When can I drink alcohol 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

No published FDA or Academy guidance sets a number. Skip it on surgery day because of the sedative, and ask your surgeon about the days after.

There is no specific waiting period for alcohol in the FDA, Academy, or StatPearls LASIK materials. What is documented is that on the day of surgery your doctor may give you some medicine to make you relax, and the FDA notes this medicine impairs your ability to drive. Mixing a sedative with alcohol is a bad idea for reasons that have nothing to do with your eyes, so surgery day is a clear skip.

The eye-specific concern in the first week or two is dryness. StatPearls reports dry eye in roughly 85 to 98 percent of patients one week after LASIK. Alcohol is dehydrating, which tends to make dry eye symptoms and the blurring they cause more noticeable. That is a comfort issue rather than a healing risk, but it is real.

The other issue is the drop schedule. The FDA says you should be prepared to take drops or medications at regular intervals, and may be given drops to prevent infection or inflammation. Anything that makes you more likely to miss doses, sleep through them, or rub your eye while impaired works against you. The FDA warns that rubbing your eye could dislodge the flap. Ask your surgeon for a specific answer, since instruction sheets differ.

When	Typical guidance
Surgery day	Skip alcohol. You may have been given a sedative that impairs driving.
First few days	No published rule. Many surgeons advise waiting. Ask yours.
First few weeks	Alcohol can worsen dryness, which is very common in this window.
Any time	Do not let it cause missed drop doses or eye rubbing.

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.
Laser In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) StatPearls Publishing, NCBI Bookshelf. Accessed 2026-08-25.

When can I drink alcohol after LASIK?

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