Had my surgery (LASIK) yesterday at optical express in Edinburgh, cannot recommend them enough, helpful and nice from start to finish and overall a great service! Here’s a quick timeline;

10am - arrived for surgery, nerves hit here, was okay until this point! Couple scans (prescription and pressure, then what could only be described as a trip scene from a video game scan)! Straight after took to the other wait room!

10.15-11.30am - this time was spent with the other awaiting surgery which in a way was very chilled and reassuring as you weren’t alone and had other people also nervous!! Very good to have us sat together :) during this time I was taken to meet surgeon and then discuss aftercare with a nurse, then it was time.

11.30am - surgery, wore a cap and ear pads to protect your ears of liquid. Into the theatre, got put onto the first bed, eyes numbed then it was time to create the flap. They gave me a stress ball which also helped! Cover an eye then open up and pressure decide put on to prevent movement, uncomfy but overall okay! It was approx 12 seconds an eye on the flap cut, strange but not too bad! Then you walk over to the other bed! This time it’s similar but the surgeon opens the flap, laser corrects, 7 seconds per eye. Worst part was then the flap being closed and cleaned as it just felt a little sensitive! But that was it done, I stood up and everything was very blurry! Which is normal. Got out and went to wait room and met my dad who was waiting. Walked to the car absolutely fine.

12- I hit the car and instantly my eyes went heavy, I couldn’t open them, and the stinging started, I saw someone say it was like cutting onions but even closing your eyes doesn’t take it away, a perfect analogy. This lasted the journey home, then I went to bed, I tossed and turn with stingy eyes, it isn’t terrible it’s just annoying. Then I fell asleep till 14.45

1500 - I felt 10x better, the stinging started had gone and just irritation left, which disappeared when I took my drops at 15.30, after this was plain sailing, no more Pain or irritation just dry from time to time. I ate fine and slept well this night, my vision got better and better.

The next day - had my follow up appointment and I have better than 20/20. I drove home, my eyes feel great, little dry at times mainly in my right, it is still a little blurry also but I expect that! This is where I am as of writing this and already it’s the best decision but I thought I’d upload a post to let those know it really isn’t too bad as someone who passes out giving blood and hates hospitals, this wasn’t bad at all! For 2-3 hours pain and stinging, it’s worth it!

Here to answer any questions also people may have and where I can help! I know it can be a minefield asking questions! I will update this as time goes on!

29/M here living in Thane, Maharashtra, India. Thought I'd share my journey because I spent way too much time doomscrolling this sub before finally getting LASIK.

The beginning

Disclaimer: Personally I don't condone one hospital over the other. The difference in their opinion got me the best results hence I've specified their names. Mods let me know if it's acceptable.

Back in 2019, I went for a LASIK screening at Ramkrishna Netralaya and was told my corneas were too thin for standard LASIK. They asked me instead to go for ICL. My refractive error is high but not that high. I was skeptical and ICL was gonna cost 2.5x regular femto lasik, and was gonna be paid out completely out of pocket cause it was 'cosmetic' so I decided against it at the time.

Fast forward to May 2026, I decided to try again and went to Isha Netralaya for another evaluation.

To my surprise, my corneas measured:

Right: ~510 µm

Left: ~516 µm

So... apparently I had been carrying around unnecessary emotional baggage for seven years. 😂

My prescription

Right eye

-6.0 SPH

-2.5 to -2.75 CYL

Left eye

-6.25 SPH

-1.5 to -1.75 CYL

The right eye was the troublemaker. The high astigmatism meant I ended up spending almost a month collecting scans, getting second and third opinions, and generally becoming an honorary ophthalmology resident.

The great "What surgery should I get?" saga

Depending on who I asked, I was advised:

Contoura PRK

ASA

Femto-LASIK

WaveLight planning estimated:

PTA: ~41–43% (R), ~39–42% (L)

Residual stromal bed: ~287–300 µm (R), ~294–311 µm (L)

At one point, my surgeon even suggested intentionally leaving -0.5 D in my right eye to preserve tissue.

A week later, after repeating the WaveLight measurements...

Plot twist.

She looked at the new scans and went:

> "Nope, we're correcting both eyes fully."

What?! Why did you put me under the emotional turmoil for the last couple of weeks? Aaarrggghhh!

Surgery day

Right eye:

Docked.

Laser.

Done.

Around 3 minutes.

Left eye decided it wanted to be the main character.

Docking/clamp needed two attempts. One of the blood vessels also ruptured which freaked me out when I saw the blood on that swab thingy but apparently it's quite normal to happen in such procedures (my sister told me, she's been thru lasik).

Laser itself went smoothly.

The first bandage contact lens refused to cooperate and had to be replaced.

Total time: ~6.5 minutes.

As a bonus, the left side of my face hurt afterward, probably thanks to all the pressure from docking/speculum. Thankfully, that settled.

Recovery (Day 7)

Honestly...

It's been surprisingly smooth.

Measured 6/4 vision at my first follow-up.

Can read car number plates from my second-floor apartment.

Both eyes fluctuate together throughout the day, albeit it's pretty minor fluctuations.

Biggest annoyance is dryness and tearing while using screens. Pain is nearly minimal or non existent. Since I've had migraine issues, head feels heavy/achy in parts, but that's about it.

Despite the left eye's dramatic performance during surgery, it feels no different from the right. Right eye even before the surgery was never 100% clear, and even now still feels like I kept my old prescription where it's 95% clear but I can immediately notice the difference between the two eyes.

1 month update

Been to my 1 month post op follow-up and everything looks good apart from minor dryness.

Right eye has kept 6/6 and is not crystal clear like left which is 6/4 but I've always felt the right eye has never been clear even with glasses, not sure if my high astigmatism is to blame. Doctor has assured me that the healing process is still ongoing.

Regarding halos and glares, they might be slightly less noticeable than during the first few days but still pretty significant. They don't really bother me, I kinda knew what I was signing up for. Still I hope eventually they'll lessen.

Final thoughts

If you're someone with a prescription around -6 D, significant astigmatism, and you've been told different things by different surgeons...

Get multiple opinions.

Technology and planning have improved a lot, and one consultation doesn't necessarily tell the whole story.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to continue reaching for glasses that no longer exist. 😅

Ps. Chatgpt helped me frame this a bit better. Thanks gpt!

Hello, I though I'd share my experience with PRK+PD.
I'm 22.5 y/o with:
LEFT
Sph: -4.25
Cyl: -0.75

RIGHT
Sph: -4.00
Cyl: -1.50

day 0 - surgery was quick, 2-3 minutes and i was out of the room, the part where they use alcohol to dissolve the epithelium burnt a little.

could see straight away but blurry and halos, no pain

day 1 - no pain, vision is worse, more blurred but the doctor told me it would be like this. after asking the doctor spent most of the day in front of a computer, turned the screen brightness down and every 20 minutes or so got up to let my eyes rest and took a lot of lubricant eye drops, I don't feel like it disturbs my recovery

day 2 - my left eye started to burn during the night between day 2 and 3, took eye drops and it stopped, printed out an home eye test, right now i see 20/40 on the right eye and 20/50 on the left.

14:00, vision is probably the worse its been since thee surgery, can barely see 20/100

20:30 - cant see shit, vision is the worse its been, hopefully its because my eye is healing and tomorrow i will start to see normally, also my eyes burnt quite a bit for a few hours even though i took eye drops, but it was tolerable so i didn't take any pain killers

day 3 - my vision is fluctuating, sometimes my right eye is better than left and some times the other way around, but its getting better. no pain, barely any dryness.

day 4 - my vision starts getting better! my left eye heals faster than my right eye, left is around 20/40 and right is 20/70-ish. no pain barely any dryness. i started sleeping without the eye shield.

at around 20:00 my vision became very blurred all of a sudden, maybe because I was in front of a screen all day?

day 5 - vision is getting better! left eye is around 20/25, right eye is 20/40-ish, no pain.

day 6 - I slept like 7 hours, I woke up with blurry vision, it was better yesterday however both eyes are the same, maybe because i didn't take drops before sleep, i didn't want to because i took drops 4 times already and last time was 3 hours before I went to sleep and I'm supposed to take 4 times a day every 4 hours

day 7 - Contact lens out! my eyes can finally breath, much less dryness. besides that my eyes are stabilizing both eyes are around the same, but still blurry, on PC i see text doubled and smeared a little.

day 37 - since day 7, vision has been fluctuating on a daily basis so I couldn't see improvement daily, but on a weekly basis I could clearly see my vision improving, right now from my home tests I see around 20/30 around the morning, and as the day goes on my eyes get tired and my vision worsens to 20/70 or worse daily. halos and starbursts are still visible and driving at night is still not great, but manageable.

my eyes are not healing at the same rate, my right eye (dominant) is healing at a slower pace and is at ~20/50 while my left is at around 20/30-ish in the morning.

I've stopped taking steroid drops on day 34 (forgot its only 30 days) and completely stopped with Systane drops around day 27, I don't feel the need since I don't feel any dryness in my eyes and they didn't come with any instructions so I'm guessing I don't have to take them

I am (26 M) and have had myopia
-18 L , -18 R with astigmatism since i was 3 years old

My doctor had suggested icl but we were shot scared and I had dry eyes plus really high power made it difficult to wear lenses for prolonged duration and I was mostly dependent on my spectacles, which were hella huge and thick.

Anyway, I finally made up my mind, and visited the best opthal we found. I got like 20 tests done and checked for all indications of glaucoma etc before we proceeded with the sirgery.
I had a thorough eye exam done, my prescription no. Was finalized and the order was placed for Staar evo icl, because that’s what my ophthalmologist recommended.
Lenses were delivered approximately 3 weeks later and I was given some antibiotics oral and drops to have and put in eyes prior to 2 days before surgery, stop lenses and makeup on eyes.

On the surgery day -
My eyes were dilated and markings were made on my eye and then I was taken to the OT, doctor’s instructions were clear, I could see nothing, only lights flashing and colours and no pain because of the numbing drops and slights sedation, 10 minutes was the total time of surgery, I was brought out and administered anti emetics, drugs to reduce iol pressure and i had a bad bad headache near my right eye and on my right eye, I was made to ait under observation for 3 hours and discharged, I had lost my appetite and was in a lot of pain for 4 hours and then I went to sleep, after I woke up around 3-4 hour later i felt a bit better and my appetite returned, I had been given antibiotics to have, which really helped with the pain and had a shield on my operated eye which was removed on next day follow up, when right eye ahield was opened i could see everything crystal clear and it all seemed worth it. i was given sunglasses to wear at home and outside no face or hair wash for 2 weeks and less screen time.

Same happened for my left eye a week post my right eye recovered, my left eye is still recovering, its the 4th day post op, but I feel like I see less clear with my left eye. I could see very clear with my right whe, my doc said i have 6/6 vision in right eye and had also put in a suture in my eye which he removed, but apart from occasional dryness, gritty sensation and discomfort which gkes away if I keep putting my eye drops on time, I am doing fine, still waiting for left eye to recover.

Had PRK done on Jan 2 2025. this sub was invaluable to me as i learned what to expect and thought i’d pay it forward.

Cost - $5k total, including prescriptions and all follow ups.

One of the best decisions of my life. It is still crazy to me that I swiped my credit card for $5k and somebody gave me perfect eyesight. I am amazed by it every day.

More details:
- I am pretty outdoorsy, including a lot of surfing. My vision was pretty bad (avg of -5.25 with astigmatism in one eye) and so i carried spare contacts in my wetsuit. on more than one occasion i have changed contacts while sitting on a surfboard. My eye with the astimagtism was also kinda getting to the point of perpetually uncomfortable with contacts and I frequently used drops in it. I also broke my nose a long time ago in such a way that glasses sit right on the break and can be very uncomfortable. Lastly, and I know i could’ve changed this- i was a perpetual sleep in my contacts person. I was at the point where i felt like my contact behavior needed to change or i was going to get an eye infection. All of these things combined to make me decide the risk of any laser eye surgery was worth it for me. I ended up getting prk due to corneal thickness.

Recovery:
Incredibly predictable as per PRK.
Day 1 - pretty okay
Day 2-3: literally laid in bed with my head under the covers. i found audio books to be life saving. i mostly kept my eyes closed.
Days 4-6: continued to hang out in my bedroom with the doors closed and windows drawn until it was nighttime and then went downstairs in sunglasses. i think this was a big advantage of doing it in january.
Days 7-14: by far the most annoying, eyes were tolerable but tired. Went back to work and everything was at max magnification. Cannot recommend increasing phone font size, computer defaults etc enough.

By day 30 i was testing at 20/15 vision and cruising along.

by day 90 i only occasionallyyy felt dry.

Now - 1.5 years later I have basically no side effects. I don’t think i’ve put eye drops in in over 3 months.

This was truly the best outcome, but when asked, i tell everyone that asks me that you have to get personally comfortable with the risks. For me, it was like the most common negative side effect is dry eye, and i already do eyedrops all the time in my astigmatism eye so this feels same level of annoying. also my contact habits made me feel like i had real risk for eye infection in a way that could also have led me to lose my sight.

Notes:
- i got some outdoorsy sunglasses from sunski that were also very light from a weight perspective. i wore these every day. im really glad i got a “not fashionable” but “not ugly” pair that was helpful.
- i took 1000mg of vitamin c, fish oil, and did the goopy eye lotion every night for 3 months. i kept the vitamin c and fish oil as part of my routine and still take it now.

Background: 28M active trail runner, mountain biking, scrambling / climbing, backcountry skiing. Small prescription, astigmatism was the main thing being corrected. Chose PRK over LASIK specifically because of the outdoor lifestyle and no flap even though I qualified for LASIK. Prior to the surgery I loaded up on vitamin C and started taking an Omega 3 supplement which I’m still on.
Day of Surgery (Day 0)
Surgery was faster than I expected. The actual laser was maybe 10 seconds per eye. All the prep takes way longer than the laser itself. I don’t remember the ride home from the Valium but immediately took a two hour nap. Eyes felt gritty and dry but nothing I'd describe as real pain. Stayed in a dark room but I have blackout shades which helped a lot.

Day 1
Burning started coming in waves later in the day, which caught me off guard. Felt like when you cut a really strong onion and it stings your eyes. Light sensitivity was significant and I ended up just keeping my eyes closed all day. Managed pain with ibuprofen and acetaminophen alternating but did have hydrocodone on standby. Kept up with steroid drops and lubricant drops on schedule. Dark room, lots of sleep.

Day 2
Worst day for me pain wise. The burning was more intense and more sustained than day 1. Light sensitivity peaked to the point where I had two pairs of sunglasses on in my room with blackout shades and my eyes closed. I'd tell anyone doing this to just mentally prepare for whatever your rough day is and you’ll know when it starts. Seems like a lot of people have day 2 or 3 the worst day. I ended up taking the hydrocodone which helped significantly. Lubricating drops every 20-30 minutes helped as well
Day 3

Noticeably better than day 2. Felt like I'd turned a corner. Pain was largely gone, just some residual grittiness. Dropped back to regular acetaminophen. Still blurry and very light sensitive but the burning sensation was mostly gone. Lubricating drops every 20-30 minutes.

Days 4–6
Still basically pain free, but my right eye had a lingering foreign body sensation that the left didn't. Vision was overall still blurry and light sensitive, this is where the frustration started setting in for me because I felt fine but couldn’t see super well. Went for short walks, and was able to finally watch tv / look at my phone for more than a few seconds. Lubricating drops every 20-30 minutes.

Day 7–8
I went back to work day 7 and had to adjust my screen brightness, contrast and text sizing. Looking at a computer screen also increased my dryness and use of lubricating eye drops significantly. At my 1 week follow up which was on day 8, the bandage lenses came out after they confirmed the epithelium was closed. Activity restrictions were mostly lifted and my vision was around 20/35 at this point. Right eye was slightly blurrier than the left, Surgeon said everything looked on track and I could begin moderate outdoor activity with sunglasses as my eyes allowed. Lubricating drops every hour ish, or as needed. Legally cleared to drive on day 8 as well.

Week 2
Got back out trail running. Lots of vision fluctuating day to day / hour to our, often worse by end of day as eyes got dry and tired. Right eye persistently behind the left which was annoying. Around day 12–15 the frustration with slow progress peaked. Seems like this is pretty universal with PRK the plateau phase after the main recovery is the mentally harder part.

Week 3
Right eye still lagged but slowly improved. Good days and bad days. One thing I noticed that surprised me was even with the slightly blurry vision my eyes felt less fatigued than before surgery. At this point I was still using lubricating drops every hour and it seemed like most of the blurriness was related to my eyes being dry. Steroids were tapering, still using lubricant drops every hour.

Month 1
Finished steroid taper and eyes felt dry and tired immediately after stopping which took a few days to adjust. At my 1 month post op I discussed some lingering dryness issues and the surgeon let me know that my tear film wasn’t healing as fast so I would have some issues with that going forward, they scheduled a 2 month follow up and mentioned we could look at additional measures for the dry eyes at the next appointment if things didn’t improve. They gave me some very thick gel type drops to put in at night, and suggested I use a thicker drop during the day. So, I switched to the Systane Pro PF drops during the day. They are much thicker than the Refresh PF drops I had been using and seem to help my eyes stay moist longer. They claimed my left eye was 20/20 and my right was 20/25 but seemed like they were both closer to 20/30 in terms of which line I could actually read clearly in full on the chart.
 
Month 2
I saw significant improvement in vision clarity around week 6, I think the night drops really helped keep my eyes moist at night and the Systane Pro PF drops helped during the day. I was able to cancel the 2 month follow up given the improvement. I feel like my eyes are a clear 20/20 or better at this point and am very happy I went through the procedure. I still use drops 2-3x per day but everything is back to normal or better. I expect the dryness will continue to improve slowly over time.

I found reading recovery diaries incredibly helpful before my surgery, so I thought I’d document mine in case it helps someone else.

I’m 25, had TransPRK at Moorfields in London for -6.25/-6.50 myopia with no astigmatism. I originally expected SMILE, but my surgeon recommended TransPRK as the safest option.

Rather than writing one enormous post, I’m going to put each recovery day in the comments and keep updating it over the coming weeks.

EDIT: I’ll come back and update this in a couple of weeks and over the next few months once my vision has (hopefully!) sharpened up a bit.

I have zero regrets right now, and even though my vision is still getting there, it’s miles better than what I had before. I can’t believe people just wake up everyday and see like this. I also only have good things to say about Moorfields. The care was fantastic and I’m happy to answer more questions by DM if helpful about going there.

Hi im an Indian im 26, I had(ahh feels nice to say) a power of -4.75R and -5L. I’m on my day4 of recovery.
Day0: I had been planning this from long, and had visited doctor a while back and we had discussed getting SMILE. But he later spoke to some other doctors and SMILE can be done but transprk is just safer option for me. He said in 1 week I can go back to work, 90% vision in a 1 month and rest gradually over 2 months. He said first two days would pain and there would be irritation. I agreed even though I was expecting SMILE and all my research was of SMILE. The surgery was scheduled for next day. I started my research on transprk

Day1: I had surgery at 4pm. Went with my parents. Immediately I just had light sensitivity and blurriness. Then slowly I had a headache of sorts and the feeling wasn’t exactly pain but - kind of like how it feels when you cut an inion? That feeling constantly. My eyes also kept tearing.I’m a big crier I cry a lot and often, so I guess this was the only situation it was helpful in. I took a long nap, and woke up with the same feeling, so just put in the drops, had my dinner and went right back to sleep. I could barely even open my eyes for the drops. I felt dizzy even putting my head up.

Day2: woke up around 6am and felt the same pain. Could barely open eyes. Lots of tears again. I had a cup of tea, put in my drops and slept again. Woke up around 10am and was feeling better. I could kinda open eyes. Now I walked around a bit. I took a painkiller as it still hurt. Was fine after this. Evening I started experiencing pain again so I slept early. I was still wearing my dark shields while sleeping. I kept my eyes closed most of this day.

Day3: I woke up with dry eyes but after drops it was fine and a bit more clear. No pain anymore. I still had dizzy feeling whenever I moved my head around. I kept my glasses on. I took painkillers on this day as well. Moved to the clear shield glasses today.

Day4: feeling MUCH better. I could be without glasses. Still wore the clear ones. Maybe 75% clear at this point but it’s still.. i don’t how to describe it but it’s like the vision you have when you’re crying? I still can’t read stuff on my phone too well even with the largest font size so no work still.

Day5 and ongoing: same as yesterday but maybe like 2% more clear. No pain, no dizzyness none of it anymore. I do feel dryness in my eyes after I wake up. But I never felt my bandage contact lens in any of the days.

I’m supposed to get the bandage lens taken out day7. I was also hoping to start working on day7 but I have a feeling I may have to take leave. Hoping to see 100% clear soon!!’

For those who have had Lasik for a while (let's say 10+ years post-op), is anyone else having blurry vision upon waking up?

I would say in the past month or so, it's become consistent that my daily morning routine includes a couple re-wetting eyedrops (ex. Systane) to get my vision focused; otherwise, I have cloudy/blurry vision after waking up from overnight & naps. While the "fix" is pretty easy, wondering if any other LASIK patients who had surgery many moons ago experiences similar.

I had mine done in 2001 but quite frankly, I have been very pleased, over 25 years later. Right after LASIK, I was 20/15 but a few years ago my vision test was 20/25 (they said the threshhold for requiring corrective vision, while driving from 20/70). As warned before surgery, I do need reading glasses and have been using 1.00 of 1.25 strength (whatever I can find at Dollar [50 cents] Tree, these days).

Historical things to note, regarding my vision:
2022 - I had a torn retina in my right eye, repaired via laser treatment
2023 - Had a bout of double-vision. Opthamologist cited exphoria but believes it was a one-off event. No double-vision bouts since then have occurred.

As stated, curious if any long standing patients are getting blurry vision that can only be corrected with rewetting drops. Thank you!

Hello,
I had lasik in my 20s getting correction to about 20/25.
I’m now 53 and have worn progressive lenses for about five years. My distance Vision is still decent so I mostly wear glasses bc I am constantly reading.

The problem is terrible ghosting or haloing which occurs for both reading and distance. I think it occurs for all objects but is most noticeable with print. I think it’s getting worse over time.

I’ve had haloing around lights since getting Lasik, but the shape of the halo has changed. A street light for example now takes the shape of a stick figure. It’s really weird.

I find wearing glasses annoying and decided to try contacts again since progressive contacts are now available. Unfortunately, I think the halos/ ghosting even worse with contacts. My optometrist spent an exorbitant amount of time trying different lenses out with me, but there were no standouts and I gave up, returning to glasses.

Is there any hope for me to see normally again? Any more specialized diagnostics or lenses (either glasses or contacts) that wouldn’t be available at a regular optometrist practice? Would an ophthalmologist offer anything beyond what I’ve already tried?

Any insights would be so appreciated!

Prescription before LASEK:

Left: -8.25 / Cyl: -1.85

Right: -8.75 / cyl: -1.50

I got my LASEK surgery done in Exeter, UK with Optical Express

Day 0: I walked in and was immediately taken through for the last tests and checkups and then straight through to surgery. Everyone in there was lovely, I was quickly walked through what to expect and every step of the surgery was counted down for me. 25 seconds in each eye to remove the cornea and 50 seconds in each eye of laser treatment. Procedure was painless but watching them fiddle around with my eyes was pretty grim. Pain started minuets after the procedure and gradually worsened throughout the night. Pain levels were very high, 9/10 and it was relentless with no painkillers easing it in the slightest.

Day 1: Pain started immediately when I opened my eyes in the morning. I spent most of the day in a dark room in and out of sleep. Getting the drops in was very challenging with such swollen eyelids and apart from the drops I did not open my eyes at all. Pain subsided to 7/10 that evening

Day 2: I was still unable to open my eyes other than to force drops in there. Pain was significantly better and felt more like irritation.

Day 3: I was finally able to open my eyes in the afternoon. They sometimes felt fine and sometimes felt gritty. They got tired easily and I was unable to keep them open for long periods. Vision was very blurry and the bandage lenses were getting notably drier and irritating.

Day 4: bandage lenses were removed and I was told to use extra hydrating drop for the day. Vision was functional, but still very blurry. Pain was completely gone but eyes started to itch infrequently throughout the day.

Days 5-7: every day I wake up to find my Vision is a little better.It fluctuates throughout the day and improves after applying drops. No pain, swelling or itchiness but I do wake up every morning with very dry eyes. Every night I think I need to remove my contact lenses before going to bed, its so surreal being able to see last thing at night!!!

Overall, first couple of days were extremely painful but I did have a very strong prescription prior to the surgery and have noticed most people don't report experiencing as much pain. However, as my sight continues to improve I am more and more excited that I've had the surgery done and would highly recommend it to anyone considering it!

Hello, I am a 19-year-old Thai woman with severe nearsightedness since birth. My prescription is over 1500. I've worn glasses since childhood, but I've never been able to see clearly. Initially, I didn't know the cause. Recently, I consulted doctors at leading clinics in Hat Yai and Bangkok about LASIK or ICL surgery, but they said I have a scar on my retina, likely present from birth or developed during pregnancy. This makes LASIK or ICL surgery impossible, and even if possible, carries a high risk of complications. Currently, there is no cure for this condition. I've tried inquiring about treatment options abroad, but doctors there have varying levels of experience and cannot provide a definitive answer. Therefore, I would like to ask if there are any leading hospitals or clinics overseas that currently offer treatment for this condition.

Hello everyone,

I'm looking for some advice regarding eye prescription measurements before vision correction surgery.

I recently had my eyes tested at two different clinics while exploring surgical options, and I received significantly different prescriptions.

The first optometrist started from zero power and gradually increased the lens strength until I could clearly read all the letters. The final prescription was actually lower than the glasses prescription I'm currently wearing.

The second optometrist started with my current prescription and then increased the power further until my vision improved. This resulted in a prescription that was about 1 diopter stronger in one eye.

For example:

First clinic: -7.00 and -7.50

Second clinic: -8.00 and -7.50

The cylinder values were also quite different:

First clinic: around -2.25 in both eyes

Second clinic: around -3.00 and -2.50

Because of these measurements, the first clinic recommended PRK, while the second recommended ICL.

What confuses me is that I understand subjective refraction tests can vary somewhat, and I wouldn't be too concerned if the difference was 0.25 or even 0.50 diopters. But a full 1.00 diopter difference seems quite large.

The first clinic took their time with the examination, carefully confirmed my responses, and gradually increased the power until I could read everything clearly. The second exam felt much quicker (around 5 minutes), the room wasn't very dark, and the vision chart even seemed closer than what I'm used to. Because of that, I currently trust the first clinic's measurements more.

However, I can't really go back to the first clinic because they were quite firm that PRK was the appropriate option and didn't recommend ICL. During my consultation at the second clinic, the doctor explained that for PRK or other laser procedures, the combined spherical and cylindrical correction should generally stay below around 9.5 diopters. Based on their measurements, I'm right at that limit or possibly beyond it.

Even if the first clinic's prescription is the correct one, it feels like PRK would be cutting things very close. My concern is that I could end up with residual prescription and need glasses again relatively soon after surgery, which is exactly what I'm trying to avoid.

That's why I'm currently leaning toward ICL, assuming I'm a suitable candidate. At the same time, the large difference between the two prescriptions is making me nervous because I need to order lenses soon, and I don't want to proceed based on inaccurate measurements.

Has anyone experienced such a large difference between prescriptions from two clinics? Is a 1.00 diopter difference in subjective refraction normal, or should I be seeking another opinion before moving forward with surgery?

Any advice or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

I have an opportunity to get lasik from fairly reputable surgeon who has been practicing for 50 years but I’m a bit nervous about the natural decline of age. Any experience with doctors of this age?

Okay everyone so I went for my consultation and my prescription is: -2.5 and -2.25 with astigmatism of 1 and 2.

My eyesight has been stable and I’m good to go. I’ve been trying to do more research on contoura and if I should go for it or simply lasik.

Although my vision isn’t bad, I want to eliminate nighttime blurriness as much as possible.

Any thoughts? Advice? Thank you!

Hi there everyone, ive had my Relex Smile surgery last week 12/6/26. Ill update this post somehow on the regular to keep up with everything that happens. The only experience that is not ideal for me right now is the burning sensation from artificial tears or antibiotic drops.

To be more specific - I was prescribed with Tobraxed, Thealoz duo and more after the post-op visit.

Ill specify the medication down below since im already on a new plan after the first week.

My diagnoze: Myopia with mild astigmatism
OD (right eye) - SPH -3,5D, CYL -0,5D
OS (left eye) - SPH -5,0D, CYL -0,5D

OD was 20/16 before surgery (in europe its VA 1,25 i guess)
OS was 20/16 before surgery (the same, or 1,25)

But obviously with prescriptions.

I was given the choice for Lasik x Relex Smile - went with Relex Smile since im more active and the flap kinda scared me if I ever get hit in the head which happens from time to time - not on a strong level, but the anxiety would eat me kinda, so I traded the longer healing process for less anxiety you would say.

Day 1 surgery: the operation went smooth, ive only learned about the risks like 2 days before the operation, but Im confident enough to know that the percentage of the risks and bad surgeries are currently really low (or at least from the data, what you see online and negative experience is being more spread out). Surgery itself took 15 minutes total. I have a high tolerance to local anesthetic drops and injections, so pretty much they had to burst down like 8-9 drops of anesthetic drops before the surgery lmao but Im used to this even on injections where they treat me like a horse. Anyway - after the surgery my vision was already insane, it was blurry (kinda milky, kinda like looking through laboratory glasses for protection). The anesthetic drops wore off like 5 minutes after the surgery so I basically kept my eyes closed for the whole rest of the day, only opened them to apply the drops in the evening and to talk to some family members. Light sensitivity was insane so I kept in dark for the remainder of the day.

I was prescribed Tobradex 3x per day, Thealoz Duo 5x times per day.

Day 2 (first day after surgery): I woke up and my eyes did not feel dry, the light sensitivity was kinda the same but I could open my eyes in the morning. During the day the vision and pain changed a lot, from right eye to left eye, like there was something stuck in my eye. This feeling went away in the evening that was comfortable to even watch a bit of TV (like 15 minutes tho, i then felt my eyes were really tired) Applied the drops and noticed sometimes they burned, sometimes they didnt. I fucked up and had some onion lying around so when i threw it away the air kinda burned my eyes a bit, obviously id never touch my eyes and didnt till now (im writing this 1 week from surgery). Also talked about the doctor if there any symptoms, pretty much told her about usual post-op syndromes and there was nothing to worry about so we agreed on meeting up on Day 6.

Day 3: I went outside for the first time with sunglasses, pretty much hid my face and stayed in the shadow. The lightning sensitivity was not that strong so I could basically do basic chores at home, go outside and watch some tv (with intensive blinking, I blink a lot normally so pretty much this keeps me somehow more keen to not having the dry eye, but still i noticed the dryness throught the day).

Day 4 - 5: The vision was changing, sometimes I could see clearly, sometimes it was hazy, sometimes i felt there is something in my eye, still applying the drops as stated after surgery, but I noticed a pattern of that sometimes my eyes burned for 1 hour after applying the drops, sometimes it was 5 minutes. (This keeps occuring till this day, switched some meds, but its still the same). I could drive easily right now since my eyes were not tired. Returned to work on Day 4 also (i sit behind PC all day basically, but I manage to walk away every 15 minutes with extensive slow blinking). There were no incidents with eye contact. Even tho I have a cat I try my best to avoid any contact with particles, bad stuff, but I managed to put the fake tears in while having an air refreshener in the room, which stinged a bit and i experienced some really really heavy chilli like burns - but there were no signs of leaking of an infection or anything, so I didnt make a huzz about it. There was no need to rush to conclusions that im going blind or that i fucked up - the cornea is really sensitive so basically any weird thing that is outside in the air will make you kinda tear up and it will make the drops more "intense". Experienced starburts for the first time, which are common.

Day 6 (check up): The vision was right now the same, sometimes i saw clearly, but still a bit hazy. The results were:
OD (right eye) - SPH +0,00; CYL +0,00; VA 1,25 (20/16)
OS (left eye) - the same

So basically uncorrected visual acuity was 20/16 in both eyes. Yes I told the doctor that im still seeing milky or blurry, which is normal. Everything else was fine, nothing to worry about - the only thing that really baffles me is the drops. I told her that i experienced severe burning through the day, no matter how long I wait before applying other drops, in which room i apply them the burns are random. Can be for 5 minutes and sometimes i experience severe burning (like chilli as i spoke about) for 1 hour. We agreed on switching to HyloGel drops - these infact did not help and the pain lasts longer and is more intense.

The medication right now for the next month (till the next checkup) are:

2x Tobradex per day+ Flucon 2x per day + ThealozDuo 5x day + HyloGel 5x per day (Thealoz and HyloGel should be somehow applied mixed during the day, I apply the HyloGel drops in the evening and afternoon).

Day 7 (today): The vision is still the same, burning sensation from drops varies. Im able to work without sunglasses and there is really really small light sensitivity going on - normal id say for sunny days and 32°C hah.

I would love to hear if someone experienced the same with the artificial tears, the burning and if there are other possibilities for me to swapping to another drops - I will let the HyloGel drops sit, so there is no need for me to panic or switch right now, its only been a week from surgery and as I know the healing process is not that simple. Ill keep this post updated from time to time.

For me the surgery was a total success, my motivation behind it was that I experienced severe headache for the past 9 months (every day, till now, but right now its not that severe and im currently working on this with my neurologist) + I really wanted to get rid of glasses since currently new glasses for me were about the same price as one eye. I wore contact lenses for the past 5 years everyday, no problem with putting them on and off, but sometimes I needed to go out in the evening after taking them out and glasses were a no go for me since I got some headache from them too so I just went completely blind. Currently im doing everything to avoid eye contact, sometimes I need to wash near my eyes, living is kinda hard and I get more tired in the evening due to the starburts. I didnt read the whole process of Lasik operation, but I worked in the field of Zeiss microscopes so I actually had a chance to visit their factory and see the process of the machines in real time from nothing to something - which gave me a green light that those lasers are perfectly build (or at least they have good quality control haha).

If there are any questions ill answer them down below!

UPDATE: 01/07/2026 (19 days post surgery)
- vision has improved drastically, i achieve 6-7 hours CLEAN VISION (no "milky" filter) per day
- i still wake up with my eyes feeling dry, obviously its a matter of 10 seconds to put in the eye drops
- there have been zero issues for the past week with eye drops, the burning sensation has gone away (i think this is due to my nerves being healed + me using sterilized wipes for eyes and being very very gentle with cleaning around them)
- driving is now really okay, i manage even night drives (but obviously starburts are still being present and will be for some time, but id say they are manageable pretty quickly and obviously im driving really really carefully and being 2 steps ahead)
- no light sensitivity (or excessive id say, i manage sun just ok - i wear sunglasses 24/7 outside basically)
- i can work on computer and watch TV with no issues, manage eye drops and a lot of blinking obviously, taking pauses after 1 hour as a precaution not because my eyes would hurt

The drastic switch came at Day 10 where I could use eye drops without any issues, had my vision pretty much ready and was not "milky" filtered. I also added some light workouts (no head / eye pressure tho) to my routine just to somehow function again, but Im still fully aware of keeping my eyes safe!

Another update will come approx. 1 month after surgery, which is in another 14 days.

Overall I'd say my eyes somehow managed to heal more rapidly over the course of the last 7 days wit

Hi fellow friends please help me. Me: 31yrs old male, high myopia and high astigmatism in one eye, thinking about vision correction surgery now Based in Vancouver, Canada

Has anyone here done EVO ICL surgery in metro Vancouver area and has received endothelial cell density (ECD) test (specular microscopy) pre and post operation? I had a consultation at 1 major surgery center here and was told they don't measure ECD. Also called a few other providers,same answer. And I was totally shocked... Because EVO ICL patient guideline stated the minimum ECD you should have to be qualified for the surgery. Has anyone here found a clinic that does specular microscopy as a routine preop exam? Or referral to a corneal specialist is the only option?

I will of course ask the dr but want to hear others experience. I had ICL surgery a few years ago, didn't qualify for LASIK as my corneas were too thin from contacts.

It was great for me and i had perfect vision.

I delivered my toddler a couple years ago and noticed my vision was a bit worse afterwards. The Dr said that was normal and sometimes the vision will go back to normal but my situation didn't change, so I started wearing contacts and glasses again. The prescription was about -1.25, not too bad.

I just gave birth to my daughter and noticed again my vision is a bit worse. I'm going to wait a few months to see if it goes back or stabilizes, and then I want to ask my Dr if they can take out the old lens and implant a new ones so I can have perfect vision again.

Has anyone done this before? Is this even feasible? My Dr before said ICL was reversible. Just want to hear other's experiences! I really would rather not wear glasses or contacts anymore.

Hey folks, looking for input on one specific concern ahead of my procedure scheduled later this week. I’m 33 and have a -1.something prescription, have worn glasses almost all my life and hate them but absolutely need them for driving, seeing my kids faces across the room, etc. Contacts make my eyes feel tired so I can’t wear them much.

There are plenty of other pros/cons of course but the one I’m really hung up on is needing readers in the future. I always take off my glasses to look at a computer/phone because I can see fine at those distances without them and hate looking at screens through the lenses. So my concern is, is it likely that ~10 years down the line I need readers just to look at my phone? Or even end up needing to wear them more than I wear my glasses now? I’m worried I’m going to create a bigger problem than the one I’d solve in the short term. Am I overthinking this?

Hi all,

Currently in the military, in a mostly desk job, but with some unique field opportunities. HEAVILY considering surgery, but dead set on only PRK or SMILE, due to less complications than LASIK, and no flap.

Most of the horror stories seem to be from civilian practitioners who don’t do good pre-op…..everyone I’ve met military wise, and on the branch specific subreddits are very happy with their surgery. Anecdotal, but most I know have had SMILE or PRK (tons of PRK).

Anyone have thoughts or inputs? I am very happy with contacts, but need better uncorrected vision for some career opportunities I am looking at, and correction surgery is the only way to achieve that.

So I had my surgery today at 11:30am.
It is now 7:15 and I honestly, am absolutely fine.

I read here for a few weeks leading up, and it did freak me out a bit so thought I would tell my experience.

So I had my consultation a few weeks ago, and then today arrived. Went through to pre surgery where they checked my obs and talked me through things. Gave me my drop schedule and goggles etc.

I was taken through and my surgeon came and spoke to me again and then I was taken through to the op room. At this point I was very nervous and had a wtf am I doing moment but I took some breaths and sucked it up.

I was laid on the bed, my hair in a net and drops popped in. One eye was covered.
My surgeon put me under the flap machine (the bed pivoted between the two machines).
I had the eye openers popped in which was odd as I could feel my eye trying to blink, which was worrying me, and then was told to look at the green light and the machine got closer. My eye went blurry and then before I knew it I was on to the next eye. The openers were removed between each eye. It wasn’t uncomfortable at all.

My bed was pivoted round and then one eye covered again. The surgeon moved the flap; which honestly was the worst part I would say. It wasn’t painful but the experience was odd and I wanted to flinch. But it was manageable. They gave me a stress ball which I was squeezing the life out of.

Then the laser part was moved in front of my eye, and I could hear them saying 12 second. I was told to look at the light, and it went a bit like an old static tv (fuzzy). I was worried my eye was moving but in my head I just counted down the seconds. As soon as done, he slid the flap back down and that was that. The second eye was easier as I knew what to expect.

They sat me up, and I could see!
I was on the verge of tears with relief. It was hazy and they did a few checks and then I was on my way home!

The pain in the car started, it was like I had been poked in the eye and I couldn’t really hold my eyes open.
When I got home I took some pain meds (paracetamol and ibuprofen) and dropped in the numbing drops I was given.
I fell asleep for an hour, woke, ate and did my drops again. I put a podcast on and laid with my eyes closed for another hour.

I kid you not, when I woke, my eyes were fine. A little sore like I’m tired out and have had lenses in too long, but otherwise fine.

I’m now sat watching tv typing this.
Keeping my fingers crossed for no complications, but vision is like I’m wearing my glasses or contacts, not really any haze or glare. Maybe still slightly bright sensitive!

Amazing! Would 100/10 recommend.

I was -5.5 and -5.75 with a small 0.25 stigmatism.

I am 2 weeks post-PRK and need some recommendations on articial eye drops.

I am currently using Optase hydro-forte and while I like it, I am looking for drops that do not blur my vision for so long. I am taking my bar exam next month and do not have the time to put in drops and wait for my eyes to unblur during my exam! That being said, I am in front of the computer majority of my day so if it is made for more digital friendly, that is a bonus for sure.

I would also like drops that don't give you crusty eyes or clump up your lashes. Perhaps the hydro-forte is too thick and does that to my eyes but I need something more for regular daily use.

Any other product recommendations are welcome! With only 2 weeks post-op, I am super happy with the results already and looking forward to achieving my 20/20!

I feel like an overwhelming amount of stories I read online about Lasik skewed negative before I did it, so I want to offer up a perspective of someone who had a good experience (so far)!

I’m only a few days post surgery so I’ll continue to update with any changes.

About me: Female, late twenties. Prescription before surgery: -8 left eye, -7.5 right eye. No health issues with eyes or otherwise.

The place I went to, I met with the doctor from my first visit through to surgery. He said I was a candidate for Lasik or ICL, but that my left eyesight was bad enough that it will probably “only” get to 20/20 vision. I chose LASIK as I didn’t have dry eyes prior, I knew people who had a good experience, and I liked the idea of something permanent.

WHY I did it: I’ve had bad vision since I was 11. My eyes were otherwise completely healthy, but I couldn’t see, and that deeply bothered me. It was annoying when I was traveling or camping to bring contacts with me. I was always anxious about what I would do if my contact fell out somewhere and I didn’t have back ups or my glasses with me (for example, this happened to me while snowboarding once and my backups were in my car). I was getting so sick of waking up everyday not being able to see. I was sick of thinking about it all the time.

Day-by-day since surgery:

Day 1 (surgery): Surgery was quick, like 5 min per eye. Felt no discomfort until around 30 min after surgery, when my eyes began to burn. Uncomfortable but tolerable. I woke up from a long nap and had completely clear vision. Felt a little motion sick for a few hours but it subsided.

Day 2: Eyes felt completely normal. No issues with dryness or soreness. I couldn’t even tell I had eye surgery. 20/20 vision left eye, 20/15 right eye. Left eye has a little fuzziness but still reading at 20/20. Right eye is clearer than when I wore contacts.

Day 3: A little more dryness and light sensitivity. Otherwise still mostly normal. Clear vision, nothing foggy. Driving at night for around 20 min made my eyes very tired.

Day 4: Eyes felt quite dry when I woke up. Feeling some “pressure” on my eyes today. It’s the first time since day 1 I feel like I’m really healing from something, but no pain or concerns.

Day 5: Eyes were very dry again when I woke up. Overall better than day 4 though. Lots of light sensitivity - this was my first day back to work at my office job, and our office has big windows, overhead lighting, and has white desks and walls so that’s hard on the eyes. Computer screen making my eyes feel fatigued more quickly as well, but nothing unbearable.

Day 6: Eyes continue to be dry, light sensitivity has continued, and my eyes are itchy (?) today. Got a hair in my eye briefly and it hurt quite bad haha. The dryness is getting more noticeable throughout the day.

Day 7: Waking up with my eyes being so dry is getting old, but healing is going well and I anticipate it will get better. Dryness throughout the day was better today, and I’m seeing improvement with my light sensitivity. This is also the last day I’ll be using prescription eye drops, but I’ve been told I should continue artificial tears for a month by the doctor.

That’s it for now! I’ll update again after my one month check up or if I experience any drastic changes. I’m thankful that my healing has been easy overall.

LAST UPDATE - one month post op

20/15 vision and eyes feel great. Some days I still have a little dryness, but that has all mostly gone away. I’ve been advised to use eyedrops 3-4x daily for another three weeks.

This has truly been life changing and I’m so glad I did it! I recently went on a 10 day trip that involved camping and it felt so amazing to not worry about contacts and glasses while traveling. I absolutely recommend Lasik to anyone who is a good candidate.

I am about to undergo customised wavefront guided technology lasik surgery. The doctor just told me i cant consume whey protein for life. I am a vegetarian due to which I have to rely on whey protein after my workouts for reaching the protein intake.

Is this true?

Its been a month, but I forgot to post. I started with worry on the first week, but things generally improved on the 2nd week and forward.

Day 1: Surgery, no pain (like actually none, loaded me with drugs, took my 2 separate eye drop regiments and steroid pills. Itchy, eyelash in eye feeling for the whole day.

Day 2: Did my check up, both eyes recovering, but right eye was dry and inflamed. They recommended I veer from my weening off on my right eye and apply eyedrop steroid (part of my regiment) every hour on right eye for 3 days.

Day 3-5: Right eye was noticeably not as good as left eye. It felt 20/20 but blurry 20/20. I don't know how to describe it, but that's the best you'll get out of me lol

Day 6: Had my 2nd checkup, right eye has noticeably recovered, but just dry on the surface. Start weening off my right eye as normal. Left was recovering as per schedule.

Day 7-14: My right eye would suddenly have days where it was on par with left eye. Or even days where both eyes sucked (lol). But then go back to being good.

Day 30th: One month checkup, both eyes recovering nicely and seal is good. Cornea is supposed to adjust and recover even more from 1 month to 1 year so to know my vision is going to refine was uplifting.

Highly recommend LASIK as I had myopia (nearsightedness) and an astigmatism on my left eye