No matter what, the human body remains in constant motion, even during a procedure or surgery. Eyes blinking, a sneeze, or even a slight cough happens frequently. Most people become a bit nervous when undergoing a medical procedure, and being under a laser would add even more tension. Do not fear or worry; laser eye surgery technology anticipates all that.
Sneezing, Coughing, and Equipment Facts
The University of Bristol showed sneezes or coughs can travel 100 miles per hour through the passages. Without any disease process going on, an average person sneezes four times a day in some form. Sneezing happens more so if they have a virus, allergy, or bacterial infection. Coughing is classified as an innate reflex that clears an irritation out of passageways. Air propels out of passages at around 50 miles an hour. Most people only cough occasionally.
So, having concern about doing such reflexes during such a precise surgery is warranted since it is primarily involuntary. Once a patient asks about the equipment and technology, the problems become relieved since most laser surgery equipment automatically pulls back and stops if any signs (preliminary facial and neck muscular contractions) of sneezing and coughing show on a patient’s face. Long before the sneezing or coughing happens, muscles contract in specific ways that the equipment has been trained to recognize. Most ophthalmological lasers now have eye-tracking features. The strategies for eye tracking ensure that reaction time remains shorter than regular eye movements during surgery, particularly excimer laser technology.
If you have frequent sneezing and coughing, inform Houston Dr. Khokhar about it. Chat about any prescriptions for such from other doctors so it can become noted and known. Solutions exist.
After LASIK Surgery in Houston
In general, after any eye surgery, a person should not bend over for at least a day or two, especially during sneezing and coughing. The eye needs time to heal, and stressing the incision area needs to be avoided. The facts about sneezing and coughing show that the miles per hour of air through the passages can vibrate the face and eyes. In most cases, it might cause a delay in healing, but occasionally, it can open up the incision. Bending over causes an increase in blood pressure to the head, and adding those sneezes and coughs increases pressure or vibration on the face and eyes even more. If the sneeze or cough does cause a problem often a procedure can rectify the situation.
If by chance you begin to have more than the usual sneezing and coughing after the Lasik procedure or any other eye surgery, contact the medical office immediately. In sporadic cases, an air bubble has traveled down the tear duct long before the laser eye surgery, causing more frequent sneezing and coughing. It happens mainly in more senior patients, and having surgery reveals the condition but does not cause it.
Having technology take care of some of the concerns remains an astounding accomplishment. Having doctors of the quality found at Houston LASIK to talk with about what seems ordinary, like a cough or sneeze, is even more comforting, especially after surgery.
Since 2005, Houston LASIK has been providing surgical vision correction technologies to patients from the Greater Houston Area and all over the world. The center specializes in multiple premium technologies including LASIK, EVO ICL (Intraocular Collamer Lens), ASA (Advanced Surface Ablation), and RLE (Refractive Lens Exchange). Houston LASIK & Eye is well known for using state-of-the-art technology and personalized care to help patients see their best. Patients receive customized surgical solutions from a team of highly experienced and award-winning ophthalmologists and optometrists. For more information, visit www.houston-lasik.com or call 281-240-0478.
Sources
- https://www.proquest.com/scitechpremium/docview/2463938996/3EDBF6D75B634C46PQ/1?accountid=7513&sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals
- https://www.medicinenet.com/11_facts_about_sneezes_and_sneezing/article.htm
- https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/safe-exercise-driving-cataract-surgery-recovery#:~:text=Bending%20down%2C%20sneezing%20or%20coughing,possible%20when%20sneezing%20or%20coughing.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7853694/
- https://www.aao.org/eye-health/ask-ophthalmologist-q/cataract-surgery-safe-while-sneezing-coughing
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7004285/
- https://www.aao.org/eye-health/treatments/lasik
- https://www.topdoctors.co.uk/medical-articles/eye-spy-safer-laser-eye-surgery-with-the-latest-eye-tracking-techno
