Is light sensitivity normal after LASIK?

General information about typical recovery, not medical advice. Every eye and every surgery is different, and your surgeon's instructions override anything on this page. Read our full disclaimer.

Short answer

Yes early on. The FDA lists sensitivity to light among the normal symptoms right after LASIK and says these should improve considerably within the first few days.

What's normal

The FDA says that immediately after LASIK you may experience sensitivity to light, glare, starbursts, or halos around lights, along with burning, itching, a foreign body feeling, tearing, and hazy vision. It says these symptoms should improve considerably within the first few days after surgery and that you should plan on taking a few days off from work until they subside.

The Academy lists light sensitivity among the common and usually temporary side effects of LASIK, alongside dry eyes, fluctuating vision, halos, glare, and eye pain or discomfort. Sunglasses help. The Academy advises wearing protective eyewear outdoors after refractive surgery, even on overcast days, to shield healing eyes from ultraviolet radiation and debris.

Mild light sensitivity that lingers for a few weeks, particularly with bright screens or driving into the sun, is common and usually tracks alongside dryness and the healing tear film.

Strongest on day 0 and day 1, improving considerably within the first few days, mild sensitivity can linger a few weeks.

When it stops being normal

Light sensitivity that is worsening, or that comes with real pain and redness, is the pattern to act on. The FDA says contact your doctor immediately, and do not wait for your scheduled visit, if you experience severe pain or if your vision or other symptoms get worse instead of better.

Increasing light sensitivity combined with blurring and a gritty foreign body sensation in the first days can point to inflammation under the flap. StatPearls describes diffuse lamellar keratitis presenting one to two days after surgery with blurriness and foreign body sensation, in as many as 1 in 50 cases, and infectious keratitis in less than 0.1 percent of patients. Both need prompt evaluation and a change in treatment, not waiting.

Call your surgeon now if you notice any of these

Severe eye pain, or pain that gets worse instead of better, at any point after surgery
Vision or any other symptom that is getting worse instead of better, rather than improving over the first days
Sudden decrease or sudden loss of vision in either eye
Any new or unusual symptom at any point after surgery, which the FDA says could signal a problem that may lead to loss of vision if not treated early enough
Signs the corneal flap may have moved, such as a sudden sharp foreign body or scratching sensation, sudden blurring, tearing, and light sensitivity, especially after rubbing, bumping, or being hit in the eye. The FDA warns that rubbing the eye could dislodge the flap, and StatPearls lists flap dislodgement among corneal flap complications reported in about 0.1 to 4 percent of patients
Signs of diffuse lamellar keratitis, a sterile inflammation in the layer under the flap, which StatPearls says usually appears one to two days after surgery in as many as 1 in 50 cases and shows up as blurriness and a foreign body sensation. It typically resolves with appropriate steroid treatment after about a week, but it needs the surgeon to see it and change your drops
Signs of infection, such as increasing redness, discharge, worsening light sensitivity, and dropping vision. StatPearls reports infectious keratitis in less than 0.1 percent of patients, with atypical mycobacteria typically appearing one to two weeks after surgery
Any eye injury or blunt trauma to the operated eye, at any time after LASIK, because the flap interface never regains full corneal strength
New floaters, flashes of light, or a curtain or shadow across part of your vision. StatPearls lists retinal detachment, vitreous hemorrhage, and posterior vitreous detachment among rare complications occurring in less than 0.1 percent of patients

These warning signs after LASIK can point to problems that need same-day care. Do not wait for your next scheduled visit. If you cannot reach your surgeon's office, use their on-call line, or go to an emergency room.

Sources: U.S. Food and Drug Administration; StatPearls Publishing, NCBI Bookshelf; Journal of Refractive Surgery

Sources

What should I expect before, during, and after surgery? U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed 2026-08-25.
LASIK: Laser Eye Surgery American Academy of Ophthalmology. Accessed 2026-08-25.
When to Resume Exercise After an Eye Surgery or Injury American Academy of Ophthalmology. Accessed 2026-08-25.
Laser In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) StatPearls Publishing, NCBI Bookshelf. Accessed 2026-08-25.

Is light sensitivity normal after LASIK?

What's normal

When it stops being normal

More on LASIK recovery

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