Glasses and building sites have never got on well. They fog under a mask, slide down a sweaty nose, get scratched by grit, and have to sit under safety glasses or be replaced by expensive prescription ones. Contact lenses aren’t much better when your hands are covered in dust and there’s nowhere clean to put them in.
This guide is for tradies, builders, electricians, plumbers, welders, mechanics, farmers and anyone else who works with their hands: what laser eye surgery changes on the job, how much time off you need, when you can go back to dust, and which procedure suits a trade.
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Can I still wear safety glasses? | You still must, but they can be standard, non-prescription ones. |
| How much time off? | LASIK: 1 to 2 days for a desk job, about a week for dusty or manual work. TransPRK: about two weeks for trade work. |
| Best procedure for a trade? | Depends on your eyes. TransPRK and CLEAR have no flap; LASIK recovers fastest. |
| Over 40? | You’ll likely still need reading glasses for close work, unless you choose a blended vision option. |
Why tradies choose laser eye surgery
Standard safety glasses instead of prescription ones
On site, eye protection should meet AS/NZS 1337.1 (eye and face protectors) or, if you need a prescription, AS/NZS 1337.6 (prescription eye protectors) (Workplace Health and Safety Queensland). With a prescription, that means paying for prescription safety glasses and replacing them every time your prescription changes, or wearing bulky over-glasses on top of your normal pair.
Once your vision is corrected, you can wear standard, non-prescription safety glasses: the cheap, comfortable wraparounds from the site box. Lose a pair, scratch a pair or sit on a pair, and you grab another. That matters, because discomfort and poor fit are among the main reasons workers don’t wear eye protection, and most work-related eye injuries happen without proper protective eyewear (Vought et al., 2025).
No fogging, slipping or sweat
In a Brisbane summer, glasses slide down your nose, sweat smears the lenses, and they fog every time you climb out of an air-conditioned ute or pull up a dust mask. Without glasses underneath, there’s one less layer to fog and nothing to push back up with a dirty glove. Safety glasses on their own sit closer to the face, and you can pick anti-fog models.
Plain sunglasses for outdoor work
If you work outside, you can wear any sunglasses you like, not just prescription ones. Cancer Council says sunglasses and a broad-brimmed hat together can reduce the UV reaching your eyes by up to 98%, and recommends close-fitting wraparounds that meet AS/NZS 1067 (Cancer Council). Where you also need impact protection, tinted safety glasses that meet AS/NZS 1337.1 do both jobs.
That matters for outdoor workers because sunlight, wind and dust are thought to cause pterygium, a fleshy growth on the white of the eye that can grow onto the cornea (AAO). Protecting your eyes from all three helps; if you already have one, see our page on pterygium surgery.
Welding helmets, respirators and face shields
Glasses get in the way of other gear. Under a welding helmet you need prescription inserts or a magnifier lens; under a face shield or goggles they press and fog; and with a full-face respirator, glasses can break the seal. In one study, wearing spectacles with full-face respirators significantly lowered how well the masks sealed, and 15% to 36% more wearers failed a fit test (Spear et al., 1999). Without a prescription to correct, your helmet, mask, goggles and earmuffs fit the way they were designed to.
No contact lenses on site
You may have heard that a welding arc can fuse a contact lens to your eye. That story, which dates back to 1967, is a myth (Loriot & Tourte, 1990). The practical problems are real, though. Contact lenses should only be handled after washing your hands with soap and water and drying them with a lint-free towel, and water and contact lenses don’t mix (AAO). Contact lens infections can develop quickly and, in rare cases, cause blindness (FDA). On a dusty site at 6 am, clean hands and a clean place to fix a lens that’s moved are hard to find.
Laser, prescription safety glasses or contact lenses?
| Prescription safety glasses | Contact lenses | Laser eye surgery | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ongoing cost | New pair whenever your prescription changes | Lenses and solutions every year | One-off; prices per eye on our costs page |
| Safety eyewear | Prescription eyewear to AS/NZS 1337.6 | Standard safety glasses over the top | Standard safety glasses (AS/NZS 1337.1) |
| Sweat and fogging | Can fog and slip | No fogging from glasses | No fogging from glasses |
| Dust and dirty hands | Lenses scratch | Need clean hands to handle | Nothing to handle |
| Sunglasses | Prescription sunglasses or clip-ons | Any sunglasses | Any sunglasses |
| Masks, helmets, respirators | Can get in the way or break a seal | Fine | Fine |
If you’re comparing costs, our post on whether laser eye surgery is worth it works out how many years of glasses and contact lens spending equal the price of laser.
When can I go back to work?
How soon you’re back depends on the procedure and what your job does to your eyes. Dust, grit, sawdust, sweat and rubbing your eyes are the main things to avoid while they heal.
| Procedure | Office or desk work | Dusty, outdoor or manual work |
|---|---|---|
| LASIK and Ray Tracing LASIK | 1 to 2 days | About 1 week |
| CLEAR | A few days | About 1 week |
| TransPRK | 7 to 10 days | About 2 weeks |
| ICL | 2 to 4 days | About 1 week |
These are typical times, not deadlines. Your surgeon confirms you’re ready at your review.
When can I return to dusty environments after LASIK?
Usually about a week. When you go back, wear close-fitting safety glasses or goggles, and avoid grinding, cutting and sanding where you can for the first couple of weeks. Don’t rub your eyes; if something gets in, rinse with clean water or the lubricating drops you’ve been given rather than rubbing. If you can, start with lighter duties.
Sweat, heat and heavy lifting
Keep sweat out of your eyes in the first week: a sweatband or cap helps. Light work is usually fine early on; ask your surgeon before heavy lifting or strenuous work in the first few days.
Driving the ute
You can’t drive home on the day of surgery. You can drive again once your review confirms your vision meets the standard for your licence, including a heavy vehicle or commercial licence. Our recovery timeline covers driving, screens and the rest of the first month in more detail.
Which procedure suits a trade?
| Procedure | Corneal flap? | Main advantage for a tradie | Price per eye |
|---|---|---|---|
| LASIK and Ray Tracing LASIK | Yes | Fastest return to work | $4,250 |
| CLEAR | No | No flap, small incision | $4,250 |
| TransPRK | No | No flap; suits active jobs and thinner corneas | $3,500 |
| ICL | No (lens inside the eye) | High prescriptions and thin corneas | $7,000 including the anaesthetist |
The flap question. LASIK creates a thin flap in the cornea. It heals well, but a hard enough knock can displace it, even years later; reported cases include a piece of window trim striking the eye four years after surgery (Kim & Silverman, 2010). These cases are rare. Still, the American Academy of Ophthalmology notes that if you have a very active lifestyle or job, PRK may be a better option because it doesn’t involve cutting a flap (AAO). CLEAR also avoids a flap, working through a small incision instead (AAO).
TransPRK takes longer to recover from, but published results are strong: in a 2024 Brisbane series of 205 eyes, 95.6% saw 20/20 or better without glasses (Gunn & Cox, 2024); see our TransPRK results.
High prescriptions. If your prescription is high or your corneas are thin, an implantable contact lens may suit you better than laser.
The right choice depends on your measurements as much as your job, which is why we check both at your assessment. Our guide to types of laser eye surgery compares the procedures in more detail.
You still need eye protection
Laser eye surgery corrects your vision. It doesn’t make your eyes any tougher. In a Victorian study, the workplace accounted for 44% of all eye injuries treated at the state’s main eye hospital, and the authors concluded most could be prevented by proper use of safety eyewear (Fong, 1995). Grinding, cutting and drilling throw off fragments that can cause cuts, penetrating injuries and blindness (Workplace Health and Safety Queensland).
So keep wearing safety glasses, goggles or a face shield whenever the job calls for it. The difference after laser is that the right protection is cheaper, easier to find and more comfortable to wear.
If something does get in your eye after surgery, especially from drilling, cutting or grinding, see a doctor straight away (healthdirect), and tell them you’ve had laser eye surgery.
Tradies over 40: what about reading glasses?
From your 40s, the lens inside the eye gradually loses its ability to focus up close, whether or not you’ve had laser (AAO). If both eyes are corrected for distance, you’ll probably need reading glasses for close work like reading a tape, plans or a phone. Safety glasses with built-in reading sections are available off the shelf.
If you’d rather reduce that too, ask about blended vision, which sets one eye slightly for near. See monovision vs blended vision and, if you’re over 50, laser or lens replacement over 50.
What it costs
Focus Vision’s all-inclusive prices per eye are TransPRK $3,500, LASIK and Ray Tracing LASIK $4,250, and CLEAR $4,250; prescribed eye drops are extra. Interest-free plans over 24 months start from $34 a week for TransPRK and $41 a week for LASIK or CLEAR. Enhancements are free for two years under our enhancement policy. Medicare doesn’t cover laser eye surgery, but some health fund extras policies contribute; see which health funds cover laser eye surgery and the costs page.
Book a free assessment
Start with a free assessment with our optometrist in Woolloongabba, including detailed scans of your eyes. Tell us what you do for work, what protective gear you wear and how much time you can take off, so we can plan around it. If laser suits you, you then see Dr Brendan Cronin or Dr David Gunn to confirm the plan; the consultation fee comes off your surgery price.
Call (07) 3239 5005, email hello@focusvision.com.au or book online.
References
- Workplace Health and Safety Queensland. Protection from eye injuries. Queensland Government, 2019. worksafe.qld.gov.au
- Vought V, Zarbin F, Vought R, Khouri AS. Patterns and Prevention of Occupational Eye Injuries: A Narrative Review. Clin Ophthalmol. 2025;19:4257-4268. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41293039
- Cancer Council. Be SunSmart. cancer.org.au
- American Academy of Ophthalmology. What Are Pinguecula and Pterygium (Surfer’s Eye)? EyeSmart. aao.org/eye-health/diseases/pinguecula-pterygium
- Spear TM, Hardgrove R, Norman JB, et al. The effects of strapped spectacles on the fit factors of three manufactured brands of full facepiece negative pressure respirators. Ann Occup Hyg. 1999;43(3):193-199. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10366899
- Loriot J, Tourte J. Hazards of contact lenses used by workers. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 1990;62(2):105-108. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2182546
- American Academy of Ophthalmology. Contact Lens Care. EyeSmart. aao.org/eye-health/glasses-contacts/contact-lens-care
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Contact Lens Risks. fda.gov/medical-devices/contact-lenses/contact-lens-risks
- Kim HJ, Silverman CM. Traumatic dislocation of LASIK flaps 4 and 9 years after surgery. J Refract Surg. 2010;26(6):447-452. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20677731
- American Academy of Ophthalmology. What Is Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK)? EyeSmart. 2026. aao.org/eye-health/treatments/photorefractive-keratectomy-prk
- American Academy of Ophthalmology. What Is Small Incision Lenticule Extraction? EyeSmart. aao.org/eye-health/treatments/what-is-small-incision-lenticule-extraction
- Gunn DJ, Cox RA. StreamLight single-step transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) for myopia and myopic astigmatism. J Ophthalmol. 2024;2024:5597457. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39575318
- Fong LP. Eye injuries in Victoria, Australia. Med J Aust. 1995;162(2):64-68. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7838028
- healthdirect Australia. Eye injuries. healthdirect.gov.au/eye-injuries
- American Academy of Ophthalmology. What Is Presbyopia? EyeSmart. aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-is-presbyopia