When Can I Play Sports after LASIK?

After LASIK eye surgery, you must wait some time before playing sports or engaging in recreational activities. You should rely on the advice of your surgeon regarding your recovery, but this blog provides a general idea of how long you may have to wait.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends waiting:

·         3 days before any sports-related or physical activities

·         4 weeks before contact sports

·         8 weeks before swimming, including hot tubs

Again, you should ask your doctor about timelines for re-entering activity, as recommendations may vary.

As you can see, the FDA suggests waiting a considerable amount of time before playing contact sports. This type of activity includes football, basketball, hockey and other types of team sports and sports involving the possibility of physical contact between two or more people. The reason to wait so long before playing contact sports is the risk that your eye could be injured, smacked, bumped or hit. In this situation, the flap created in your cornea during LASIK could be dislodged or displaced, which will affect your results and probably will need to be corrected by your surgeon.

To learn more about LASIK, please contact an experienced eye doctor in your area.