With an eye doctor's help, many people can safely wear contacts after LASIK eye surgery. Post-LASIK contact lenses may be a helpful way to fine-tune your vision so you can have the clearest possible eyesight.

Contact lens fittings can be a little different after LASIK surgery since the procedure changes the shape of your cornea (the clear outer layer at the front of your eye). Your doctor will need to closely examine your eyes and may trial different kinds of contacts before they find the right lens for you.

Why Would I Need Contacts After LASIK?

While most people are satisfied with their vision after LASIK, the results aren't always perfect. You can also develop other eye conditions that aren't related to LASIK at all.

There are several reasons why someone might want contact lenses after LASIK eye surgery:

LASIK results

Around 90% of people will have between 20/20 vision (normal) and 20/40 vision (slightly blurrier than normal) after LASIK surgery. Some people wear prescription contacts to "fill the gap" in their eyesight and make it as sharp as possible, while others are happy without any extra correction.

LASIK can also correct your vision too little or too much, which could make your eyesight blurry. Other side effects and complications can also affect your eyesight.

Some patients need a follow-up procedure called LASIK enhancement. About 1 in 10 people who've had LASIK need an enhancement within 10 years of their original surgery, according to the Refractive Surgery Council.

While the procedure can help with leftover blurriness, some might still feel like they need to wear contacts or glasses afterward.

Presbyopia

LASIK may be able to correct refractive errors like nearsightedness, but it can't correct presbyopia. This is a natural change that makes it harder to focus on close objects as you get older. Most people start to notice it sometime after age 40.

Presbyopia affects the inside of your eye, while LASIK only addresses the outer layer (cornea). People who had standard LASIK surgery in the past will still need to correct their near vision once presbyopia starts.

One option is monovision LASIK, which corrects each eye differently, one eye for distance vision and the other for near vision. This can help people with presbyopia see better up close if they can handle the difference in prescription between their eyes.

Monovision contact lenses work in a similar, less permanent way. They can also be used as a test run for monovision LASIK. People who tolerate monovision contacts well will usually tolerate the procedure well, too.

Multifocal contacts are another option for people with presbyopia. While standard contacts only correct one view distance, multifocal lenses correct two or three different distances. That allows you to see things clearly whether they're near, far, or somewhere in between.

Cataracts

Your risk of developing cataracts (clouding inside your eye) goes up as you get older. They can cause blurred vision, glare, and other eye symptoms.

Cataracts can affect your vision, even if you've had LASIK eye surgery in the past.

While surgery is the only permanent treatment, a cataract can "grow" for a while before someone decides to have surgery. This can cause your eye prescription to change more often than it normally would.

You might be able to wear contact lenses with an updated prescription to see clearly during this early stage.

Astigmatism

Astigmatism is one of the refractive errors that can be corrected with LASIK. This is when there's an imperfection in the shape of the cornea.

Research shows that LASIK is effective for most people with mild to moderate astigmatism. However, if the procedure doesn't fully correct the imperfection, your eye doctor might recommend another round of LASIK or toric contact lenses.

Anisometropia

Anisometropia (pronounced an-ih-so-meh-TRO-pee-uh) is when someone's refractive error is noticeably different in each eye. It's usually related to unequal nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. If someone has severe anisometropia after LASIK, contact lenses would be preferred over glasses because contacts provide a more equally sized image in both eyes.

Eye healing

Sometimes a LASIK surgeon will have their patient wear special contacts called bandage lenses after surgery. This can help their eyes feel more comfortable and lower the risk of complications.

A bandage lens is only temporary and won't affect your vision.

Style

Some people wear colored contacts after LASIK to change the appearance of their eyes to other natural eye colors. They can also correct your vision like standard contacts if you need them to.

They're available as monthly (Air Optix Colors) and daily (Dailies Colors) disposable lenses.

Which Contact Lenses Can I Wear After LASIK?

Many people who've had LASIK surgery find that RGP lenses ("hard" contacts) give them the sharpest vision. However, people with mild refractive errors may be able to wear more common types of soft contacts.

Once your eye has fully healed, your eye doctor can examine your corneas and tell you if it's okay to wear contact lenses. If so, they'll talk to you about which ones you can wear.

They might recommend one or more of these types:

  • Rigid gas permeable (RGP) contacts
  • Combination lenses (RGP and soft lenses used together)
  • Multifocal contacts (for presbyopia)
  • Colored contacts
  • Scleral lenses

How Long Do You Have to Wait to Wear Contact Lenses After LASIK?

The American Academy of Ophthalmology generally recommends waiting at least 8 to 12 weeks after LASIK surgery to be fitted for contact lenses. This gives your eyes a chance to heal and stabilize.

A contact fitting can be a little different if you've had LASIK. The eye doctor will take detailed cornea measurements and may recommend soft lenses, RGP lenses, or something else.

They'll also ask you to wear one or more pairs of trial lenses. That way, you and your eye doctor can be confident that post-LASIK contacts are a good fit.