How common is infection after laser eye surgery, and how is it treated?
Infection after laser vision correction is uncommon, and it is one of the reasons antibiotic drops and hygiene instructions are part of the routine aftercare. When it occurs it is treated with medication and needs prompt attention.
- Subject
- Risks & safety
- Topic
- Complications
- Kind of question
- Other questions
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
In more detail
The practical advice is simple: any significant pain, discharge or deterioration in vision after surgery is treated as urgent until someone has looked at the eye.
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Where this answer sits
It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under Risks, safety & side effects in Complications . The subject page carries the answers either side of it, and the hub is searchable.
Subjects this question touches
The pages that answer the subject behind the question, rather than the question itself.
- Condition Glaucoma
- Condition Keratoconus
- Condition Retina and macula conditions
- Condition Diabetic eye disease
- Condition Eye infections, allergies and injuries
This information is for educational purposes and does not replace an examination by a qualified eye-care professional.
General answers cannot tell you what is happening in your own eyes. Only an examination by a qualified ophthalmologist can do that.
Sources & further reading
We prefer primary sources. Where a claim comes from a manufacturer, a single study or a regulator, it is labelled as such below.
- Laser In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK)
The equivalent clinical reference chapter for LASIK, used so that comparisons describe both procedures symmetrically.
Used for How LASIK creates and manages a corneal flap; LASIK complication categories.
Link checked 22 September 2026