written or reviewed by
Neil F. Martin, M.D.

Swimming After LASIK – You Can See Clearly Now

Have you ever wondered how swimming after LASIK would feel? Nearsighted swimmers, imagine this—seeing the black hash marks of a pace clock, noting the five-o’clock shadow of your swim coach, deciphering the handwritten set on the chalkboard across the deck, or recognizing the hand in front of your face.

Seem far-fetched without wearing your contact lenses under your goggles or donning corrective-lens goggles? Not anymore. There’s a laser vision correction technique called Contoura LASIK which could give you great vision, even if you have astigmatism.

In a LASIK procedure, an eye surgeon creates a small flap in the cornea, then uses a computer controlled laser to reshape the corneal layer below. The doctor then replaces the flap, which adheres without stitches. It’s painless, takes about 10 minutes, and most people have blurry but good eyesight right away which improves over the next seven days, says Neil Martin, M.D., a Masters swimmer and an ophthalmologic surgeon in Chevy Chase, Maryland, who has been doing laser eye surgery since 1991.

“I’ve done the surgery for several swimmers, and they’ve been very happy with the results,” says Martin.” We tell people to stay out of the pool for 14 days and beach for 30 days after the procedure, but that’s the only restriction.” Unless, Martin says, your favorite goggles are the kind that sit inside your eye socket. If so, you may have to switch temporarily to another style.

LASIK costs about $4,800, and isn’t covered by most insurance plans; it can be financed, though. There are surgeons nationwide and in Canada who perform the surgery; Martin recommends choosing one who is board- certified in eye surgery and has a lot of experience with LASIK.

To learn more about LASIK in the Washington DC area, request a free LASIK consultation today!