Driving After Laser Eye Surgery

Can You Drive After Laser Eye Surgery?

You must not drive straight after getting laser eye surgery. Instead, arrange for somebody to pick you up afterwards and take you home. After your laser eye surgery treatment, you may feel some discomfort, and your eyes will be sensitive to light and slightly blurry, which means driving after surgery is not recommended.

If you get laser eye surgery with betterview, you don’t even have to worry about driving after laser eye surgery as we have a door-to-door taxi service that can take you home after your procedure.

How Soon After Laser Eye Surgery Can You Drive?

There is quite a lot of contradictory information about driving after surgery, and we believe it’s best to stay on the safe side. So, how long after laser eye surgery can you drive? Well, it ultimately depends on your ophthalmologist's recommendation.

You cannot drive on the same day as your laser eye treatment surgery, and will likely only be able to get clearance to drive from your ophthalmologist after your first follow-up appointment. This is when your ophthalmologist will check that your eyes are healing properly and that your visual acuity is improving as expected.

If you get Femto-LASIK eye surgery, a less invasive procedure than Trans-PRK surgery, your first follow-up appointment will be the day after your surgery. You might be able to start driving the very next day. With Trans-PRK, your first follow-up appointment is five days later, and your ophthalmologist may recommend that you wait a few days after your surgery to get behind the wheel.

Driving At Night After Laser Eye Surgery

It’s normal for your vision to be slightly reduced a few days after your laser eye surgery - but this should clear up pretty soon. While your eyes are healing, you may struggle to see clearly when driving at night. Of course, only attempt to drive at night after your ophthalmologist says you can. When driving at night after laser eye surgery, you could experience vision problems including:

• Glare - The glare from oncoming headlights could cause your vision to become scattered or blurry.
• Halos - This is when you see bright circles or rings around lights such as headlights or street lamps.
• Starbursts - Similar to halos, starbursts are when you experience a star-shaped glare around light sources.

If you continue to experience these vision problems well after getting laser eye surgery, consult your ophthalmologist as soon as possible.

What Happens to Your Drivers Licence After Laser Eye Surgery?

If you need glasses or contact lenses to drive, you will have an ‘01 code’ on your driver's licence. You would have had to declare this with the DVLA when getting your driver's licence, and this code indicates that you have a vision condition that could affect your ability to drive.

Changing driver's licence after laser eye surgery is necessary if your licence has an 01 code on it. You will need to inform the DVLA of your laser eye surgery so that they can update their records. Plus, you may also need to undergo an eye test in order for them to re-issue you an updated licence.

Want Sharper Vision? Schedule a Free Laser Eye Surgery Consultation with betterview

Getting laser eye surgery is an exciting process, and there are so many benefits to achieving 20/20 vision. With laser eye surgery, you can do things like drive and play sports without having to bring your glasses or contact lenses along. Laser eye surgery is also more cost-effective in the long run, and is a relatively safe procedure with little to no side effects.

Have peace of mind knowing that if you get laser eye surgery at our shop in Westfield, London, your comfort is our top priority. We’ve outlined everything you can expect before and after your treatment in our comprehensive laser eye surgery recovery guide. Book your free, initial 30-minute consultation here.