When can I drive after YAG laser capsulotomy?

The reason you cannot drive right after a YAG capsulotomy has nothing to do with the laser damaging your eye. It is the dilating drops. Your pupil is held wide open so the ophthalmologist can see and aim at the capsule, and a contact lens with gel on it is usually placed on the eye. Both leave vision blurry and light painfully bright for several hours. The AAO states plainly that you may need to have someone drive you home.

After the dilation wears off, driving comes back quickly for most people. The AAO says your sight should improve in about 48 hours if no other eye problem is affecting your vision, and an AAO ophthalmologist writes that a capsulotomy will usually improve vision by the next day. Many people are comfortable driving the following morning. That is a typical pattern, not a promise, and it assumes your vision meets your state's licensing standard.

Two things should slow you down. If you are still seeing significant glare or halos at night, wait on night driving until that settles. And if you have flashes of light, a burst of new floaters, or a shadow in your side vision, do not drive yourself to the office, call and arrange a ride, because those symptoms need a same-day retina exam.