Life After LASIK: What to Expect in the First Year

Woman enjoying benefits of LASIK in Beverly Hills, CA

If you’ve chosen Fortified LASIK with Dr. Brian, you’ve taken a major step toward clearer, sharper vision with minimal downtime. At Boxer Wachler Vision Institute, you receive advanced care that blends experience with precision, helping you feel confident and supported every step of the way. Here’s what your first year after LASIK may look like and how to best navigate it.

Immediately After Surgery

In the hours following your LASIK procedure, your eyes may feel slightly gritty or watery, and your vision could be hazy. Rest is critical during this time—plan to go home and keep your eyes closed as much as possible for the first few hours. Avoid rubbing your eyes, and use prescribed eye drops to manage dryness and reduce the risk of infection.

Most people return to their usual routines within a day or two, though you’ll want to avoid strenuous activity and direct sunlight for at least the first week. Protective eyewear may also be recommended during sleep to prevent accidental contact.

First Few Weeks: Healing and Adjustment

By the end of your first week, your vision should be noticeably clearer, though you may still experience mild glare or halos, especially at night. These effects typically diminish over time. Your eyes will continue to adjust, and it’s normal to experience fluctuations in clarity for several weeks.

Keep up with your follow-up appointments so your surgeon can monitor progress and address any concerns promptly.

Vision Stabilizes

Most patients have vision stabilize over a few weeks, but people may take longer. If your work involves screens or driving at night, be attentive to how your vision responds and report any significant changes to your doctor.

Protect your eyes with sunglasses outdoors to minimize UV exposure.

Long-Term Benefits

As the year progresses, the initial side effects typically fade. Night vision disturbances, if present, usually resolve. Your eyes will continue to strengthen, and any lingering dryness should lessen. Regular check-ins with your eye care provider remain important to ensure lasting results and eye health.

For some, minor touch-ups may be considered if optimal clarity isn’t fully achieved. Most people, however, enjoy stable, unaided vision with no need for glasses or contacts.

Ready for Clearer Vision? Contact Boxer Wachler Vision Institute

Choosing the right LASIK provider makes a difference in both your experience and your results. At Boxer Wachler Vision Institute in Beverly Hills, California, Dr. Brian offers expert care and advanced techniques tailored to your unique vision needs. To learn more about your LASIK recovery or schedule a consultation, call 310-860-1900.

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If you’re an athlete, you know how much your vision can impact your performance. From tracking fast-moving objects to reacting quickly on the field, court, or track, clear and reliable sight gives you a crucial edge. But if you’re nearsighted, farsighted, or struggle with astigmatism, glasses and contacts might be holding you back. Fortified LASIK could be a solution worth considering to help you feel more confident in your vision—without the daily hassle of lenses.

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What Makes Fortified LASIK Better Than the Traditional Surgery

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How Does PRK Differ from LASIK?

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Nearsightedness, Farsightedness, Astigmatism: How These Refractive Errors Differ

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LASIK Benefits for Athletes

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Athletes who devote their lives to training to become better at their sport should not neglect to factor their vision into that equation. Having great eyesight can certainly be an asset during competition, which is why athletes like LeBron James, Tiger Woods and Troy Aikman have all chosen LASIK to boost their performance. In this blog, Beverly Hills ophthalmologist Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler, who is known for his trademark Fortified LASIK® procedure, explains some of the benefits athletes receive from LASIK. Read more

Benefits of Fortified LASIK®

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LASIK is a very safe procedure. However, some prospective patients are concerned about potential complications of refractive surgery, and opt out entirely. That is understandable — your vision is nothing to mess around with! Fortunately, Dr. Brian has developed Fortified LASIK, a form of the procedure that is even safer, in turn giving patients the confidence to finally pull the trigger.

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LipiFlow Treatment For Dry Eyes

If you suffer from  Dry Eye, you are familiar with how it can affect your daily life.  Dry Eye Syndrome is caused when the eyes do not produce a sufficient amount of tears. The symptoms of Dry Eye Syndrome may start with minor inconveniences, but have the ability to worsen over time if it is not properly treated. This can lead to blurred vision, scarring and severe discomfort. 9 out of 10 Dry Eye cases are a result of a condition called Blepharitis.  We offer a treatment here at our office called LipiFlow, which is a revolutionary treatment that cleans out the inflamed oil glands by very delicately heating up the glands and “milking” out the clogged pores. This painless procedure takes about 12 minutes to perform and is just as easy as getting your teeth cleaned at the dentist. A lot of our patients describe the procedure as a “spa treatment” for the eyes. Below is a video of our Bleph Ex Dry Eye Treatment. Call our office and schedule your appointment today (310) 860-1900.

 

Top 4 Questions Before Fortified LASIK

If you are getting ready for LASIK in Los Angeles or considering your options, you probably have many questions you need answered. There are several myths and misconceptions about the LASIK procedure and it is often hard to decide whether or not this procedure is right for you. The following questions and answers below may help you prepare.

Top 4 questions to ask before LASIK Surgery:

When you are interested in or preparing for LASIK surgery you probably have questions regarding procedure, recovery, or even how it feels during surgery. Below are the top 4 questions you might ask your eye care specialist before your surgery.

How long will the procedure take?

The procedure itself takes only around 15 minutes per eye. The overall amount of time you will spend in the office will most likely be around 4 hours for completing paperwork, signing consent forms, repeating any testing, and postop observation.

How long is the recovery process?

Around 24 hours after your procedure you will be able to continue your daily activities. Your doctor will likely to want to see you 24-48 hours after the procedure for follow up exam. After a week or two you should fully recover from your procedure. Most of these protocols are for your safety, and each patient is different so you will need to pay attention to the specific details provided to you.

What are some side effects of LASIK?

There are a few possible side effects from the procedure such as dry eyes, glare & halos, and some partial loss of vision which is very rare. If you think you are having any side effects it is important to see your eye care professional right away.

What are some of the benefits of getting the LASIK procedure?

There are many benefits of LASIK – the major one being freedom from glasses or contact lenses. Additional benefits of LASIK procedures are little pain during the procedure, ability to be performed in combination with other treatments, and has a quicker recovery time.

Priscilla grew tired of her itchy eyes and contact lenses ripping, so she couldn’t be happier with her LASIK experience. Watch her story:

A BRIEF NOTE ABOUT DR. BRIAN

Throughout his highly respected career, cornea specialist Dr. Brian has never wavered with his integrity and dedication to always do the best for each and every patient - even in the face of adversity and peer pressure. Case in point: when he developed a procedure to treat a cornea condition known as Keratoconus. While other eye surgeons were entrenched in performing invasive and painful cornea transplants, Dr. Brian invented a new non-invasive procedure that prevented needing cornea transplants. He was shocked by the medical establishment being unwelcoming to his innovation because, as he later found out, his new procedure was preventing other eye surgeons from performing their lucrative cornea transplants. Dr. Brian persisted, went against the grain and didn’t give up because he believed in himself and in his procedure as it was in the best interest of patients. Eventually, he crossed paths with U.S. Olympic bobsled driver Steven Holcomb who had Keratoconus and became so depressed over it that he tried to commit suicide. Luckily, he survived. The United States Olympic team and his coaches found Dr. Brian and sent Steven to see him. Dr. Brian restored his vision to 20/20 which enabled Steven later win a historic Olympic gold medal for United States in bobsled - the first in 62 years! As a result, Dr. Brian was later invited to give a prestigious TEDx talk about his integrity and dedication to patients. You can watch his moving and inspiring TEDx talk here.

Vision Correction in Los Angeles