means faster healing, so a bad day two means a slow recovery. Pain thresholds vary enormously between people. Surgical teams judge healing by looking at the epithelium under the slit lamp, not by how the patient rates the discomfort.

Myth: staying in the dark slows adaptation, so it is better to push through bright light. There is no evidence that exposure to light hastens epithelial healing. The nerves settle when the surface covers them, whatever the ambient light.

Myth: it is fine to stop the steroid drops once the eye feels better. In surface ablation, anti-inflammatory drops are often continued well beyond the point of comfort specifically to reduce the risk of haze. Any change to the schedule belongs with the prescriber.

Myth: LASEK and LASIK recovery accounts are interchangeable. They are not, as the earlier table shows, and comparing a surface ablation week two with a LASIK day two is the single most common source of unnecessary alarm.

When light sensitivity signals a problem: infection, delayed healing and haze

Expected photophobia follows a curve: bad early, better daily, mild by the end of the first week. The complications worth knowing about break that curve in recognizable ways.

Infection is the most urgent. Microbial keratitis, an infection of the cornea, is uncommon after laser eye surgery but is a recognized risk of any procedure that opens the surface, and the NHS and Mayo Clinic both list infection among the possible complications. The pattern is pain and light sensitivity that worsen rather than improve, often with increasing redness concentrated around the cornea, thick discharge and a noticeable drop in vision. Sometimes a white or gray spot becomes visible on the cornea. This is a same-day emergency, because infection can progress quickly in a healing eye.

Delayed epithelial healing is less dramatic but still important. If the surface has not closed by the time the team expected, light sensitivity and tearing simply persist, and the bandage lens may need to stay in place longer. People with dry eye, diabetes or certain medications are more prone to slower healing, which is one reason those factors are reviewed before surgery.

Corneal haze is a later concern specific to surface ablation. As the stroma heals, some people develop a faint cloudiness that scatters light and causes glare and reduced contrast, typically noticed weeks to months after surgery rather than in the first days. Steroid drops are prescribed partly to reduce this risk, and ultraviolet protection outdoors is often advised for the same reason. Haze that affects vision is assessed and managed by the surgical team; most cases are mild and improve over time, though the course varies.

Raised eye pressure from prolonged steroid use produces few early symptoms, which is why it is checked at follow-up rather than left to the patient to notice. Aching, halos and blurred vision that develop weeks in are worth reporting.

Questions to ask your care team

The best time to ask about light sensitivity is before it arrives, when the eyes are comfortable and the surgeon is in the room. A written list helps, because pre-operative appointments move quickly and post-operative ones happen through a squint. These questions are a starting point, not a script.

• What does your team consider a normal amount of pain and light sensitivity on days one, two and three, and at what point would you want a call?
• When do you expect the epithelium to have closed, and when is my bandage lens likely to come out?
• What should I do, at any hour, if the bandage lens moves or falls out?
• Which of my drops are for infection, which are for inflammation and which are for comfort, and roughly how long will each continue?
• Are there any drops I should not stop early even if my eyes feel fine, and why?
• How do I reach someone out of hours, and what symptoms would you treat as an emergency?
• When can I expect useful vision, and when should I worry if it has not arrived?
• Is screen use limited for comfort only, or is there a medical restriction I should follow?
• When can I drive, and does that depend on a vision check at your clinic?
• How long should I avoid swimming, dusty environments, eye makeup and contact sports?
• Given my corneal thickness and tear film, is there anything about my recovery you expect to be different from the usual pattern?
• What follow-up visits are scheduled, and what will you be checking for at each one?

Two habits make these conversations more useful. First, ask for the answers in writing or record them with permission, because recall from a post-operative visit is notoriously poor. Second, ask about the thresholds rather than the averages: knowing the typical timeline is reassuring, but knowing exactly what the team wants to hear about is what turns a worried patient into a safe one.

When to call your doctor

Most of the first week after LASEK is uncomfortable rather than dangerous, and the surgical team expects to hear from a proportion of patients who simply need reassurance. Calling is never the wrong choice. The signs below, however, are the ones that should prompt a call the same day, or an out-of-hours contact if it is night, rather than a wait for the next scheduled visit.

• Pain that is getting worse after the third day, or severe pain that returns after it had eased.
• Light sensitivity that intensifies rather than improves, particularly alongside redness concentrated around the colored part of the eye.
• Thick, yellow, green or sticky discharge, or lashes crusted together on waking.
• A sudden or marked drop in vision, or vision that was improving and then deteriorates.
• A white, gray or cloudy spot visible on the cornea.
• The bandage contact lens has moved, folded, come out or feels as though it has.
• A feeling that something is trapped in the eye that does not settle with a lubricating drop.
• Any injury to the eye, including an accidental rub or a knock during sleep, followed by new pain.
• Nausea, headache and halos around lights together, which can accompany raised eye pressure.
• Swelling of the lids, a rash around the eye or any reaction that seems linked to the drops.

Sudden loss of vision, severe pain with vomiting, or an eye injury with visible bleeding are reasons to seek emergency care immediately rather than to wait for a callback.

Everything in this article describes typical patterns drawn from mainstream guidance. It cannot see the eye in question. The surgical team can, and every decision about drops, the bandage lens, activity and follow-up sits with them.

Frequently asked questions

How long does light sensitivity last after LASEK?

Intense light sensitivity usually lasts a few days, easing once the corneal surface has healed, typically within the first week. Milder sensitivity outdoors or under bright lighting can linger for several weeks while the surface smooths and the eye adjusts. Mayo Clinic notes overall recovery from laser refractive surgery can take two to three months to fully settle. Sensitivity that worsens or returns after improving should be reported to the surgical team.

How long does it take for LASEK to heal?

Surface healing takes a few days, useful vision often takes one to a few weeks, and the final prescription can continue to settle for up to two to three months, according to Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins guidance on laser refractive surgery. Surface techniques recover more slowly than LASIK at first, but a Cochrane review found comparable outcomes once healing was complete. The surgical team confirms each stage at follow-up visits.

Can I watch TV 3 days after LASEK?

Screens do not damage the healing cornea, but they reduce blinking and expose the eye to sustained brightness, which can make a raw surface feel worse. On day three, short sessions in a dim room with brightness turned down are usually tolerated if they do not hurt. If light causes pain, resting the eyes is the better choice. Follow the specific activity guidance from the surgical team.

Can LASEK cause photophobia?

Yes. Photophobia, meaning painful sensitivity to light, is an expected effect in the days after LASEK because the corneal surface layer has been lifted and its nerve endings are exposed while it heals. The NHS lists light sensitivity among common short-term effects of laser eye surgery. It usually fades as the surface closes. Persistent or worsening photophobia is a warning sign that needs assessment.

What does LASEK recovery look like day by day in the first week?

Typically, the surgery day feels calm until the anesthetic drops wear off, then burning, tearing and light sensitivity build. Days one to three are usually the most uncomfortable. Around days three to five the surface often closes and symptoms ease noticeably, and many teams remove the bandage lens at this point. By the end of week one, discomfort is usually mild, though vision may still be blurry. Individual timelines vary.

Why are my eyes watering so much after LASEK?

Watering in the first days is reflex tearing, triggered when irritated corneal nerves signal the lacrimal gland to flush the surface. It is the same reflex that makes eyes stream from an eyelash or onion fumes. It usually settles as the epithelium heals. A change from clear watery tears to thick, colored or sticky discharge is different and should be reported to the surgical team the same day.

Is LASEK recovery worse than LASIK recovery?

The first week is generally more uncomfortable after LASEK because the surface layer of the cornea is disturbed rather than kept on a flap. A Cochrane systematic review comparing surface ablation with LASIK found more early pain and slower initial visual recovery with surface techniques, but similar refractive results once healed. The trade-off is that LASEK avoids flap-related complications and preserves more corneal thickness.

What happens if my bandage contact lens falls out after LASEK?

Contact the surgical team as soon as possible, including out of hours if that is how they have advised. A dislodged or lost lens exposes the healing surface to lid friction, which can disturb the epithelium and increase pain and light sensitivity. Do not try to reinsert it or replace it with a spare lens. The team will decide whether a new bandage lens is needed based on how far healing has progressed.

Do I need to keep using steroid drops after LASEK if my eyes feel fine?

Usually yes, and only the prescribing clinician should change the schedule. After surface ablation, corticosteroid drops are often continued for weeks to reduce inflammation and lower the risk of corneal haze, a cloudiness that can affect vision months later. Because prolonged steroid use can raise eye pressure in some people, follow-up visits include a pressure check. Questions about tapering belong with the surgical team.

When should I worry about light sensitivity after LASEK?

Worry when the pattern breaks: light sensitivity or pain that worsens after day three, redness concentrated around the cornea, thick discharge, a sudden drop in vision, a visible white spot on the cornea, or a bandage lens that has moved or fallen out. These can indicate infection or a disturbed healing surface and warrant a same-day call. Sudden vision loss or severe pain with vomiting needs emergency care.

References

• MedlinePlus: LASIK eye surgery
• NHS: Laser eye surgery and lens surgery
• Cleveland Clinic: LASIK eye surgery

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.