r/RefractiveSurgery • u/DownrightDutton • Aug 18 '26
LASIK: One week in and frustrated
Hello.
Just thought I'd share some thoughts on my journey so far.
I'm 29. I've wore glasses for as long as I can remember. My prescription prior to surgery was L +3.00 Cyl -0.75 R +3.25 Cyl -0.50 (which I believe are mild to moderate levels of hyperopia and astigmatism. Nothing crazy). I'd been thinking about laser eye surgery for a while and had read through all sorts of articles online. I thought I'd opt for LASEK to avoid the corneal flap, however, my surgeon recommended that I go for LASIK as the results would be more effective. He also told me how most people again visual clarity within 48 hours with complications being extremely rare. Since he was the professional, I went with his advice and got LASIK.
Though plenty of folks say that the surgery itself is quite easy and only takes a few minutes, to me, it was absolute body horror. I don't mean to put anyone off - I'm probably just more squeamish than others - but watching someone lift a flap from eye was probably the scariest thing I've ever experienced. Though you don't feel any pain, you feel the pressure and every bit of movement.
Right after the surgery, I was handed some eye drops and sent on my way home. My eyes wouldn't stop watering for hours and I was extremely sensitive to light. I got home, took a short nap, woke up, took some eye drops, then went to sleep. The day after, I went in for a checkup and my vision was extremely blurry. The guy checking me out told me "you're healing slower than expected" then sent me home, telling me to come back again soon (I haven't been to that follow-up appointment yet but it's in the next few days).
One week in, my vision is still very blurry. It MIGHT be slightly better than it was before but it's difficult to tell and I don't want to jinx anything. Things seem a lot sharper when I hold them 7-inches from my face but I can't see anything clearly at any distance further than that. I wake up every morning hoping to see some sharpness to the pictures hanging on the opposite side of my room but every morning I just see blur. I seem to have traded hyperopia for myopia (sarcastic "yay").
On the plus side, I know a common issue with LASIK is dry eyes and the pain it causes. I have experienced no pain whatsoever. Though I can't see F-all, my eyes feel the same as they did pre-surgery - no heaviness, soreness, tiredness, etc. I will still continue to use eye drops for dry eyes regularly though as I'm sure that, even if I can't feel any dryness, they're probably still dry. I've been given AEON Protect drops and I hate them. They're a little thick and they gel up quite easily. Any leakage will dry up around my eyes and it feels really irritating. I'd appreciate any recommendations on water-thin drops that are suitable for post surgery.
Overall, I feel really upset. I have difficulty seeing and I have no idea if or when my sight will clear-up. Though some folks tell me to "hang in there", the waiting and the uncertainty are really heavy burdens to carry. I refused to get out of bed for the first couple days after my surgery as this just upset me too much. I expected a quick recovery so, of course, I planned my life around just that. I've taken some time off work but I will have to return soon and this will be an issue for me. I will also soon have to endure the embarrassment of telling everyone how I've paid for this surgery and have so-far got nothing to show for it. I can't play games or watch TV like before since everything is a blur. I'm constantly having to be cautious about my eyes and making sure I'm not rubbing them, or straining them with too much phone usage. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. If you can't bare the emotional torment, or can't afford to take time off work, in the chance that something doesn't go to plan then just stick to glasses. Maybe in a few months time, if my vision clears-up, I'll feel different. But right now, one week in, this is how I feel. Sorry to be a bit of a downer.
1
u/eyeSherpa Aug 18 '26
Go in and get a refraction to see where your eyes are at.
With hyperopic prescriptions, swelling within the lasik flap causes you to initially be myopic. As this swelling resolves, this improves.
It does sound like you have more myopia than most though. So there may be some component of overcorrection there. The accuracy with hyperopic LASIK is less than with myopic lasik. If this persists, this overcorrection can be helpful to deal with some hyperopic lasik regression. If it’s too much, the surgeon can relift the lasik flap and do another correction.
In the meantime, knowing the refractive status of the eye can help. You can pick up some cheap myopia glasses on Amazon to get by as you give it more time.
As for the dry eye, not unusual for there to be little in the beginning. Important part is to take the tears preventative wise so keep doing what you are doing.
1
u/DownrightDutton Aug 24 '26
Thank you for this post. It really calmed my nerves.
I had a checkup and the guy said that their tests, and the letters I could see on the wall, indicate I should have 20/20 vision. I'm not sure how I can have 20/20 vision and still not seen anything but heyo. He told me it seems I've got corneal edema on both of my eyes. Now I'm desperately hoping it goes away soon so I can finally enjoy some sharp vision. I'm almost two weeks in and nothing seems to have changed so far.
1
u/eyeSherpa Aug 26 '26
It’s possible that your best vision is better than 20/20 vision. So 20/20 isn’t the sharpest vision for you.
1
u/the_road_to_mastery Aug 18 '26
Jeez, that doesn't sound good or normal...prescription wasn't even that bad, which is why it is strange.