Can You Exercise After Laser Eye Surgery?

Physical activity plays a major role in many people’s daily lives, so it’s no surprise that a lot of patients ask how soon they can return to working out after laser eye surgery. Naturally, they want to get back to their usual routine, stay active, and enjoy the benefits of their newly improved vision.

However, your eyes are extremely delicate, and it’s essential to give them enough time to heal properly before resuming some of your regular activities. Rushing back to exercise too soon simply isn’t worth the risk and could compromise your surgical results.

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When Can I Exercise After Laser Eye Surgery?

Because there is such a wide variety of sports, workouts, and physical activities—and each one places different demands on your body—there is no single answer that fits everyone. The recommended time frame will also vary depending on the type of laser eye surgery you had.

If you underwent LASIK, where a corneal flap is created during the procedure, returning to sports or exercising too soon can increase the risk of flap-related complications. Even something as simple as wiping sweat from your eyes can potentially disturb the flap. For this reason, it’s crucial to wait for the full period recommended by your ophthalmologist.

Other types of laser eye surgery, such as LASEK and SMILE, may allow for a slightly shorter waiting time before you get back to exercise. However, the type of sport or activity still needs to be taken into consideration.

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One Week After Laser Eye Surgery

If you are wondering about yoga after laser eye surgery, you can usually return to yoga and Pilates about one week after treatment. You can also resume light jogging at this point.

If you have had LASIK, you should still be cautious: avoid pushing yourself too hard and be very careful when wiping sweat away from your eyes.

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Two to Four Weeks After Laser Eye Surgery

After about two weeks, you can generally go back to light weight lifting at the gym, whether you had LASIK, LASEK, or SMILE. This usually means using machines with lower settings. Heavier weights and free weights are typically allowed after around four weeks, as long as your surgeon agrees.

At the four‑week mark, you can also usually start swimming again after laser eye surgery, but it is strongly recommended that you wear protective goggles. Around this time it is also considered safe to return to saunas and steam rooms, as your eyes should be healed enough not to be irritated by the warm, steamy environment.

If you have had LASEK or SMILE, you can typically return to sports such as badminton, basketball, cricket, football (soccer), skiing, ice skating, squash, and tennis after about four weeks of recovery.

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Six Weeks After Surgery

If you are recovering from LASEK or SMILE, you can usually resume boxing and martial arts about six weeks after surgery, as long as your surgeon has cleared you.

If you are recovering from LASIK, you can generally start playing badminton, basketball, cricket, football, squash, and tennis at this stage, as well as returning to ice skating.

Twelve Weeks After Surgery

For all three main types of laser eye surgery, you should wait about twelve weeks before returning to activities that expose your eyes to high levels of pressure. This includes scuba diving, as well as sports that carry a high risk of eye trauma, such as paintball.

LASIK patients are also advised to wait twelve weeks before taking part in boxing or martial arts.

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In general, your eye care treatment plan will be tailored by your consultant according to your physical needs and lifestyle. They are the best person to tell you what you can and cannot do during your recovery from laser eye surgery.

If you have any questions about exercising after surgery, it is important to discuss them with your consultant at Baṭal Specialist Complex, who will be able to advise you based on your individual circumstances. The best step you can take is to book an appointment with a Baṭal ophthalmologist.

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