If you’ve just had or are planning to have LASIK eye surgery (the most common laser-assisted eye surgery used to correct vision) or cataract surgery, then it’s important to know what you should expect during the recovery phase. Temporary irritation and feelings of dryness or grittiness in the eyes are the most commonly reported symptoms following both of these procedures, but these are usually a normal part of the recovery process. The duration and severity of the symptoms, and the best approach to temporary symptom relief, will vary depending on the person, but our guide can help you prepare for what to expect, common eye care steps that may help ease symptoms, and what warrants a call to your eye surgeon.
The most important thing to know is that both procedures typically cause a temporary increase in feelings of dry eye that should ease as you recover: The Mayo Clinic notes that dry eyes are common for the first six months or so after getting LASIK, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) explains that cataract surgery can temporarily worsen ocular surface disease or trigger a dry eye flare.
Is Dry Eye Normal After LASIK or Cataract Surgery?
Yes, some feelings of eye dryness are very common after both procedures, and it’s usually a normal and temporary part of the healing process.
Immediately following LASIK, the eyes often produce fewer tears than usual while the eye surface settles. According to the Mayo Clinic, your eyes may feel unusually dry for the first six months or so after LASIK surgery. Patients sometimes describe a temporary gritty or burning sensation, particularly in the early weeks.
Cataract surgery can also leave the eye surface feeling drier than before during the early recovery phase. The AAO says cataract surgery can trigger or temporarily worsen dry eye symptoms and ocular surface disease, especially for people who already had some degree of eye dryness before the procedure.
Feeling a bit of eye dryness after both of these surgeries is expected, and it does not necessarily mean something has gone wrong, but it’s still worth keeping careful track of how your eyes are feeling during recovery.
Why Surgery Can Leave Eyes Feeling Dry
Both LASIK eye surgery and cataract surgery briefly disrupt the delicate balance of the tear film and the front surface of the eye, which usually leads to feelings of dryness during recovery.
During LASIK, a hinged corneal flap is created with a blade or femtosecond laser, then an excimer laser reshapes the underlying stroma. The small incision made by the laser and the healing process that follows can temporarily reduce tear production and leave the surface of the eye feeling more sensitive than usual. During LASIK, a corneal flap is created and the laser reshapes the underlying tissue. Creating the flap transects corneal nerves that signal for tear production, which is the main reason the eye feels drier while those nerves regenerate.
During cataract surgery, a small incision is made at the edge of the cornea, usually with a blade. Corneal nerve transection at the incision sites, plus microscope light exposure, irrigation, and drying, is what destabilizes the eye surface. The AAO explains that this can lead to a dry eye flare, particularly in patients who had any degree of dry eye before surgery, even if they were not aware of it.
Prescription eye drops used during and after the procedure often contains preservatives, exposure of the eye surface during surgery, and post-op inflammation can also contribute to temporary feelings of dryness.
What Could Help After Surgery
The single most important thing to remember after having eye surgery is to carefully follow your surgeon’s care instructions since your post-op plan was designed for your eyes and your procedure.
Over-the-counter hydrating eye drops are commonly recommended for temporary relief of everyday dryness, the AAO’s cataract recovery guidance notes that preservative-free artificial tears could help temporarily reduce feelings of mild dry eye after cataract surgery. It’s important for anyone using artificial tears following a medical procedure to always use a new, sterile bottle and avoid reusing previously opened drops.
A conservative eye care routine after surgery typically looks like this:
- Use any prescribed or surgeon-approved eye drops, including antibiotic and anti-inflammatory drops, exactly as directed.
- If your surgeon has recommended preservative-free lubricating eye drops, use them at the recommended frequency instead of as a reaction to a symptom flare.
- Be sure to closely follow your full post-op schedule and attend any and all follow-up appointments.
- Since your eyes are in a different state during recovery, do not try to continue your pre-surgery eye care routine until you’re cleared by your surgeon or ophthalmologist.
A supplementary home eye care routine after surgery can be helpful and offer some temporary symptom relief of eye dryness, but it should never replace or contradict your surgeon’s post-op instructions.
Using Preservative-Free Drops After LASIK or Cataract Surgery
The eye surface is usually more sensitive after surgery, so gentler formulations of OTC hydrating eye drops are often recommended for those who wish to use them during recovery.
Typical hydrating eye drops contain ingredients that help keep the bottle free from contamination, but those same additives can sometimes irritate an already sensitive eye. Preservative-free drops could provide some temporary relief of feelings of dryness while the surface of your eye heals.
The AAO has highlighted research that suggests preservative-free eye drops could improve signs and symptoms of dry eye after cataract surgery for some individuals when approved by a surgeon.
What Not to Do If Your Eyes Feel Dry After Surgery
- Do not use old or previously opened bottles of eye drops that you already have sitting around at home. It’s important to use a brand new, sterile bottle of hydrating eye drops after cataract surgery.
- Make sure to consistently use your prescribed post-op drops unless your surgeon tells you to stop. Even if your eyes feel dry, those drops will help prevent infection and inflammation.
- Stay away from redness-relief eye drops. These are specifically formulated to constrict the blood vessels in your eyes, not to lubricate the surface, and they’re not designed for use in post-surgical care routines.
- If your feelings of dryness start getting steadily worse instead of slowly improving, you should contact your surgeon promptly to discuss your symptoms and post-surgical treatment plan.
When to Consider Contacting Your Surgeon About Feelings of Dryness
In most cases, post-surgery dryness eases over time, but the following symptoms should always be taken seriously and discussed with your eye surgeon as soon as possible.
- New eye pain that is sharp or worsening.
- Vision that becomes blurry, hazy or noticeably worse as days pass.
- Increasing eye redness, especially if it’s accompanied by other symptoms.
- Any discharge coming from the eye, especially if it is yellow, green or thick.
- Increased light sensitivity that doesn’t improve.
- Dryness or burning irritation that is not improving in the way your surgeon described.
While chronic dry eye can develop for some people after LASIK, particularly for those who regularly experienced dry eye symptoms before surgery, most patients recover well. But if you notice any of these symptoms, then it’s always important to check in with your surgical care team.
If Dry Eye Continues, You May Need a More Complete Care Plan
For most people, post-surgery dry eye improves with time and basic home eye care, but a more structured eye care approach may be needed in some cases.
The Mayo Clinic notes that if you experience severe dry eye symptoms after LASIK, your surgical care team may recommend additional management like medicated eye drops or small tear drain plugs that could help retain moisture on the surface of the eye. Patients who undergo cataract surgery with pre-existing dry eye symptoms may also need a longer-term plan once the immediate post-op phase has settled.
Conclusion
For anyone experiencing dry eye symptoms following a LASIK or cataract procedure, the most important thing to remember is to follow your surgeon’s post-op care instructions carefully before considering any additional dry eye support. It’s common to experience some eye dryness after LASIK or cataract surgery, and in most cases it eases gradually as your eyes heal. But if dry eye symptoms are worsening, you experience any changes in vision, or your eyes are not improving in the way your surgeon has described, it’s important to contact your surgical care team. Lubricating drops, particularly preservative-free options, may help provide some additional hydrating comfort during recovery when your surgeon clears you to use them, but they should only be used in addition to your established post-op plan, not as a substitute. If you have questions about broader dry eye support following LASIK or cataract surgery, it’s always best to speak to your eye surgeon.
