How long will I need to take off work after refractive lens exchange surgery?

Your initial consultation can take up to 2 hours to allow us to accurately map and measure your eyes as well as examine them and discuss the options. Doing this allows us to make the most accurate recommendation about the treatments available to you based on the unique characteristics of your eyes. It is important to note that during this consultation we often need to use eye drops to dilate your pupils, these eye drops can make your reading vision blurry and your eyes light sensitive until your pupils go back down in size. You can return to work after your consultation but you should avoid driving for at least 4 hours because of the effect the dilating eye drops have on your eye sight.

You will need to take the day of your surgery off from work and after your procedure we recommend you take some time off, however the length of time will vary person to person. We will assess your recovery rate to give you a more accurate and personal time scale but as a rough guide we suggest you allow at least 48 hours. However, some people need up to a week off work to adjust to their new eyesight.

After your surgery there are a number of aftercare appointments you must attend. These follow-up appointments usually take around 15 minutes and we recommend most people to have 1 or 2 aftercare appointments following their surgery. The first one, however is the most important, this is usually 1 to 3 weeks after your surgery.

Your eyes start healing immediately after your surgery and the initial healing occurs very rapidly meaning the majority of patients get back on their feet with their new and improved vision in as little as 24 hours. However, you do need to be aware that it is fully normal to experience some blurred vision or fluctuations in your vision for several weeks, and sometimes even months as your eyes adjust to their new lenses, following your surgery.

On your return to work it’s essential that you regularly use your lubricating eye drops. Most of us work at or use a computer screen in our lives and this can dry your eyes out so it’s really important to keep your lubricating eye drops with you wherever you go to avoid your eyes getting dry. During the post-op recovery period, it is common to have some dry eye symptoms which in turn can cause occasional irritation and small fluctuations in vision. As such, the use of lubricating drops is an important factor both for your own comfort and to prevent temporary visual fluctuations.

If you do work behind or regularly use a computer screen we also recommend that you consider using the Pomodoro technique. The Pomodoro technique entails working for chunks of 25 minutes and using 5 minute intervals to separate these periods. During these 5 minute intervals avoid looking at electronic screens if possible, not only will this avoid your eyes getting too dry and give you a reminder to use your eye drops it also improves mental agility and focus. Furthermore, if you use an air-conditioning unit in your office be aware that this is likely to cause your eyes to become dryer quicker.

Alternatively, if you work outside of the office environment where there is likely to be dust or debris this can also cause irritation to your eyes so do take the necessary precautions.

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