Is blurry or fluctuating vision normal after LASIK?

What's normal

The FDA says your vision will probably be hazy or blurry right after surgery and that these early symptoms should improve considerably within the first few days. It then says that during the first few months after surgery your vision may fluctuate, and that it may take up to three to six months for your vision to stabilize.

The Academy says that for several weeks or even months after laser eye surgery it is normal to have some blurry vision or to notice your vision changing, and that vision is generally stable and clear at about six months after surgery. Day to day and hour to hour variation in this window is expected.

A lot of the fluctuation is dryness. StatPearls reports dry eye in roughly 85 to 98 percent of patients at one week, and the FDA notes that dry eye can reduce visual quality through intermittent blurring. Vision that goes soft and then clears after a few blinks or a drop of artificial tears usually points to the tear film rather than the healing itself. Some leftover prescription is also possible. The FDA says only a certain percent of patients achieve 20/20 without glasses or contacts, and you may be under treated or over treated.

Hazy on day 0, much better within the first few days, mild fluctuation through the first few months, generally stable by 3 to 6 months.

When it stops being normal

Blurring that is steadily getting worse instead of better is the warning pattern. The FDA says you should contact your doctor immediately, and not wait for your scheduled visit, if your vision or other symptoms get worse instead of better. Sudden loss of vision at any point is an emergency.

Blurriness paired with a foreign body sensation in the first day or two can be a sign of diffuse lamellar keratitis, which StatPearls says usually presents one to two days postoperatively in as many as 1 in 50 cases and resolves with appropriate corticosteroid treatment after about one week. That needs the surgeon to see it and adjust treatment, so do not sit on it. The FDA also notes that complications such as migration of the flap, inflammation, or infection may require another procedure or intensive treatment with drops.