AFTER YOUR PROCEDURE
- Your vision may be blurry on your procedure day. It is normal to experience light sensitivity, halos/glare around lights, dryness, fluctuation in vision, and the sensation that something is in your eye. These symptoms typically improve as you heal. While many of our patients see well as soon as the next day, full healing for our procedures can take 3-6 months.
- It is helpful to keep your eyes closed while sitting or lying down for the rest of the
- Use the eye drops specific to your procedure as instructed (see specific treatment instructions). Our doctors may modify your medicated drop instructions or other instructions based on individual health circumstances or exam findings. In that case, what our doctor says supersedes what is written in your specific treatment
- Make sure to wash your hands prior to instilling any After opening the top of the drop bottle or twist top vial, avoid touching the inside of the cap or the tip of the dropper so these can remain sterile. Use your fingers on one hand to pull down your lower lid slightly and create a “pocket.” With your other hand, place one drop in the “pocket.” Close both eyes gently as if you are sleeping. Dab the excess drop from your cheek with a tissue. Avoid squeezing, opening your eyes, or blinking for 3-5 minutes. This will maximize absorption of the drop and minimize the taste of the drop in the back of your throat.
- If you have difficulty placing drops, you may lie down so you are looking towards the ceiling. Close your eyes gently and place a drop in the inside (near the nose) corner of your eyelids. Blink several times to allow the drop to work its way into your eye.
- Separate eye drops by 5 minutes, otherwise the second drop will wash the first one
- When you administer an eye drop, one drop is sufficient as long as the drop makes contact with your inner eye. Using multiple drops does not increase the efficacy; additional drops will just run out of your eye and down your Using two or more drops is only necessary if you are flushing something out of your eye.
- During the healing phase after your procedure only use preservative-free artificial tears that come in a twist- top vial. We recommend that all patients use them frequently on the day of their procedure. Artificial tears in a bottle should not be used, even if the bottle is labeled “preservative-free.” The preservative-free vials typically contain 9-11 drops each, and as long as you do not touch the tip, you may re-cap these vials and use them for multiple applications within 24 hours. It is impossible to over-use preservative free artificial tears – think of them more like a lotion for dry hands. For added comfort you may chill the vials in a
- Bring your eye drops to your postop visits so our staff can verify what you are
- We recommend following these instructions if you have a history of dry eye or contact lens wear:
- Turn off all bedroom fans. These can cause dryness on the surface of your eyes even if they are small, off to the side, or pointed away from you because circulating air dries out your eyes while For noise you can use a white noise machine/app. Turn down your thermostat if you are too warm. If you like the sensation of a breeze or circulating air you can use a humidifier (with distilled water).
- Take omega-3 fish oil A common recommendation is to take two capsules twice a day for a total of 400 mg EPA and 200 mg DHA per day. If this leads to an unpleasant taste in your mouth you may freeze the pills. Discuss this with your primary care physician first if you have any medical conditions.
- Avoid over-the-counter medications that dry the eyes, including Zyrtec, Allegra, Claritin, Sudafed, For eye allergies we prefer you use a drop such as Zaditor or Pataday 2x/day.
- Take your preservative free artificial tears frequently in the early postoperative
- Our average blink rate is around 16x/min, however one study showed that if we focus on a book, phone, or computer screen our blink rate decreases to an average of 4x/min. This is a common cause of eyestrain when using a computer. To mitigate this issue, stay well hydrated, remind yourself to blink (picture your return key being the blink key), use artificial tears, and follow the 20/20/20 rule – every 20 minutes take a 20 second break and look at least 20 feet away into the distance.
- Patients may not drive until the next day following their procedure, and only once they are comfortable behind the wheel. Patients having the PRK procedure require separate clearance from a Brinton Vision doctor – please see the PRK specific procedure instructions for details.
- If you would like to wear eye makeup the day after your procedure, speak with a Brinton Vision doctor on how to do this safely. We prefer you avoid eye makeup for one week.
- SBK and RLE patients may take Tylenol/acetaminophen or NSAID medications (Aleve/naproxen, Advil/Motrin/ibuprofen, Aspirin, Excedrin) as Visian ICL patients may NOT take NSAIDs (due to blood thinning properties) but can use Tylenol. PRK patients may NOT use Tylenol if taking Percocet but can use NSAIDs.
- No swimming or other water exposure for 1 week for all procedures, then gradually return to water activities. Goggles are recommended early on if submerging your head under water or if the potential exists for a hard impact on water (e.g. with water skiing, wakeboarding, jet skiing).
- You may shower or bathe after your postop day #1 Avoid getting tap water, shampoo, or soap in your eye for one week. If you do, rinse it out with artificial tears.
- In some instances, your surgeon will place a bandage contact lens in your eye at the conclusion of your procedure and will tell you if this is If your contact falls out, do not replace it. Keep your eyes closed as much as possible and use preservative-free artificial tears for comfort. Call the office and we can discuss whether to replace the contact lens.
- The eye is a delicate structure, so we recommend to all patients that they protect their eyes, whether or not they have had an eye procedure. We recommend general strategies to maintain the health of your eyes including wearing dark sunglasses with UV protection when outside and wearing protective eyewear when operating power tools, hammering metal on metal, repairing machinery, and even when doing yard work (mowing the lawn, using an edger, trimmer, or weed eater). The same applies for sports that present a risk to the eye such as racquetball, squash, and badminton. Never rub an eye (ask one of our staff members to see the MRI video of what happens inside your eye while rubbing if you are curious why). Avoid bumping your eye. If your eyes itch, use an artificial tear drop, stretch the skin over the bones around your eye (with clean hands), or place a clean, cool washcloth over your eyes.
- Strongly nearsighted patients may be used to holding objects very close to their face – e.g. for reading fine print, doing nails, makeup – because they are unable to see anywhere else. With your vision corrected you may lose very close up vision. Patients typically adapt from doing these activities very close in front of their face to a more typical mid-arm’s length distance just like anyone else who doesn’t have an eye prescription. Special considerations apply for patients in their 40s and beyond who have presbyopia; make sure to discuss these with one of our doctors.
- It is our standard practice to update your primary care and eye doctors on the results of your exams and
- For your convenience, postoperative visits between 1 and 10 months after your procedure can be scheduled online at brintonvision.com/postop. Patients have the responsibility of ensuring that all required follow-up appointments are completed as specified in your Specific Procedure These follow-up visits are scheduled on M/Tu/Th from 7am-3pm. Our schedule is subject to change.
- Even with your vision corrected, yearly eye exams are still required to maintain the health of your eye. Patients are to return to either Brinton Vision or your established eye care provider yearly for a thorough and comprehensive dilated health of eye At Brinton Vision, we care about your eye health for life. Yearly dilated exams will have a charge of $240.
- Getting great vision isn’t just about your surgery day. Attending all follow-up appointments is essential to ensuring that you attain the best vision possible. If you live far from our office, please arrange for availability and transportation to any follow up appointments deemed necessary by our team of doctors. All care related to your procedure for the first year after surgery is included in the cost of your procedure. Health of eye visits for issues unrelated to your procedure, or yearly dilated exams will have a charge of $240.
- We will send prescriptions for your post-operative drops to Juniper Pharmacy (please see Juniper letter for details). Proper usage of these drops is detailed in your specific treatment You are responsible for obtaining these drops from Juniper pharmacy prior to your surgery day. Please leave your medications sealed in the package as you receive them. It is very important you bring these with you on your day of surgery. We will open the package for you, confirm the medications are correct and all accounted for, and go through instruction with you. If you do not have your medicated drops with you when you arrive for surgery we will have to reschedule your procedure to a different day to allow you time to pick up medications. This is for your safety as it is important to have each prescribed medication for you to heal well.
- Your follow up appointments are reserved especially for you. We value your business and ask that you respect our clinic’s scheduling Our staff is scheduled a week in advance to be here and available for you, therefore we request that you arrive on time for your appointments, and should you need to reschedule that you do so at least a week in advance so we can adjust our staff schedule. We recognize everyone’s time is valuable, including patients and staff, and have implemented this policy for this reason. When you miss an appointment with us, we not only lose your business but also the potential business of other patients who could have scheduled an appointment for the same time. Additionally, in some cases, staff members work on an “on call” basis and may travel to the office or arrive at a time outside of their regular shift to accommodate your scheduled appointment. Follow-up performed at Brinton Vision that is directly related to your procedure and recommended by our doctors is included at no charge up until one year from your eye surgery date, including enhancement procedures or adjustment to vision. Our customary clinic, laser, and surgery fees apply thereafter, listed below. Complimentary follow-up services, including no-charge laser enhancements within the first year, are voided on the third instance that a patient is late for their appointment or reschedules without proper notice. At the third such visit our customary clinic, laser, and surgery fees will apply. When you book a surgery with us, you are agreeing to these policies.
- Customary clinic, laser, and surgery fees: Yearly dilated exams or non-surgery related health of eye visits have a charge of $240. Yag capsulotomy procedures for RLE patients, if recommended by a doctor, are
$250/eye after one year. Permanent punctal plug placement by a doctor is $250/eye. If an enhancement or adjustment of vision is necessary over a year after your surgical procedure, we will not charge for our doctor’s time or surgical fees, however we do charge a facility fee of $1600/eye for a laser procedure.
- For routine questions, contact Brinton Vision by email at [email protected] or call/text 314-375-2020 during office hours: M-F 8am-5pm. Questions received prior to 4pm will be answered the same day. Questions received after 4pm will be answered by the next business day.
