March 16, 2012. Samuel Valero
Colored Contacts After LASIK?
You’ve taken the plunge! After years of near-sighted vision, you underwent LASIK surgery to correct your eyesight, and the results are AMAZING! You wake up each morning and no longer have to reach for your glasses. Fumbling with contacts is a thing of the past. You now boast 20/20 vision, so life should be perfect … right? But something’s missing.
Perhaps you’re missing the option of changing your eye color. Colored contacts are more than just a way to enhance your eye’s natural color. They’ve become a fashion statement. They allow you to make your brown eyes blue… or even green with envy! With so many different options in colored contact lenses these days, you can make passersby do a double-take at your gorgeous violet eyes or cross to the other side of the street for fear of your vampire look. Let’s face it — non prescription colored contacts are as important to your wardrobe as the right pair of shoes!
So now you’re asking, “Can I wear color contacts after my LASIK surgery?” The answer is a resounding YES! But there are some things you need to consider. As with any surgery, there is a healing process involved with LASIK. During LASIK eye surgery, a thin flap of the cornea is cut and peeled back. The cornea tissue that lies beneath is then appropriately reshaped and the flap of the cornea is replaced to finalize the surgery. The patient is advised against rubbing their eyes for several weeks after surgery. In addition, the eye is generally dryer than normal, and prescription eye drops are used to keep your eyes moist and prevent infection. For these reasons, it is not advisable to wear colored contacts immediately after surgery.
Additionally, your surgery resulted in the reshaping your cornea. Therefore, the contacts you may have worn before surgery will no longer fit the curvature of your eye, and a refitting by your eye doctor will be necessary.
Updated March 16, 2012. Published January 24, 2012. Samuel Valero
