Can I wear colored contacts after Lasik surgery? For cosmetic use only.

Question

What are the dangers of unfitted colored contact lenses after lasik? What could it cause? Are there any I should stay away from and why?

Lee Katzman, MD · Answer

Interestingly, I am seeing this more and more in my practice now! Just when you thought doing lasik was going to remove glasses and contacts, patients want to go back to contacts to change their eye colors!  My first recommendation to you is that they absolutely cannot go in your eyes within the first 2 weeks of surgery and likely not for about a month. This is a decision to be made between you and your surgeon though, because it really depends on the type of treatment you had and how the surgery itself went. For PRK I would keep you out of contacts at minimum 4-6 weeks, and longer depending on how quickly you healed and when I got you off topical steroids.My final recommendation is that you be fitted for colored contact lenses by a medical professional (ophthalmologist or optometrist) as these are controlled devices and should not be dispensed to patients without being fit properly. Do not just order from Canada or elsewhere :) Side effects of poorly fitted contacts include permanent scarring, infections (ulcers), decreased vision requiring a cornea transplant, etc. 
 - Lee Katzman MD

Can I wear colored contacts after Lasik surgery? For cosmetic use only.

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Can I wear colored contacts after Lasik surgery? For cosmetic use only.

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Everything you need to know about LASIK

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.