Welcome springtime! As the bitter cold lifts from the Midwest, it’s time for warmer weather and longer days. Running outside, taking the kids to the park, and summer travel are all around the corner. There is no time to worry about contacts drying up in the wind or glasses sliding around. Is now the perfect time to go for LASIK vision correction?
Choosing the Big Day
If you’re planning to dive the deepest depths of the Atlantic ocean, kickbox with a kangaroo in Tasmania, or soak in the Blue Lagoon , we recommend getting your procedure at least a few weeks before traveling, or waiting until after your travels.
We get lots of questions from patients in the spring and summer wondering when they can go swimming after LASIK and when it is safe to exercise. While it is perfectly fine to do light-to-moderate exercise the day after LASIK, you should avoid strenuous sports and getting sweat in your eyes for several weeks or a month. This allows proper time for healing of the cornea. It is also important to keep in mind that post-op appointments are a necessary part of LASIK recovery, to ensure your eyes are healing properly and to track your visual acuity. A one-day, one-month, and one-year post-op appointment will always be recommended by our doctors.
What About My Seasonal Allergies?
We get it. For allergy sufferers, spring can be a bit bittersweet. While you’re happy about the snow and cold going away, it’s tough to look forward to the itchy, watery eyes and sneezing that those lovely trees and flowers can bring. If you’re an allergy sufferer concerned about getting LASIK in the spring, we have good news.
For those who have been relying on contact lenses, LASIK can help with seasonal allergies. Contact lenses act like little sponges, soaking up allergens in the air and trapping them close to the eyes. This continual exposure to allergens on the contact lenses can make allergy symptoms worse. By eliminating the need for contact lenses, many LASIK patients see an improvement in seasonal allergy symptoms of the eyes.
When Is the Perfect Time for LASIK?
Anytime! There is not a specific month, season, or day of the week that is better than any other when it comes to getting LASIK. When you feel comfortable, educated, and ready for your life-changing day, it is the perfect time. Your life will go back to normal the next day, so arranging your plans to accommodate your LASIK procedure is not necessary, unless those plans are swimming or taking a dip in the hot tub right away. (Here is why it’s important to wait to swim after LASIK.)
Feeling ready? We made it easy to book a LASIK consultation online. If you have questions about LASIK or any of the laser vision correction services we provide, please contact us. We are always happy to help and answer questions.
Lance Kugler, MD, is a specialist in LASIK and vision correction surgery and CEO of Kugler Vision. A proud Omaha native, he is passionate about improving lives through clear vision. Dr. Kugler serves on several national boards, and his practice is recognized internationally as a center of excellence. Dr. Kugler is one of the original founders of the Refractive Surgery Alliance, an international organization comprised of over 350 of the world’s leading vision correction surgeons; he also served as its first president. In 2019, Dr. Kugler was selected as a TEDx speaker, and delivered a talk in Omaha about the worldwide epidemic of nearsightedness and refractive solutions. Dr. Kugler is an Associate Professor of Refractive Surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Truhlsen Eye Institute, has been published in many medical journals, and participates in numerous clinical studies to advance the field of vision correction surgery. Additionally, Dr. Kugler is proud to be a Board Certified Fellow of the World College of Refractive Surgery & Visual Sciences. Dr. Kugler and his wife are proud parents to five active kids. When he has a spare moment, he enjoys skiing, tennis, travel, and fine coffee.
