Why Is My Eye Red After Lasik?

For many, the only indication that they are recovering from lasik is the observation that they are no longer wearing glasses. However, for some people, some red spots or even a red ring develops on the white part of their eye. Why does this happen?

Splotchy red spots on the eye often is a sign of a subconjunctival hemorrhage. The conjunctiva or white part of the eye is filled with tiny blood vessels similar to how everywhere else on our body contains blood vessels. And these blood vessels can break, similar to how blood vessels underneath your skin can break and cause a bruise. When these blood vessels break, redness ensues.

During lasik, these blood vessels can break. This occurs during the step which creates the lasik flap. In order to safely create a lasik flap, the laser applies suction to the surface of the eye. This suction can squeeze the blood vessels on the conjunctiva and can cause them to break. Because the suction is in the shape of a ring, a ring pattern can develop with the broken blood vessels.

Fortunately, this redness has zero effect on the overall treatment. It just doesn't look as nice. Over the first few weeks after lasik, this redness gradually thins and fades away. Eventually it just becomes a memory for when you corrected your vision.

Also check out What Causes Blood In Eye After Lasik? on EyeMountain.com

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