Laser eye surgery is a procedure which you’ll be completely awake for, so there are no restrictions about what you can eat in the lead up to your treatment. We recommend having your meals as usual on the day of your surgery and ensuring that you are well hydrated. Being well hydrated goes a long way to ensuring your eyes are well lubricated, and this is an essential part of laser eye surgery recovery as you may experience dry eyes during this period. After your treatment, we advise you to continue eating your meals as usual (as well as you can fit them around your post-surgery naps anyway!). However, there are certain foods which can help boost your recovery process after treatment due to their numerous benefits for your eye health.
Which foods are good for laser eye surgery recovery?
In terms of the food groups which are great for post-laser recovery, you should aim for lots of protein and carbohydrates, as well as vitamin C and healthy fats. In particular, chicken, fish and eggs are great for wound healing and tissue regeneration, as are beans, nuts and legumes. Vitamin C is also said to speed up the healing process, and you can eat more citrus fruits, strawberries and bell peppers to increase your vitamin C intake. Healthy fats are known to decrease inflammation, and it is likely that you will experience some inflammation following your eye surgery. Foods which contain healthy fats include avocados, olive oil, dark chocolate and chia seeds.
To help combat the dryness that often accompanies laser eye surgery in the early stages of recovery, you could look to introduce more fish into your diet. Fish contains omega-3 which is a fatty acid known to help reduce eye dryness by improving your tear film’s oily layer. This, combined with flaxseed, is a good option to help lubricate your eyes during laser eye surgery recovery, potentially reducing the discomfort that comes with severely dry eyes. However, above all, to help with this you should make an effort stay well hydrated in the days and weeks after your laser eye surgery.
Which foods should you avoid to benefit your eye health?
Linking back to hydration, a diet high in salty food can lead to dehydration, and we’ve just established that hydration is one of the key components in laser eye surgery recovery. It is also crucial for your overall eye health in general. Salty foods are often processed, bringing us onto processed meats which are usually high in saturated fats. An excess of saturated fat in your diet can lead to high cholesterol and its associated eye conditions, such as macular degeneration, retinal changes and, eventually, loss of vision.
You should also try to avoid processed sugars and foods which raise your blood sugar level too much. Consistently high sugar levels can damage your retina’s blood vessels, causing new abnormal blood vessels to grow. This leads to a number of eye health issues but when new blood vessels grow on your iris, it can increase your eye pressure and glaucoma risk. This is just one example of how dietary choices impact your vision and lead to damage within the eye.
Top 10 foods for good overall eye health
Even if you aren’t currently in your laser eye surgery recovery period, it’s still important that you eat the right balance of foods in order to look after your eye health. 10 of the best foods you can eat to benefit your eyes, including the key nutrients they contain, are:
Beans, legumes and nuts – Omega-3, vitamin E, zinc
Seeds – Vitamin E, omega-3
Fish – Omega-3
Citrus fruits – Vitamin C
Grapes – antioxidants
Leafy greens – lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamin A
Carrots – Vitamin A
Eggs – lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamin D
Sweet potatoes – vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E
Dark chocolate – cocoa flavanols