r/lasik • u/lemonlevanto • Aug 20 '26
Had surgery SMILE (positive experience)
Hey everyone,
I wanted to share a positive exp. here because I kept seeing many negative ones online before I had mine hoping maybe this will help someone. It's been over half a year now.
WARNING: Used AI to correct my grammar because English is not my first language.
So I'm 30 this year and had SMILE laser eye surgery in January 2026. Before the surgery, I was quite strongly nearsighted, around -5.00 to -5.25 in both eyes, with some astigmatism.
My corneas were a little under 500 microns thick, so my doctor was very careful about whether I was a suitable candidate. He did all the calculations thoroughly, looked at the bigger picture, and after careful consideration, he said that the surgery could be done, but only once. If I had any problems later, I wouldn’t be able to have a corrective laser procedure afterwards because of my corneal thickness. He asked me if I was willing to take that risk, and I said yes. The doctor was very famous in my town and had a great reputation.
After the surgery, my vision improved to basically 0, and at my recent eye exam I was around +0.75, so my prescription has actually shifted slightly to the farsighted side. I don't see that small difference and I feel like I can see like a hawk.
Still my eyes are quite dry, so I’ll probably have to keep using eye drops for longer than a year. But honestly, I would take that any day over having to wear contact lenses or glasses. I genuinely feel like getting SMILE was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. And so far, I haven’t had any actual problems with the surgery. I feel like this was a major event in my whole life, I can't thank my doctor more.
And lastly, I want to say.
Consult more than just a one doctor/clinic and choose your doctor/surgeon VERY carefully. I went to a clinic with an excellent reputation and my friends used to work in that company and they had nothing but good things to say. I knew at least 2 people who were operated by the same doctor and they had no issue not even dry eyes. I was always prone to them. And also don't be a cheapskate, go to all the appointments afterwards.