I’m Getting LASIK Eye Surgery: I’m Excited, I Think?

I had Lasik surgery in the 1990's. I have not worn glasses from day 1. I have no issues with dry eyes or anything else. I was told that at some time, as I aged, I would probably again need glasses again. This is not because of the Lasik procedure but due to aging. For me this has not been the case. I am 76 and still do not need glasses. I have an eye exam every 2 years & still eye glass free. I occasionally will use cheap readers, mostly with very small print, like you find on aspirin bottles etc or in some low light situations, like very dim restaurants.

I just got one eye done in July in South Korea. I did a lot of research and felt more comfortable doing it there as they seemed more advanced with the surgery options and did it way more often than the US. The cost was also significantly cheaper, so win-win. Originally I was intending to do both eyes, but the doctor in Korea said that my vision was good enough in one to not need surgery on it. They performed numerous tests that, when compared to my friend who was also getting LASIK in NJ at the same time, seemed to be more thorough and provide a better picture as to the type of LASIK I should receive. This is another reason why I'm happy with my choice. Based on the tests, they could see the percent of failure or worsening vision in the future for each type of surgery method. I wanted to get LASIK since it had the fastest and most painless recovery, but the chances of my vision getting worse again were too high and ended up going with the next one down, LASEK. Surgery was painless and quick; the eye that had been operated on was a little sensitive to light at first, and I was told to wear sunglasses outside. I got a few eye drops including antibiotics and pain relievers. However, I didn't need the pain relievers at all. The hardest part was remembering to wear sunglasses to avoid sunlight as I usually don't wear them. Recovery itself was very easy and looking at screens for long periods of time were no problem. I didn't develop dry eyes afterward either.

As a side note, my mom also received surgery at the same place but she was recommended to get a special lens put in that would correct her vision to see near, intermediate and far. Her tests showed that she would develop cataracts in the future, so the procedure she got also eliminated that issue. I think she just has to get one corrective procedure in a year, but that was included in price she paid.

Ben, I know you're getting your surgery in two days, so it'd be hard to change anything now, but I highly recommend to anyone that ends up reading this comment to check out South Korea. Very high standard of care and technology without paying an arm and a leg as you would in the US or elsewhere.

I had LASIK done in 2005. I didn’t have any complications or side effects as I was a little nervous about the procedure and was very careful after the procedure. Most important thing is to pick the best doctor not the doctor with the best deal. Make sure to use the eye drops even if you don’t think you need them. Don’t do any of the obvious stuff like driving, watching TV, etc…. You should also not clean around the house, groom your dog, or do anything that could risk having something fly into your eyes. Try to keep the eye shields on as long as you can even sleeping with them still on.

I’m an eye surgeon who performed many LASIK procedures. Depending on how old you are, you may lose the ability to read books or your computer without reading glasses. If you are in your early thirties, you’ll be okay but if you are at or near forty, you’re going to be in for an unhappy surprise. Based on the way you describe the amount you wear glasses, I would think long and hard before proceeding. Also make sure you are in the hands of an experienced refractive surgeon and not some bargain basement trigger jockey

Had LASIK in 2002 and had 20/20 vision until just recently (probably just getting older). For me, it was great. I had dry eyes with contacts, so never noticed dry eyes with LASIK. My vision was markedly improved just after surgery and got better over a couple of weeks as things healed. You just have to be religious about protecting your eyes as they heal.

I had an uncle that had suboptimal results, so there is some risk to it, like any procedure, but for me, for 20 years I had great vision and complete convenience. Only recently needed to add weak glasses for night driving.

Good luck!!

In case the helps, 24 hours after lasik surgery I could see, but reading text on screen or on a book was tough, felt is strained my eyes quite a bit. By 48 hours that went away and I had no issues working on a Computer screen for 8-10 hours a day by that second day after surgery. I did have starbursts driving at night for 6 months which gradually went away. This was, hands-down, an incredible experience. The surgeon took longer to explain what would happen than the actual procedure. It’s impressive.

Why are you bothering with that, I have just had implant multi focal lens replacement, the very next day no more glasses after years of wearing them. I know the problem driving great until you look at the navigation system. I know it's expensive but no more glasses never have to have cataract surgery, the new lenses have blue light filters and anti uv filters too, no dry eyes just a month of eye drops post surgery. Look into it before you have the laser treatment, it's a dream.

I am 42 and had LASIK done a year ago, after being TERRIFIED of it for my entire adult life. My contacts were bothering me so much the year leading up to LASIK that I finally decided that LASIK couldn't be worse, so I looked into it, got a great deal, and pulled the trigger before I could chicken out. I am SO thankful that I did! My eyes were definitely very dry for several months but it went away and now they are just normal amount of dry. My night vision is definitely worse, so driving in the rain is a real treat, but you're an early sleeper so that will rarely be an issue for you. My up close vision is a little diminished so reading my Apple Watch or signing a credit card receipt is difficult and has to be held further away, but I honestly have no regrets. I traveled an insane amount this year and not having to worry about contracts, backup contacts, taking up precious liquids space with contact solution, having to take my contacts out mid-flight on international longhauls, etc. has been lifechanging, which is where you'll really see a difference. I am very mad at myself for not doing this decades earlier, but better late than never?

I had my procedure on a Friday afternoon, was in HORRIBLE pain that night, to the point where I called the doctor bawling because I was convinced something had gone terribly wrong, but by Saturday morning I was fine and out driving and my vision was crystal clear, I couldn't believe how quickly my vision returned to normal.

I had PRK in 2020, which achieves the same result as LASIK, but has a MUCH longer recovery. It was the best purchase I ever made. My corneas were too thin for LASIK, so PRK was my only option.

As mentioned, LASIK has a much faster recovery time than the PRK surgery I got. So you should recover several weeks (or even months) faster than me.

The initial side effects of the PRK were not great (I high sensitivity to light, had double vision few weeks, and due to fluctuating eyesight, my vision was worse 3 weeks after surgery than before).

I was able to return to work after a week with the computer monitor on lowest brightness.

That said, in the end, I now have 20/15 vision in both eyes (better than 20/20), and the only side effect I experience now is slight dry eye, so I occasionally use eyedrops now, which I never used before. All other side effects, many of which are specific to PRK and not LASIK, went away completely.

In short, my vision was incredibly bad before surgery, and now it's perfect.

The travel angle here: pay attention to how inflight air impacts you post-op, especially when you're under an air nozzle. I used artificial tears post-op, because my eyes felt dry often, especially when near "moving air" like sleeping under a ceiling fan, or when flying. My eyes adjusted over time, it took around a year for that dry feeling to go away entirely (though the vision improvement was day one, and amazing). My lasik was around 15 years ago and it was one of the best personal care decisions I've ever made.

My husband got LASIK 20 years ago and went from 20:800 to 20:15 and he still has great eyesight now that hes in his mid 40s. Like any treatment different people heal differently. This treatment seems to be a pretty quick recovery. My husband was seeing better than ever the day after and daytine vision was great. It took slightly longer for night time vision to not be too sensitive but not much time at all.

You will be so happy that you did this! A real life improvement.

I had LASIK in January 2011, after wearing glasses for more than 20 years. Best money I ever spent. I had it on a Friday morning and was back at work the following Monday. They will give you eye drops and a schedule to use them; do so. Your eyes will burn a bit off and on for the first week - hence the eye drops - but after that you will feel like you don't need them as much. Continue to use them per your doc's instructions. You likely won't need to spend a ton of time away from a monitor while healing, but certainly for the first day or so you probably will.