When Is It Ok to Rub Eyes After Lasik?

Question

It's only been 2 weeks since LASIK. I have been so careful but last night, I rubbed my right eye while I was half asleep. I woke up straight away and panicked. It was a pretty good rub you would do on a normal unoperated eye. I haven't experienced any changes with my vision tho. I called the clinic and was told it Should be ok if I hadn't experienced blur vision. My next check up is in 2 weeks, and I am very worried that I might wrinkled the flap.

Arthur Benjamin, MD · Answer

It is actually fairly difficult to dislodge a LASIK flap 2 weeks after the procedure.  The symptoms would include significant decrease in vision, light sensitivity, foreign body sensation and or eye pain. We frequently get calls from patients who inadvertently rub their eyes in the first couple of  weeks after the procedure.  It is very rare to see a slipped flap caused by such accidental rubbing.  If such occurs it is almost always associated with change in vision. Of course, the safest thing to do is to get it checked out, however, if the vision is unchanged and the eye is not uncomfortable or red, it is ok to wait until the next check up in 2 weeks.

Mazin Yaldo, MD · Answer

Displacing the flap created during Lasik is rare. At 2 weeks, you have now passed the critical period where rubbing your eyes can displace the flap. It is safe to lightly rub your eyes now, although this is not a healthy practice in general and should be avoided. If your eyes feel dry, use tear drops. I recommend refresh gel drops to most of my patients as they last very long.

Ahad Mahootchi, MD · Answer

At two weeks out it would be hard to get into trouble by rubbing.But the great sign here is that you don't have any problem with the way you see or feel.I agree with your doctor.

Lee Katzman, MD · Answer

It's actually never good to rub the eyes, but rest assured it is extremely unlikely that you will cause any trauma to your flap just by rubbing the eye. That said, some people really 'go to town' on their eyelids. If the eyes are closed when rubbing, you should be good. Its the unintentional slip of the finger between the lids that could cause the damage. If you absolutely must rub, wait 2 full weeks. Try to use artificial tears when needed (cold drops help with itch, just put them on ice or in the fridge). You can't traumatize the flap without physically being aware of the damage. vision will get blurry and usually pain/discomfort will increase substantially. Call your surgeon right away in that scenario.

William Ellis, MD, FACS · Answer

It depends how fast you heal. Normal healing usually takes about two weeks. It is difficult to dislodge the flap  two weeks after LASIK. But it is a good question to ask a doctor on your follow up appointments. If you are rubbing your eyes because they are itchy let your doctor know at your follow up as there are eye drops that can help.

Michael K. Tracy, MD · Answer

Normal eye rubbing two weeks after LASIK shouldn't be a problem at all. If your vision is normal and you have no pain you are almost certainly fine. Having said that, it is always best to avoid eye rubbing if possible wether you have had LASIK or not.

Emil William Chynn, MD, FACS, MBA · Answer

A LASIK flap never fully heals! So if you rub it incredibly hard or get hit, the flap can come back up

	In LASEK there is no flap, so no matter how hard you rub or get hit, there is no risk of a flap dislocation

	If the flap dislocates, it has to be repositioned, and often sutured back into place, which is a lot of work

	After a few days, you can gently rub your eyes after either LASIK or LASEK

Joseph W. King, MD · Answer

Just yesterday, I performed a flaplift for a one day post operative patient who rubbed his eyes following LASIK. In my experience eye rubbing is likely to cause a problem only on the first post op day. After one month following LASIK, the risk of displacing the flap with eye rubbing is very low. However, there is no benefit to rubbing your eyes ever. I would advise that you resist the urge to rub and use tears to lubricate your eyes instead. One of the reasons I like PRK is that there is no risk of flap displacement.

Anthony J. Kameen, MD (retired) · Answer

Modern surgical methods have allowed surgeons to make much small incisions(in the case of cataracts) and precision created corneal flaps(in the case of LASIK) that make rubbing the eye much less of a threat than in the past. That being said, regarding either procedure, the patient should be careful not to rub or bump the operated eye(s) for about two weeks postop. In my 25 years of doing laser vision correction surgery, and surgery for cataracts, I can count on one hand the number of times any problems have been created by post operative trauma. So, while you should be careful(ie, no kick boxing for 2 weeks after Lasik) you need not be overly paranoid either.

	In your particular case, I would call your surgeon and have him/her take a look at you. I think you will feel better just knowing you have done no harm.

When Is It Ok to Rub Eyes After Lasik?

Answers (9)