Is blurry vision normal after SLT laser treatment?

What's normal

Short-lived blur right after the laser is the expected pattern. The American Academy of Ophthalmology states that after the procedure your vision may be blurry for a couple of hours. The Glaucoma Research Foundation says the eye may be a bit irritated and vision slightly blurry after laser surgery, which is why you are told to arrange a ride home.

Part of this comes from the numbing drops, the gel used with the contact lens that guides the laser, and the bright light of the laser itself. The Glaucoma Research Foundation notes that some post-operative inflammation is common but generally mild, and that most SLT complications are mild and self-limiting. For most people vision is back to their usual baseline by later the same day or the next morning.

Typically clears within a couple of hours; back to baseline by the next day for most people.

When it stops being normal

Blurry vision that is getting worse instead of better, or that comes on suddenly days later, is not the expected pattern. The American Academy of Ophthalmology lists blurred vision among the possible complications of laser trabeculoplasty, alongside increased eye pressure and eye redness, swelling, or pain.

Sudden blurry vision combined with severe eye pain, a headache, nausea or vomiting, or rainbow-colored halos around lights is the pattern the American Academy of Ophthalmology describes as a true eye emergency from a sharp rise in eye pressure. Call your ophthalmologist right away if that happens.