On July 18th 2005 my husband was supposed to have lasik done. He experienced some complications... apparently the flap was not cut far enough which made it hard for the doctor to apply the laser. The doctor did not want to take any chances and decided to abort. He rescheduled his surgery for november.

On september 10 we have an important even to attend and I though my husband would look much better if he wore his contact lenses instead of his glasses. My question is, it has been almost 2 months after his eye was cut, can my husband wear contacts? Would it be safe for him to wear contacts for a night or two? could wearing the contacts alter the measurements that the doctor has taken? could the flap open up when he is removing his contacts? will it have any negative effect on his eye?

Thank you for your time!

You need to check with your husband's LASIK surgeon to get a definitive answer, Natalia, however, in general, at this point your husband should be able to wear a soft (not RGP) contact lens safely and without difficulty. He does have to be careful when he removes it so he doesn't inadvertently damage the flap. The way to remove the lens is to first slide it completely off the cornea (either down or temporally) using the tip of the index finger, and then gently pinch it off the white of the eye (sclera). The part about first sliding it off the cornea is important. If he tries to pinch it directly off the cornea he could damage the flap. Of course, before he tries LASIK again, he has to be out of contact lenses for a period of time best determined by his surgeon.

Bryce Carlson