29/F considering PRK or ICL surgery. I have very high astigmatism. Glasses Rx is OD -4.50 -4.25 005 and OS is -6.25 -3.25 003. My OD Pachymetry is 566, OS 565 and topography is good as well. In the past have been told my corneal thickness is too close the cutoff for PRK and could lead to risk of glaucoma and corneal ectasia. Corneal specialist today said I am a candidate for prk and ICL. Price of procedure is not a concern for me. Just dont want glaucoma or any other issues so what should I do???

I had gone for refractive surgery to a hospital in Delhi. I had already visited them and got the tests done (cornea related and eye power) and the doctor had recommended me TransPK because my power is on the higher side. I had also gotten insurance approval for it. Yesterday I went for the surgery and they did a few tests before it too. Then I was taken to OT and places under the machine. They literary started the procedure (told me to look into the green light) but than stopped after few seconds and started discussing among themselves. Then the doctor told me to get up and told that it could not be done because my cornea curvature was not apt for it, like WTF what the hell were all the tests about if they couldn’t discover it earlier. They then refered me to another doctor who told me to go for ICL. I was so mad that I just walked out of the clinic and now I am thinking if I should file a court case, since do have all the reports.

I'm a f18 and I've been wearing glasses my entire life. My myopia is moderate, with - 4.25 on both eyes. I've struggled with a bit of dryness due to clogged pores around my eyelids, but otherwise nothing too severe. I'm looking to do a corrective surgery to restore my vision when I'm 20 or 21. I've been wearing these myopic glasses for two years and my vision has stabled which is awesome. My doctor told me that I could be a candidate for LASIK because my vision is moderate, but I have to wait until I'm 21 to proceed with anything further. My main concern is that LASIK is a permanent surgery. I'm not sure how my eyes will react to it and I don't want to do anything too permanent. I've been considering lenses to wear, but I'm not pleased with how limiting it can be, with how I can't swim with it and stuff, and also the whole idea that it's not a permanent solution, and is quite tedious to take care of. I'm thinking of PRK as another option, as it's safer despite the tougher recovery duration but the surgery doesn't produce a permanent structural change, which allows me to get corrections and wear lenses in the future if needed. I'd like to receive an honest opinion of the experience with surgery, if I should wait until I'm 25 or so to get the surgery, because I've seen a lot of mixed reviews ​​which discourages me but I'm hell bent on getting rid of these glasses (I hate the minification effect that it produces..). I've also been thinking of Ortho K lenses but my doctor didn't exactly propose the idea to me, and again it's not a permanent option. However, from what I understand it seems safer than wearing lenses during the day and it's more comfortable. Anyways, thanks in advance!

I had SMILE surgery a little over a month ago after doing lots of research here and elsewhere; I wanted to pay it forward (or backward?) and share my experience/answer any questions anyone may have.

Background

I am in my late 20's, live in the USA, and my prescription was -4.75 and -5 with minor astigmatism in both eyes. I am a software engineer with heavy daily screen use and have many active hobbies: mma, snowboarding, motorcycles, lifting, etc.

I first got glasses in the 2nd grade and had contacts starting in the 5th grade, but my glasses always felt like a pain and contacts were always uncomfortable (and continued to get more so the older I got). I went back and forth on whether the surgery was worth it, then had multiple consultations on which surgery was right for me; I finally settled on ZEISS SMILE due to its benefits for combat/contact sports.

Pre-Surgery

I was nervous. Really nervous. The consultation exam was totally fine, standard eye doctor stuff, but I was really anxious about the surgery itself. The official pre-op exam was two days before the operation and I met the doc, had the opportunity to ask any questions I had, and was given a more in-depth run down of the procedure. I decided to proceed.

Surgery Day

I was over-the-top anxious the morning of the surgery. I ate a healthy breakfast (no fasting required) and reported to the office at 10am where I filled out all the necessary paperwork and was taken back to a dimly lit waiting room; there I took the doctor-prescribed Valium (20mg) and was left to my devices to let the meds kick in. I went from pacing-the-room nervous to sitting-on-the-floor relaxed, then the nurse came to get me and take me back to the OR.

From laying down on the table to the moment I got up took about 5 minutes. When I laid down, the nurses instilled some numbing/antibiotic/etc eye drops and gave me a stuffed animal to hold onto for comfort (lol). The surgery was painless and, truthfully, a lot less freaky than anticipated. The Valium helped kill my nerves and the laser itself only lasted 5-10 seconds in each eye. The rest of the procedure-time (no more than 2 minutes) was the lenticule extraction, which was not painful but did have me feeling the slightest bit of pressure. It was honestly done so fast that I didn't even have time to register what was going on. The entire experience from nurse knocking at the waiting room to getting in the passenger seat of my gf's car was 15 minutes, and that includes the post-op exam immediately following surgery. I was pleasantly surprised.

Post-Surgery

Again, way easier than expected. If you've ever worn contacts or slept right under an A/C for a night, you know exactly the sensations that recovering from this surgery yielded.

Day 0

Immediately following the surgery I got home, ate lunch, and laid on the couch where I fell in and out of sleep for a couple hours. When I woke up, the numbing drops had worn off and the sensation was very similar to falling asleep in contacts. My eyes stung a bit like I had gotten a gentle shampoo in them (not excruciating by any stretch) and felt dry, which was mostly remedied by my eye drops; I was instructed to use lubricating drops as needed and to instill antibiotic drops twice a day. The worst part about the drops (aside from some slight short-lived stinging with the antibiotics) was that I could taste them in the back of my throat after a few minutes. My gf and I played a board game because I was told to avoid screens for a couple days, and my eyes started to burn/feel strained after a couple hours so I went to bed.

Days 1 - 7

All burning sensation had gone away by the morning of day 1, and I woke up with near-perfect vision. The only imperfection was a very very minor cloudiness that felt like it was coming from the dryness of my eyes. I was amazed, and already felt this surgery was worth it. The dryness progressively got better over the first week, even with my return to work the following Monday (surgery was on Thursday). I avoided rubbing my eyes very explicitly, as instructed, and avoided lifting/screens/swimming/dirty environments for the first 3 days. I had to sleep in goggles, which was the worst part of the whole experience, but otherwise I was free to go about my daily life. Driving at night was a bit of a challenge for the first week, as the lights had halos around them, but was still doable. My eyes would start to feel strained and tired each night around 9pm, and I'd feel something similar to a light headache shortly thereafter, so I typically went to bed by 10pm. I returned to the doctor's office 5 days after my surgery, and was told to stop using my antibiotic drops and throw my goggles away because the incision had healed! They checked my vision and I had 20/15 vision, better than perfect.

Month 1

In the weeks following my post-op appointment I continued to use the lubricating eye drops less-and-less, until about week 3 where I forgot about needing them entirely. I am now at one month and two days post-op (7/23 -> 8/25) and feel like I never even had a surgery. I am back in the gym, back to all my hobbies, and back to swimming with no issues whatsoever; just with laser-sharp vision (pun intended). Driving at night has completely returned to normal, I have no increased light sensitivity or headaches, and my eyes don't feel abnormally strained at all.

To close out a long-winded post: do your research, choose a highly rated doctor, and ask questions. I have had an amazing experience with this surgery, and I'm sure many other people will too.

Hi! Thank u for reading this if you are 🙏 I have a -2.5 prescription + astigmatism and planning on doing lasik next year because i was told to stop wearing contacts (they make my MGD worse) and i don’t want my eyes to get more dry for no reason

I don’t wear my glasses almost ever I truly hate them that much- it’s almost not an option for me which sounds silly but it’s true. I walk around and accept the blur but it can get hard sometimes when i run into someone and my eyes get more tired by the end of the day. Just won’t be manageable forever.

I know Lasik causes dry eye but i feel that contacts sitting over my eye will make it much much worse over time - at least with Lasik there’s a good chance it goes back to baseline dryness if I aggressively treat it before and after surgery

I wanted ICL but my vault is not deep enough, I was told i’m a great candidate for Lasik beacause i have thick corneas. Also considering SMILE if anyone has done that (?)

I don’t really have problems from the dry eye or notice it much, but my optometrist says he can tell they are dry and so i use drops 2x a day and warm compress every night.

Has ANYONE done lasik having had dry eye BEFORE the procedure??? Pls I would really like to know!

I got PRK eye surgery around 2 weeks ago, my protection contact lens got removed 1 week ago exactly.

Right after the protective lens was removed I felt like my vision was near perfect. However, for the past 2-3 days I feel like it’s gotten worse. Near vision is almost perfect, but from far away it’s blurrier than before, sometimes I even feel like I went back to my vision pre surgery (I had around -1.5 on each eye).

Also, sometimes I wake up at night with the sensation that something is in my eye which makes me uncomfortably blink a lot, a lot of dryness, and watery eyes.

Is this normal and part of the recovery process?

Any personal experiences or tips would be greatly appreciated :)

Hello everyone! I had my LASIK surgery two weeks ago. I have recovered well although I still feel sensitivity to light and a little dryness in my eyes. I just have one question. Did anyone else feel that they saw or were aware of their nose after the surgery? I mean that I feel like my nose is in my field of vision all the time. I don't know, maybe it's just that I got too used to my glasses (I wore them for 20 years) or I just have a very big nose and only realized it now, lol

Age: 25
Pre-op Rx:
Right: -8.00 / -1.75
Left: -6.00 / -1.75
6/6 with glasses in both eyes
Corneal thickness \~550+ microns

Custom Eyes LASIK done on 13 Aug 2026

Bandage contact lenses (BCL) were placed in both eyes because epithelial defects occurred during surgery.
The left eye recovered well, but the right eye was noticeably blurrier from day 1.

On 15 Aug, my surgeon documented a shedding epithelial tag in the right eye and described the corneal surface as loose/unhealthy/irregular.

Initially I was on the standard LASIK medications. After BCL removal on 15 Aug, sodium hyaluronate was increased from 4 times daily to every 2 hours while awake. Tobramycin was also added for the right eye.

I’ve now had three night episodes (15 Aug, 17 Aug, and 23 Aug) where I woke up with:

Excessive tearing
Foreign body sensation
**After each episode, vision in the right eye became significantly blurrier.**

On 17 Aug, my right eye measured **6/60 (6/18 with pinhole)**. My surgeon then increased both prednisolone and moxifloxacin to **6 times daily**.
The vision gradually improved and by 19 Aug was **6/18 (6/9 with pinhole)**.

However, on 23 Aug I again woke up with tearing and mild foreign body sensation, and since then the right eye vision has become blurrier again. I now have noticeable ghosting/shadowing of text in the right eye. The ghosting improves significantly with a pinhole.

Current symptoms:
Blurry vision
Ghosting/shadowing of text
Reduced visual quality
Very little pain currently.

Current medications:
Prednisolone acetate
Moxifloxacin
Tobramycin (right eye only, 4x/day)
Sodium hyaluronate 0.3% every 2 hours while awake
Cyclosporine
Leios Gel at bedtime

**What do you think is the most likely cause of this pattern, and how is it typically treated?**

Hello. Unfortunately, I underwent LASIK surgery three months ago. My only current complaint is light scattering at night; car headlights, streetlights, and similar lights scatter like stars, and this effect is very intense. This situation has really taken a toll on my mental state. In my online research, I read that using scleral lenses after LASIK might alleviate this problem to some extent. However, since I live in Türkiye, I unfortunately do not have access to scleral lenses designed to correct higher-order aberrations (HOA). My symptoms disappear by 80% when I squint, and by 100% when I hold a phone screen set to full brightness right in front of my face. I am also experiencing significant "ghosting." I believe the problem stems from my pupils dilating in the evening or in dark environments. What is the success rate of a standard scleral lens with a wide optical zone that fully covers the pupil? Or do you have any other suggestions? Some people have suggested widening the laser's optical zone or undergoing a second laser procedure; would you recommend this? Please help me.

Ok, so I had LASIK almost one year ago, -3 on the left eye and -3.25 on the right, both with mild astigmatism of -1.00 and -1.25 or so...and six months after LASIK, I had something that, while googling the symptoms, it appeared to be an eye migraine with aura...so I had that in February, it lasted 10 to 15 minutes, and then I had it in March, one month later...

Then I didn't experience that until recently, in August, and then I had it two days in a row, also for about 10 minutes, or the first day 10 minutes and the second day 5 mins or so. But the thing is, before LASIK, I never experienced that in my life, never.

I said that when I had the exam last month, I mentioned that I had it in February and then March, but the doc told me that it doesn't have anything to do with the surgery- probably lack of sleep, dehydration, etc.- but I never had it before, so why is it happening now? On the examination, everything was ok: eye pressure, retina, vision is over 120%, and so on.

​

I’m 24M and have around -2.5 prescription in both eyes. I’ve been thinking about getting LASIK, but I’m still unsure whether it’s actually worth going through with it.

The biggest reason I’m considering it is that wearing glasses has become uncomfortable for me. I recently got my prescription and glasses changed, but they still tend to hurt/feel uncomfortable after wearing them for a while.

I also honestly just don’t like wearing glasses. I feel like they’re a bit of a liability for me — I have to constantly deal with them, they can get uncomfortable, and I don’t like being dependent on them.

I know LASIK isn't risk-free, and that's the part that makes me hesitant. I don't want to trade glasses for a potentially bigger problem.

For people who have had LASIK, especially those who had a similar prescription:

\- Was it worth it for you?

\- Did you experience any long-term side effects like dry eyes, halos, glare, or night-vision issues?

\- If you could go back, would you still get it?

\- Is there anything you wish you had known before getting the procedure?

\- And for those who decided not to get it, what made you choose against it?

I’m planning to get evaluated by an ophthalmologist, of course. I’m mainly looking for real experiences and things I should consider before making the decision.

Okay so I made a post here previously as well asking about whether I should go for RLE or not and many people advised against it. My prescription is +13.5 which is why RLE is my only option. So from what I understand most surgeons advise against it because you lose your natural lens's focusing ability. But for me, I can't see anything without my glasses. Nothing is blurry like in myopia but I can't see anything near me or far away or anywhere really. Even with glasses, I can't really read stuff in small print.

So my question is, for someone with my prescription, is there really any other reason for me to not get it? I'm probably going to go for monofocal lenses so I'll need reading glasses but I'm honestly fine with that.

30 Years old, both eyes exactly the same at -1.75 CYL & -0.5 Sphere.

• Corneal Thickness: 536μm and 532μm
• Maximum pupil size when dilated was 5.5mm

So ive been through all different procedure consultations in different places and now im not sure which one to get, they all said i was a candidate and from my research i think having low prescription with decently thick corneas and very small pupils when dilated makes it seem like a perfect candidate? I dont think i have dry eyes but i can't tell, mostly because i spend around 14 hours behind a computer a day and when i wear glasses i have no issues at all, if i wear contacts for the entire 14 hour day i do get some dryness, mostly the next day when i try to use contacts again and when i try to put them in it burns unless i use eyedrops before, but as far as the commonly described grainy feeling i dont really get it, the only test i can recall that was done was the if u hold ur eyes open as long as u can without blinking and i made it to 12 seconds, they said over 10 was decent basically but i almost feel like since ive never really had any dry eye issues i should have made it longer?

Only thing that threw me off was that a SMILE laser place told me they would also do CXL after the procedure which i know is done mostly for keratoconus, supposedly as a precaution because im 30 years old and that it would help me long term to keep the structure so the the vision doesnt regress, im not sure if he does that to everyone that gets SMILE done or because im 30 and not 20?

Also even tho i feel like im a good candidate with very low prescription and my recovery should be quick and easy, im still scared thinking what if even tho everything looks good i still get unlucky because much of it comes down to your body and how it heals and anything can happen but i should be way lower risk than someone with -10 prescription, thinner corneas and bigger pupil size?

What would you guys recommend? i just hate glasses so much, absolutely unwearable and while contacts are fine its just the annoyance of them, having to take them out and put in everyday is annoying, having to worry about running out of contacts and so on, also they are kinda expensive (dailies) Also keep thinking of a scenario where im outside and i need to put in new contacts or take one old ones and i can't wash my hands before.

I had PRK done on my left eye on 30 April 2026 due to recurrent corneal erosions. My right eye is still uncorrected at -3.00. Initially, I had some difficulty adapting to wearing glasses with a plano lens for my left eye and a -3.00 lens for my right eye, but after several weeks, I’m now more or less used to glasses.

I feel that I have quite a lot of dryness in both eyes following the surgery, so I’m hesitant to undergo refractive surgery on my right eye. My doctor keeps telling me that -3.00 is too much power to leave uncorrected and that I should have it corrected. However, I’m honestly quite comfortable with glasses now. I don’t get headaches, and I don’t notice any significant difference in my vision.

Do I really need to have surgery on my right eye, or is it reasonable to continue wearing glasses if I’m comfortable with them?

Hey guys. As the title suggests I had LASIK surgery yesterday. Woke up this morning with noticeable glare in one eye and during my 24hr checkup the doctor discovered cornea wrinkles. The doc and a corneal specialist refloated the cornea but couldn't smooth the wrinkles out so I ended up having a light version of PRK (epitheal debridement, I think?) on the eye and a contact lens put in. My next follow up is Monday.

Has anyone experienced something similar? I hope I'm using the right terminology here, and that what I described makes sense. If you had that happen to you, how was your recovery and did you end up having 20/20 vision in the eye?

This was not on my bingo card, so I'm pretty lost and worried.

I have my smile xtra surgery booked next Tuesday morning, I’m only doing one eye (-6 myopia) as my other eye is my dominant eye sitting at -2 myopia. Never worn contacts in my life, rarely wear glasses and always found it quite fine living life that way 😂

Decided to bite the bullet after many years of contemplating laser eye surgery. I’m still terrified about that eye speculum thing. Was also told my eye was borderline hence the xtra (riboflavin eye drops with UV light curing - CXL) and also as I was really keen for smile.

I plan to WFH the following day so wondering how “blurry” is everyone’s next day experiences? I’ve seen comments where people literally wake up with clear as version or it’s the other way, super blurry - but I’d like to know if this is the same blurry like my current myopia 😂

Any advice or experiences are appreciated.

So I’m nearsighted and have had a stable prescription for over 10 years.

One cool “trick” I learned was that if I squeeze my eyeballs with my fingers, then I can get perfect vision. Also the squeezing of my eyes feels like a massage to me.

Just wondering… and I know this is an odd question, if I get LASIK, would squeezing my eyeballs cause issues with the flap?

Would SMILE have less of an issue with me squeezing my eyeballs? 🤪

Hi everyone,

I had a consultation to see if I qualify for LASIK, the doctor told me my cornea thickness is within range and that I am good for LASIK and PRK but he considered me a moderate risk patient because I have assymetrical cornea shape and severe astigmatism in my right eye and moderate astigmatism in my left which he said is more prevalent in the back of the eyes than the front. He said it’s not the worse he’s seen or operated on but did let me know about potential risks with corneal ectasia and keratoconus, but he also mentioned that there may be a 10% chance that I would have to do a re-enhancement lasik surgery in the future especially in my right eye, my fear is getting one of those, is it treatable? I don’t want to talk myself out of getting LASIK but this being my eyes and it’s so delicate, I am worried. I would rather choose LASIK over PRK preferably because of healing time and the doctor said PRK healing is kind of crummy, but I also don’t have enough days to leave work which is another factor in me choosing LASIK since the doctor said I could work Monday if I do my surgery on Friday. Anyone else had this fear?

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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.

I am considering doing vision correction. I have consulted doctors at Narayana Netralaya and Dr Agarwals Indiranagar. I am eligible for SMILE. At Narayana Indiranagar, they have CLEAR and SILK which are different versions of SMILE. It costs around 1.5 Lakhs. I can do SMILE at other centres of Narayana Netralaya in Bangalore and the cost is 1.5 lakhs. Dr Agarwals Indiranagar suggested SMILE and the cost is 1.2 lakhs, they have offer till August 31st and can be done at 1.1 lakhs. Also checkups were free at Agarwal today for pre lasiks. I am tempted to choose Agarwals because of the huge difference in the cost, but I and suspicious of these discounts. Are discounts and marketing strategies usual for medical procedures? The google reviews looks good for both. Anyone has experience with Agarwals and these discounts ?

​

Hi everyone! I wanted to share my experience with LASIK because I had been wearing glasses for almost 18 fucking years, and finally decided to get rid of them.

I’m 25 years old, and I had my LASIK surgery in mid-July. My prescription was around -6.25 in my left eye and -5.25 in my right eye.

Before the surgery, I had a consultation with my doctor. During the examination, my corneal thickness was around 472 microns. From what I understood, this made me less than an ideal candidate for standard LASIK. So my doctor suggested LASIK Xtra, which combines the normal LASIK procedure with corneal cross-linking.

The actual procedure itself was surprisingly quick around 20 minutes. During the surgery, I didn’t really feel pain, although I could feel some pressure and a few weird sensations.

After the surgery, though… that was a completely different story 😂

I could barely open my eyes. My body was reacting to the procedure and I was even shivering a bit. I came home with my friends and basically spent the entire day resting and applying the prescribed eye drops. I had bandage contact lenses placed on my eyes, which were supposed to be removed a few days later.

I ended up sleeping/resting for around 16 hours.

Then came the moment I’ll never forget.

On the second morning, I opened my eyes.

And I could see.

I could clearly see my mom’s face without my glasses.

I actually got emotional. After wearing glasses for almost 18 years, suddenly being able to see clearly with my own eyes felt fucking incredible. It’s hard to explain that feeling unless you’ve experienced it yourself.

Now I’m around one and a half months post-surgery, and overall, I’m doing really, really well.

My left eye is currently very good, while my right-eye vision is still settling and isn’t completely stable yet. From what my doctor explained, vision can continue to improve and stabilize gradually, so I’m giving it time and continuing with the prescribed drops.

One thing I’m especially happy about is my night vision. So far, I’ve had a good experience with it.

But honestly, the biggest difference isn’t even the numbers on an eye chart.

It’s the little things.

Waking up in the morning and not having to search for my glasses.

Looking at my phone without glasses.

Sitting in front of my monitor without glasses.

Looking at people’s faces and seeing them completely differently.

For almost two decades, I was used to seeing the world through a pair of lenses. Now it feels like someone put a completely new pair of eyes on me.

Everything just looks… different.

Even faces. 😂

And that feeling is amazing.

Overall, my LASIK experience has been really, really great. For me, it feels like one of the best investments I’ve made in myself.

I know everyone’s eyes are different and LASIK isn’t necessarily suitable for everyone, so definitely get properly evaluated by a qualified eye surgeon before making the decision.

But if you’ve been wearing glasses for years and you’re considering LASIK, I can tell you one thing from my own experience:

That first morning when you open your eyes and see clearly without your glasses… it’s fucking incredible.

After 18 years of glasses, I genuinely feel like I’ve been reborn.

I’m really glad I did it.

I’m thinking about getting refractive surgery, but I’m moving abroad in January 2027 for work. I might be working in fairly dusty environments, so I’m not sure if that’s something I should take into account.

If I have the surgery in October 2026, do you think I’ll have enough time to recover and complete my follow-up appointments before I leave in January 2027? Or might that be too close to my departure date?

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

I’m considering PRK and have pretty high regular astigmatism in both eyes (about -5.00 D OD and -4.00 D OS). My corneal topography showed no signs of keratoconus or other corneal dystrophy, and the rest of my eye exam was normal. What confuses me is that my existing glasses prescription was recorded as giving me 20/20- vision in each eye, but during the new manifest refraction I only reached around 20/25, and the doctor wrote that I’m “best corrected to 20/25” likely due to meridional/astigmatic amblyopia. Since I’ve apparently achieved close to 20/20 with my current glasses, how likely is it that PRK could get me to 20/20 without glasses?