How many days do I need to spend in Thailand for LASIK?

We know of people who have flown in, had the pre-operative examination and the surgery itself performed the following day, went for check-up on day three and flew out the following day.

We recommend to allow yourself two weeks. Have the eye exam performed on one of the first days and the operation on the following day (most places allow you to have both on the same day, but many recommend not to). Many places you can walk in without an appointment, but it's still better to call - they speak English and you avoid the risk of wasting time.

During the follow-up on the second day the protective eye shields you received after the LASIK operation will be removed and... you are ready to enjoy Bangkok or other parts of Thailand. Your next follow-up will be scheduled for about one week later. If everything went as planned you will already be tempted to skip it, because you are having fun enjoying life without glasses or contact lenses.

Procedures of most LASIK facilities foresee additional check-ups after one month, six months and one year but few people bother. You can have these check-ups performed by your eye doctor back home.

The advantage of staying a little bit longer is that if you should encounter any complications, you have more time to have them dealt with at the facility where you had the operation. Most places offer a free of charge redo if the result of the first LASIK procedure were not satisfactory.

When you plan your holidays in Thailand after LASIK keep in mind that it is recommended not to go swimming for the first two weeks after the operation. Exercise is fine as long as you avoid sweat entering your eyes.