How Long Should I Avoid Swimming After LASIK Surgery?

When you have LASIK surgery, it's important to take certain precautions when swimming in water. This is because there are risks involved. If you are considering having LASIK eye surgery, you may have questions about how swimming affects your vision. To ensure a safe and effective recovery, you should avoid swimming in chlorinated pools for at least two weeks. Chlorine can irritate your eyes and dry them out. It would help if you also prevented getting water or soap into your eyes. If you're going to be swimming, you'll want to wear swimming goggles. Swim goggles can protect your eyes from sand and other particles in the water, which could sting them. They can also help prevent your eyes from getting irritated by chlorine. Another good option is to swim where you know rather than in new places. This will help reduce exposure to unknown chemicals and pathogens in the water. It's also a good idea to wear sunglasses that offer UV protection. Once your cornea heals, you'll be able to swim without glasses. First, however, you should continue using the eye drops prescribed by your doctor. These lubricating drops will soothe and calm inflamed eyes. During the first three weeks, you should refrain from wearing contact lenses. This is because contact lenses contain chemicals that can irritate the eyes and increase your risk of infection. Also, wearing contact lenses increases your risk of losing your contacts in the water. After you've completed your LASIK surgery, you can begin to engage in other low-impact activities like kayaking. Some sports, such as water polo, will require more time before you can participate. Nevertheless, you can resume activities you enjoy after about a month. Swimming is a great way to relax and exercise. However, it can cause serious eye health issues if you don't take the proper precautions. Following these LASIK swim safety tips will keep your eyes healthy and your swimming fun. Do not swim in oceans, lakes, or rivers after having LASIK surgery as these bodies of water contain germs and other particles that could cause infection or irritation to the eyes. You should also wear UV sunglasses whenever you go outside for the first six weeks after surgery and consider buying or renting goggles to protect your eyes while in the water. Hot tubs are also not suitable for growing germs as the chlorine in pool water can dry out your eyes and burn them.