If you are considering having laser eye surgery and have already booked a holiday, it is important to know when it is safe to fly after your procedure. Lasik and Lasek are both types of laser eye surgery and the following applies for both these procedures when it comes to flying.
It is generally agreed that there are no real risks related to flying after laser eye surgery but most surgeons will probably advise that for your own comfort you should wait at least 1 week before you travel. If it is absolutely necessary to fly sooner most surgeons would probably allow you to do so but the final decision would always be down to them.
The only real issue with flying is the fact that the atmosphere inside an aeroplane is extremely dry. There are no issues with regards to the altitude as this does not affect the healing process at all. Following laser eye surgery your eyes are likely to be dry, so if you combine this with the dry conditions on a plane you might find your eyes are a little more uncomfortable than normal.
Longer flights are worse than shorter flights but the general advice is that if you need to fly make sure you take your artificial tears with you to help keep your eyes lubricated. This will ensure that your eyes continue to heal properly and will also offer you some relief from the dry and gritty sensation you are likely to experience.
As with all advice, your surgeon’s word is final and you should always check with them when it is safe to fly following your surgery. Everybody’s eyes heal at different speeds and this may affect the advice given to you by your surgeon. Your surgeon is best placed to know how well your eyes are healing.
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