Getting LASIK is a multi-step process that starts well before surgery day. You’ll need to confirm you’re a good candidate, choose a surgeon, prepare your eyes in the weeks leading up, and follow a specific recovery plan afterward. The national average cost is about $4,492 for both eyes, and the surgery itself takes only minutes, but the full timeline from first consultation to stable vision spans three to six months.
Who Qualifies for LASIK
You need to be at least 18 years old, and your eye prescription must have been stable for at least one year. These two requirements exist because your eyes are still changing shape through adolescence and sometimes into your early twenties. If your prescription shifted recently, a surgeon will ask you to wait.
Corneal thickness is the other major factor. LASIK works by reshaping the cornea, and there needs to be enough tissue to safely remove. Your consultation will include high-resolution scans that measure corneal thickness at the micron level. If your corneas are too thin, your surgeon will likely recommend an alternative procedure like PRK, which doesn’t require creating a flap.
Several medical conditions can disqualify you. The FDA lists autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, immunodeficiency conditions, and diabetes as potential concerns because they can interfere with healing. Eye-specific issues that may rule out LASIK include keratoconus (a condition where the cornea thins and bulges), glaucoma, chronic dry eyes, a history of herpes simplex or shingles affecting the eye area, and inflammation inside the eye. If you’ve had previous eye surgeries, additional refractive procedures may not be recommended. Chronic eyelid inflammation (blepharitis) also raises infection risk. Large pupils can increase the chance of glare and halos after surgery.
Choosing a Surgeon
Look for a board-certified ophthalmologist who specializes in refractive surgery. During your consultation, ask how many LASIK procedures they’ve performed and what technology they use. The two main approaches differ in how they map your eye: wavefront-optimized LASIK accounts for your cornea’s curvature to improve accuracy at the periphery, while topography-guided LASIK maps the unique surface elevation of your individual cornea to address irregularities. Some platforms combine corneal surface data with measurements of internal eye structures for more precise treatment planning.
A thorough consultation should feel like a screening, not a sales pitch. The surgeon’s team should assess corneal thickness, pupil size, tear production, and your overall eye health before discussing whether you’re a candidate.
Preparing for Surgery
If you wear soft contact lenses, you’ll need to stop wearing them before your final preoperative evaluation and surgery. Research shows soft lenses should be removed at least 24 hours prior, though many surgeons ask for a longer break of one to two weeks to let the cornea return to its natural shape for more accurate measurements. Hard or rigid gas-permeable lenses typically require an even longer removal period, often several weeks. Your surgeon’s office will give you a specific timeline.
On surgery day, skip eye makeup, lotions, and perfumes. These can leave residue that increases infection risk. You’ll also need someone to drive you home.
What Happens During the Procedure
The surgery itself is fast. You’ll lie back under the laser, and numbing eye drops eliminate pain. The surgeon creates a thin flap on the surface of your cornea using either a femtosecond laser (a precise, bladeless option) or a mechanical instrument called a microkeratome. Most modern clinics use the laser approach.
Once the flap is lifted, a second laser called an excimer laser reshapes the underlying corneal tissue. This is the part that corrects your vision. The excimer laser uses a rapid scanning beam that tracks your eye’s position hundreds of times per second, adjusting in real time if your eye moves. The reshaping takes less than a minute per eye. Afterward, the surgeon repositions the flap, which adheres naturally without stitches.
Recovery Timeline
Most people notice dramatically improved vision within hours of surgery. The majority can drive within 24 hours, and nearly all patients are cleared to drive by the next day. That said, complete healing takes longer than most people expect. Full vision stabilization typically takes three to six months.
Dry eye symptoms are the most common side effect during recovery. About 50% of patients experience them at one week, 40% at one month, and between 20% and 40% still notice dryness at the six-month mark. Your surgeon will prescribe lubricating drops and may recommend preservative-free artificial tears for regular use during this period.
Visual disturbances like halos and starbursts are common early on but tend to improve. By three months after surgery, 74% of patients reported they never or rarely saw halos, and 70% said the same about starbursts. Interestingly, many patients actually had these symptoms before surgery while wearing glasses or contacts. Before the procedure, only 56% reported rarely seeing halos and just 35% said they rarely saw starbursts with their best correction. So for a significant number of people, these disturbances actually improve after LASIK compared to their baseline.
Post-Surgery Restrictions
You can return to light exercise like walking, running, or weight training within one to two days, once any pain and light sensitivity have resolved. The key is avoiding sweat, dust, or wind getting into your eyes during that early period.
Other activities have longer waiting periods:
- Eye makeup: Wait at least two weeks. Discard your old eye makeup and start with fresh products to reduce infection risk.
- Swimming, hot tubs, lakes, and oceans: Wait a full month. Contaminated water poses a serious infection risk to healing corneas.
What LASIK Costs
The national average is $2,250 per eye, or $4,492 for both. Prices vary based on the technology used, the surgeon’s experience, and your geographic location. Topography-guided and wavefront-guided procedures may cost more than standard options.
LASIK is almost never covered by insurance since it’s considered elective. However, it qualifies as a medical expense under both Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), which let you pay with pre-tax dollars. Check your employee benefits to see if you have access to either. Most practices also offer financing plans, and many advertise zero-interest options that let you spread payments over time.
Getting Started
The first concrete step is booking a consultation, which many clinics offer for free. If you wear contacts, call ahead and ask how far in advance you need to switch to glasses before the evaluation. Bring a list of your current medications, any eye health history, and your most recent prescription if you have it. The consultation will determine whether your corneas, prescription, and overall eye health make you a good candidate, and if not, the surgeon can discuss alternatives like PRK or implantable lenses that may work better for your situation.