Eye Surgery & Recovery
Key overview
- Almost every form of eye surgery produces some dryness afterwards, and for most people it resolves.
- Pre-existing dry eye is the strongest predictor of a difficult recovery, which is why surgeons increasingly treat it beforehand.
- LASIK dryness reflects severed corneal nerves regenerating over months, not damage to the tear glands.
- Recovery has an expected shape. Dryness that is not following that curve is worth raising rather than waiting out.
Almost every form of eye surgery produces some dryness afterwards, and for most people it resolves. LASIK severs corneal nerves that signal tear production, and those nerves regenerate over months. Cataract surgery involves incisions, drops and a period of inflammation. Eyelid surgery changes how completely the lids close.
Two things are worth knowing in advance. The first is that pre-existing dry eye is the strongest predictor of a difficult recovery, which is why surgeons increasingly treat it before operating rather than after. The second is that the expected recovery has a shape — it should be improving by a certain point — and dryness that is not following that curve is worth raising rather than waiting out.
Guides in this section
2 articles, grouped by what they answer.
- Are heated eye masks safe with glaucoma or after cataract surgery?
- Dry eye after LASIK: how long does it last?
Where our products fit
Where a surgeon has advised warm compresses before or after a procedure, a temperature-controlled mask makes that instruction considerably easier to follow properly. Check with your surgeon on timing before using heat on a recently operated eye. E-Heated Eye Mask.
Related sections
- Dry Eye Treatment — Every treatment that works, what each one actually does, and how to tell which applies to you.
- Meibomian Gland Dysfunction & Heat Therapy — The blocked-oil-gland mechanism behind most dry eye, and the heat therapy that treats it.
- Styes & Chalazions — Lumps on the eyelid: what they are, what clears them, and when to get help.