October 22nd, 2009
Can Altitude Affect Recovery Time of Laser Eye Surgery?
When you live in Denver, Lasik surgery may be questionable when it comes down to the effects of altitude on the recovery times of laser eye surgery. If you are thinking about laser eye surgery and live in Colorado, high altitudes are something you are subject to on a daily basis. With that said, how will the altitudes affect the recovery time of laser eye surgery?
To begin, think back to your freshmen year of high school or a chemistry class. When you go to higher altitudes, it gets colder and the air gets thinner. If it happens to be cold outside, it will not affect your Lasik eye surgery because you can still go inside to where it’s warm. What about the thin air?
Having thinner air in higher altitudes will not affect the healing process of eye surgeries in any negative way, like a Denver Lasik eye surgery or other places set at higher altitudes. Actually, the thin air will actually help the healing process. An eye has to receive oxygen in order to stay moisturized. If you are in thinner air, the eye will be able to breathe more easily, helping the cornea heal faster after a Denver Lasik eye surgery.
Often times, you may find your eyes drying out. This may be because you are outside in colder air, or the air has no moisture in it. In either case, your surgeon will give you eye drops to keep your eyes moisturized.
Although cold weather may not affect your eye too much, be careful in freezing and sub-zero temperatures that occur at higher altitudes in Denver. Lasik eye surgery may be affected as your eye could freeze and cause damage to the healing process. Also, be careful when preforming any kind of strenuous activity, like skiing after Lasik.
In places of high altitude, like in Denver, Lasik eye surgery has positive perks to it because of the eye being able to breathe easier in thin air. However, there still is a risk since the eye is still vulnerable to drying out and, on bitter cold days, your eye may freeze.