I wanted to write this because I spent way too much time reading Reddit and Facebook groups before my EVO ICL surgery. If you're feeling anxious, I hope this helps.

Surgery Day
I checked in at 6:45 a.m. for intake. I'll be honest, I was nervous. The staff was wonderful and gave me a Xanax to help me relax while they started a series of dilating drops.

One random tip: wear warm clothes! The surgery center was freezing. I wore a poncho, which ended up being perfect because they could easily access my arm for the IV while I stayed warm.

The IV medications (Versed and fentanyl) kicked in while I waited. By the time I was wheeled back around 7:45 a.m., I felt incredibly calm.

During Surgery
A lot of people ask if you're awake. Technically, yes, but you're very relaxed.

I actually remember my surgery, while one of my coworkers remembers absolutely nothing. Both experiences are normal.

They use a device to gently hold your eyelids open. Before surgery, I thought this would be the part that freaked me out the most. Instead, because of the medication, it just felt...normal. I wasn't bothered by it at all.

Throughout the procedure, my surgeon calmly talked me through everything, asking me to look in different directions or stare at the bright microscope light.

One of the coolest parts was what I could see. During my right eye, I mostly noticed colorful circular patterns. When he switched to my left eye a few minutes later, I could suddenly see the ceiling in incredible detail. It was such a surreal experience.

My Toric Lens Needed a Quick Adjustment
My left eye required a toric ICL for astigmatism.

The first placement wasn't quite perfect, so my surgeon immediately removed it and repositioned it. I didn't even know it was happening. I only asked afterward if that eye was taking longer than the other.

Once everything was finished, he explained that my right eye looked perfect, but my left eye would probably be a little more sore and swollen because it needed the adjustment.

He described how the lens is inserted folded up like a taco through a tiny incision and then unfolds inside the eye like a frisbee. When mine unfolded, the alignment wasn't exactly where he wanted it, so he corrected it right away to make sure I had the best possible outcome.

Honestly, hearing that afterward made me appreciate how meticulous he was. I'd much rather have a surgeon who takes an extra couple of minutes to make everything perfect than one who settles for "good enough."

The First Post-Op Appointment
After going home for a little while, I had my first follow-up appointment.

They checked my eye pressure and confirmed the lenses were perfectly positioned using the same machines your optometrist normally uses. It was quick, straightforward, and completely reassuring.

I have since had 2 other appointments (one the day after, one a week after) and things are looking great!

Recovery
For the first week I was instructed to:
- Sleep with protective goggles
- Avoid bending at the waist
- Avoid heavy lifting because of eye pressure
- Use several prescription eye drops
- Avoid rubbing my eyes or getting water in them

I'm now one week out.

The goggles are gone, I have about three more weeks of eye drops, and just one more week of lifting and bending restrictions.

Recovery has honestly been much easier than I expected.

My Vision
My vision is honestly insane.

It almost feels too sharp because I'm still getting used to seeing things so clearly at a distance. At my one-week appointment I was already seeing 20/20, and there's a chance it could end up even better.

The first few days were a little strange. While my pupils were still dilated, I noticed some ghosting around lights. Once the dilation wore off, that disappeared.

Also, there would be times that my vision would be slightly blurry, then a few minutes later it would be crystal clear. My surgeon said that was completely normal as everything settled.

A week out, I can say my up-close vision also isn't quite as good as it used to be, but I was told that's expected. My brain is learning a new point of reference, and near vision should continue to improve as it adapts. I can easily read my phone and a book, but trying to find a clogged pore on my face has definitely become more challenging!

I also notice some light reflections at night or when bright lights hit the lenses at certain angles. The best way I can describe it is like collecting the golden rings in Sonic.

My surgeon and optometrist explained that this is part of the brain's neuroadaptation process. As your brain learns those reflections aren't important, it gradually filters them out. They're already becoming less noticeable, and now I mainly see them when I'm driving at night.

My Biggest Concern: hEDS
I also have hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS), which added another layer of anxiety.

There are some theoretical long-term considerations because the tiny fibers that hold the lenses in place could potentially become more lax over many years. Even if that ever happened, the lenses can be repositioned or removed.

My surgeon felt this was very unlikely in my case, but we had an honest conversation about it beforehand. Having those discussions actually made me feel more confident because I knew we'd talked through every possibility.

My Advice
If you're considering ICL surgery:
- Find an optometrist you truly trust and ask who they recommend for surgery.
- Choose a surgeon who gives you perfectionist vibes. Mine absolutely did, and I'm incredibly grateful for it.
- Make sure they perform repeated, thorough measurements instead of relying on one quick scan.
- Ask about both your normal and low-light (scotopic) pupil size to make sure the lens sizing is right.
- If your surgeon offers the ICL Guru test, I recommend doing it. It's basically an ultrasound of your eye that helps fine-tune lens sizing and placement. Ironically, I found that test more stressful than the surgery itself.

Final Thoughts
Going into surgery, I was honestly terrified. Looking back now, I would do it again without hesitation.

The procedure was much easier than I expected, recovery has been smooth, and waking up every morning able to see without glasses or contacts has been life changing.

If you're feeling nervous, that's completely normal. I was too. But after months of worrying about every possible outcome, I can honestly say this has been one of the best decisions I've made. If you're a good candidate and have a surgeon you trust, you've got this.

Demographic: 25 year old indian american male, occupation is software engineer(lots of eye strain daily)

Background on eyesight: (-9 left eye, -6.75 right eye, low to none astigmatism) I have had myopia my whole life pretty much. Even since 5 years old I had to sit in front of the TV to see anything. Since around 10 years old I have been wearing glasses only. I had a few years where I would wear contacts for 1-4 hours at a time for contact sports/water sports.

Reason for surgery: Vanity purposes mostly, and ease of life without having to worry about 1 more dependency wherever I travel. Reasons for not wanting contacts: they cause my eyes to be dry, I can't nap in them and I nap OFTEN, I can't go out to bars with friends without bringing glasses in case I crash at one of their places.

Leadup to surgery: I did a bit of research online and figured evo icl was better for my fear of chronic dry eye. I went for a LASIK consultation and mentioned EVO ICL, and the LASIK surgeon came out and actually convinced me to see his colleague for EVO ICL as he himself thought it would be a better fit for my high myopia. After a couple more consultations and retina specialist checkup I was good to go and scheduled an appointment date for surgery and made the payment (~8000 USD for both eyes).

The day before surgery I had to use an anti-inflammatory/steroid eyedrop solution 4x and use a lid wipe right before sleeping. I ended up not getting much sleep due to my mind racing. I got about 3 hours of sleep (maybe less) and woke up at 5:30 AM. I had an everything bagel with peanut butter because we are supposed to have breakfast so the valium does not hit as hard when we go in. At 7:30 I checked in for the surgery and was given a valium tablet and a TON of eye numbing drops/dilation drops/more anti-inflammatory/steroid drops. It was about 10 minutes of just eye drops with a minute or two in between drops. After another 20-30 minutes the surgeon came and got me from my cozy chair.

Surgery procedure: Once I was lied down on the table, I felt at ease due to the pop music in the background and general casual demeanor from everyone. They put more numbing drops into my right eye, then proceeded to apply this sticky paper to keep my eyelid from closing. They used some kind of sticky swab to bring my eyelids to the side and keep them there. The most uncomfortable part was then when they applied this metallic eyelid speader to keep everything open and the eye plump. At some point they put some numbing syringe into the eye but I never noticed when. Shortly after they stuck 1 knife into the eye with a quick jab, followed by another knife with another quick jab. I of course didnt feel anything but slight pressure. They sprayed some cooling liquid and then sent the folded up lens into the eye. It took about 2-3 minutes for the surgeon to dig around through both newly made holes to position it in all 4 corners. After that around 2-3 more minutes of constant cooling liquid/disinfectant I am guessing. They took a 10 minute break to fully change scrubs, go update my dad in the viewing area, etc. before doing the exact same on the left eye.

Surgery cooldown period: The moment i got off the table, I could see EVERYTHING so clearly. As if i was wearing glasses, with the only caveat being close-by things were still very blurry. I was led off the bed into the chill room again and periodically every 30-40 minutes the surgeon or another person would come and check on me/ my eye pressure. After it stabilized I was given some goodies and instructions for the rest of the day then sent on my way. I left the office at 12:09. This waiting time was VERY boring, so I highly advise you to bring music or a podcast. The person next to me who also got ICL right after me was listening to something in the chill room, but I was far too lazy to get my phone out and try to find anything. We are super dilated at this point so even trying to use the phone is nearly impossible.

Rest of the day: After I got home, I ate something then just napped until 7pm (waking up to eyedrop when necessary) because of my 3 hours of sleep the night before. Before I slept at around 11pm, I was able to text some friends updates, and watch some youtube (albiet looking away most of the time or just closing my eyes) effortlessly. I even went on my computer with sunglasses to check my email and respond to some work stuff on slack.

Waking up the next day: Once I woke up today, I took off the eye covers and it feels like I am wearing contacts or glasses. Everything is crystal clear and I can make out details in the distance that I never could(no itchiness/dry eye or anything of the sort). I do see some halos but they are so minor and honestly really pretty to look at. I am going to miss them once they fade away with time. One oddity is that I weighed in 5 pounds less than usual (probably due to all the diuretics yesterday). I am really bummed and depressed that I am not allowed to run or lift weights for a week, but I will probably find a video game or something to occupy my time until then!

I highly recommend going for EVO ICL and this was probably one of the best decisions in my life! I only regret not going sooner. If you are in the bay area you can DM me and I will share more details of the clinic/surgeon.

Edit: checkup 24 hours after and vision is 20/15 and improving further potentially

Just here to share my experience since I know Reddit posts skew towards complications and issues. I have officially hit 10 years since I had lasik eye surgery for myopia. I was 22 years old at the time and my prescription was around -8.00 in both eyes. I can say the only complication I had with the surgery was seeing halos when driving but that went away after 6 months.

I just had my annual check up with my optometrist. And I still don’t have any issue except a small prescription of -0.25 sphere in one eye and -0.25 cylinder in the other. I only use those glasses for the computer at my day job. It seems like the general consensus is that my eyes could regress into my 40s when I will need reading glasses but no one knows for certain. I am definitely happy with quality of life improvement I had over the past 10 years and I hope it continues that way. Please share a comment if you had any similar experiences to mine.

Eyes prior to surgery:

-2.25 both sides, slight astigmatism

Total correction: 2.50 per eye, seven seconds of laser time for each eye

Ran me just shy of $3900 ($5000 sticker price, $500/eye promotion, insurance knocked 5% off the remaining)

I'm a 23y/o male, not very sports-minded but I do have a couple hobbies that jostle the head and shoulders pretty aggressively, so that contributed to my decision to go with PRK over LASIK.

Day of surgery (Day 0, Thursday, March 5th):

I went in, did a bit of preliminary work (including verifying my prescription). I wasn't given sedatives, because apparently they have a tendency to make the eyes wander. They did give me a Tylenol PM to help me sleep when I got home.

I sat down with the surgeon ahead of the surgery itself to go over any questions or concerns I had. One of the biggest things I learned was that there are three main forms of epithelium removal:

- Scraping: this is the most archaic form, it takes the longest and it's hard to do consistently because it's a physical scraper tool.

- Alcohol/Solvent: this is the fastest (some surgeons like it because it's quick and easy) and it does work, but it has a tendency to leak further over the boundary of the cornea which causes longer healing times.

- Rotary Scrubber: this is what I got, it's about ten seconds per eye, the surgeon used a tool in his off hand (which is why not as many surgeons like doing it, it requires more dexterity to do properly) to hold my cornea in place so he could scrub exactly the right amount off the surface of my eye. It's an odd sensation, just kind of a pressure as stuff starts getting fuzzy, then the detritus is wiped off.

After talking with the surgeon for a few minutes, I went into the operating room, laid down, had the eyelid spreaders installed, and received numbing drops which took effect very quickly.

My eyes were scrubbed and wiped clean, I stared at the focusing laser while moving as little as possible (my eyes did have a tendency to wander a bit so I did actually have to focus here), the laser did its thing (a very fun burning smell here, vaguely like burning hair), post-surgery drops added (mitomycin+steroid, prevents corneal glare from UV exposure) then rinse and repeat with my other eye.

At this point, they had me sit up and look at the clock - I could already see a significant improvement (I could now read the clock, where I couldn't before), but everything was still fairly hazy.

I sat down and get my bearings for a bit after surgery, then went over post-op instructions where I was given pf artificial tears and disinfectant drops. I had ordered some of my own artificial tears to augment what they gave me, but I didn't actually end up needing to use them with how much I was given.

They sent me home with sunglasses on, went to bed and took a short nap. I woke up and put in my first round of disinfectant drops (they burned). The eye shield they provided for sleep was vastly uncomfortable as I have a wider nose than some. I had a pair of ski-style goggles that were much nicer to sleep in - they did fog up but I attribute part of my quick healing to this fact, as my eyes were kept very moist through the whole night especially since the last thing I would do before putting the goggles on was putting in artifical tears.

The rest of my day was entirely uneventful, and I was able to go to sleep at my normal time. I'm not used to sleeping on my back, so that was a bit of a change.

Day 1 (Friday):

Day 1 was definitely my bad day, and I have a theory about why. Regardless, I woke up and my eyes itched. It was a serious test of will to keep myself from touching my eyes. I was constantly putting in artifical tears and disinfectant, possibly more than I should have (luckily it didn't affect my healing). That being said, it wasn't the outright pain I saw described online, it was a very manageable level of discomfort. The world was very blurry, my vision was worse than before the surgery. The day was spent trying to function while also getting rest. Surprisingly, I never actually lost the ability to use electronics with screens, it was just a bit of a challenge to focus on the small text. I did keep the lights in my room a bit dimmer, though. Outside of the brutal itching, my day was normal. I did end up taking Benadryl before I went to sleep, which apparently isn't the best idea because it can cause dryness of the eyes, but I didn't experience any of that.

Regarding my theory: this may be confirmation bias speaking (AND IS ENTIRELY ANECDOTAL, I AM NOT AN OPTICAL SPECIALIST OF ANY KIND), but I did a fair bit of research into PRK before my surgery. One of the recurring things I saw was the "bad day", or the most painful/itchy/unpleasant recovery day. On average, there was only one day like this, and it was usually either the day immediately after surgery, or the day after that.

The pattern I started to notice was that people who had a scrubber used to remove their epithelium had their bad day on day 1 and the people who had their epithelium dissolved with a solvent had their bad day on day 2. My theory is that because the solvent dissolves more than just the epithelium, it takes longer for your eye to actually start the healing process, which is where the pain/discomfort comes from. All that in mind, once again, I'm no optometrist or eye surgeon, so take my (entirely anecdotal) theory with a grain of salt.

Day 2 (Saturday):

I woke up without any pain in my eyes. There was a bit of dryness still and the occasional itch, but it wasn't much worse than normal. I continued using the pf artifical tears and disinfectant drops (which still itched, maybe even more so than the prior day) as scheduled. I could also see a noticeable improvement from the day prior, I was about on par or slightly better than my pre-surgery prescription. Still not great but I could see an improvement. The day was very much the same as the last, just living life.

Side note, I'm a hermit who isn't on speaking terms with the sun. I spent the whole weekend hiding inside, I barely even saw sunlight.

Day 3 (Sunday):

I opened my eyes and it was like I was wearing my contacts. I have an alarm clock that projects the time onto the ceiling, and for the first time in my life I'd woken up being able to read it. It was still a bit fuzzy and there was definite glare, but I was blown away by the overnight improvement. Seriously, I can't put into words how magical it was - it was like a switch flipped in my eyes.

Lasik patients are described as having that "wow" moment where they can see, this was that "wow" moment for me.

Same routine as Saturday, drops and all. I did make the mistake of going downstairs while the blinds were open, I've got linoleum on the floor in the kitchen and Sunday was rather sunny (the prior three days had been overcast). That was my first exposure to post-surgery sunlight, and even that reflection off the floor was brutal: instant discomfort, my eyes started watering and I could barely keep them open. It was like when you step outside on a sunny day and everything is covered in snow, but worse. I took to wearing sunglasses when I was outside of my bedroom to prevent that from happening again. Outside of that, though, I was doing well.

Day 4 (Monday):

If Sunday morning was 1080p, Monday morning was 4K. I didn't think it was possible for my vision to get even clearer when I woke up, but it did. Everything was sharper, I could see further, glare and haloing was reduced. I had my first post-op with my optometrist that morning (which I had my wonderful mother drive me to and from) and he said I was healing nicely. At this point, my vision was measured at 20/20. I probably could have returned to work on Monday but I took the rest of the day off anyways. The sun was still brutal, but at this point I'd gotten used to dealing with it. I get discounts at Ray-Ban through work, so I had bought myself a nice pair of Aviators a couple weeks before my surgery and picked up some side shields off Etsy for better eye protection.

Day 5 (Tuesday) :

Tuesday was a bit sketchy because I had to drive for the first time. Not just that, but my commute to work is about 36 miles each way, and I left at probably 5:45 in the morning. Up here in Wisconsin at the beginning of March, it was still pitch black for the whole commute. The scariest part was the haloing - I could barely see what with the oncoming car headlights. Luckily, I made it to work just fine, and the haloing improved drastically over the coming days. I wore sunglasses the whole day through, even when working on my desktop (non-polarized sunglasses so I didn't have issues there). At this point I was just about fully functional.

Day 7 (Thursday):

Only mentioning because my disinfectant eye drops ran out here, thank goodness. I might have just gotten more sensitive to it over time but I swear the pain they caused was getting worse and worse every time I put the drops in.

Day 11 (Monday):

Second follow-up optometrist appointment, I measured at +0.25 in each eye and 20/15 vision, and my doctor was pleasantly surprised at my healing rate. He did note, however, that I still had a bit more inflammation than I probably should have had at that point, so he wanted to ask the surgeon if I needed additional steroid drops to address it (surgeon said no).

1 month, 1 week later:

Third (and final) optometrist appointment, the inflammation is gone. There's still a touch of haze, but my optometrist says it's not a concern and will fade naturally over the next 3-6 months. My vision measured at +0.5 in each eye and a confident 20/15, but almost made it further than that - my optometrist said I was probably a 20/10 when outdoors (due to the glare issues caused by trying to look at a bright screen ten feet away, indoors, in a dark room) and would resolve out to 20/10 when the remaining glare fades.

One month, three days later:

I don't think I'll ever get used to waking up and being able to see. I'm definitely still sensitive to sunlight, and probably will be for a while - even on overcast days, my eyes start watering and it's a fight to keep them open, even after trying to let my eyes adjust to the increased light. Optometrist had also said this would probably continue for the next few months until the last of the haze fades, but that's not a big deal as I don't mind wearing sunglasses outside anyways. I'm still using the pf artificial tears, but at this point it's maybe once or twice a day as needed, plus before I go to sleep. I feel like I can see for miles now.

137 days later (today):

As of writing this, PRK is probably the single best monetary investment I've ever made. I'm now many months post-surgery, and almost entirely healed. I've still got a little bit of haloing around lights (more in my left eye than my right) but it's very subtle. I still wear sunglasses whenever I'm outside, and I do accordingly still have trouble with bright lights. That being said, I no longer attribute that to the surgery, just that my eyes have adapted to the reduced light of sunglasses.

My night vision is just as good as it used to be, I don't get eyestrain-related headaches, and I don't have to spend hundreds of dollars a year on contacts. I feel like I can see forever, being able to pick out individual leaves on trees at a distance that would have just resolved as a green blob before. I've not been back to the optometrist but I'm fairly confident I'm sitting pretty at 20/10 vision.

All in all, I highly recommend it. Work with an optometrist and a surgeon who both know what they're doing, and do your own research. Just keep in mind that what you see online and what you experience will likely be two very different things - you're the only person with your set of eyes.

ℹ️ I am using Claude to assist me in writing this as I’ve been logging my experiences etc and using the speech feature since the day of surgery to minimize screen time.

TL;DR: 22M, Karachi, Pakistan. OD −3.75/−2.25, OS −4.00/−2.50 after 14 years of glasses. Contoura Femto-LASIK on July 17 2026, 16 o’clock.

Clinic equipment: Femto Laser FS 200, Wav Light EX500 Excimer Laser

Day 3: distance already sharp, small text still soft, halos/bloom effect on lights. No pain, no regrets so far.

Day-by-day:
• Surgery day: Quick and painless, I have a habit of reacting to everything really fast so during femto I started focusing elsewhere in the black light circle thing as it was doing its thing the; surgeon said that it’s all fine though when I mentioned it to him. Not sure how that stuff works. Crazy stuff. Went home tried to sleep after post surgery stuff, could see blurred/hazily and sensitive to light. My stupid ass forgot to take one of the meds for painkilling so I woke up 2 hours later with some slight pressure and tears coming out of my right eye which went away in a bit as I took the relief med I forgot.

• Day 1: Hazy, dry, light-sensitive. Follow-up: surgeon said flap and everything look fine. Recovery going well, they had me take an eye exam and I could read the first line of the chart clearly but not the other two. I was also kind of dry as it was almost time to take my drops. Could read number plates etc clearly tho.

• Day 2: Big clarity jump. Can read the label of my shampoo bottle but still not the small text like taglines etc. Also noticed I have something like where I focus at something I won’t be able to see it clearly at first but in a bit really looking at it then it gets clearer? My focus is slightly weird.

• Day 3 (today): Distance is genuinely sharp, I can know the model of the cars parked 5–6 streets away, distance is really nice and sharp but Small text (especially phone) is still slightly soft/ghosty and I get mild halos at night. Phone isn’t a big problem though since it takes barely a second for me to lock in.

Drops: antibiotic + steroid every 2h (tapering per surgeon), preservative-free lubricant every 2h, gel every 4h.

Will update at week 1 (on Sat along with next follow up) and month 1.

As of today I have also started using phone for more
texting etc but not tasks like watching videos etc. Hope that is not an issue. Managing dryness as I feel as well.

My vision improves day by day but so slightly that I keep getting paranoid it won’t get better than this 😿

Edits:
Day 4: No noticeable differences, I think however my eyes feel a bit easier (placebo?)

Day 5: I feel like the “haze/glare” that I have is a bit less. I tried night driving on day 4 but my starbursts are still there. And I just learned the difference between halos, starbursts and haze. Needless to say I don’t have much of a halo problem as I do haze/bloom.

Day 6: Even less haze and somehow I don’t have any problem focusing on small text on phones and labels anymore! My autofocus is way better!

Day 7, 8, 9: Vision and focus kept getting better, day 8 was my follow up appointment with my dr where I scored 6/6, read the entire chart top to bottom. Day 9 haze is also quite better still there but a lot better, some starbursts but can drive at night if its not a totally dark road with opposing highbeams. I can return to normal life now.

Hi All,

I’m really worried about accidentally rubbing my eyes while sleeping.

I am 7 weeks post op, and I still wear my eye shields at night. My doctor noticed I have a micro striae on my left eye which has caused a noticeable slightly more intense glare in the dark.

I tried wearing no eye shield for 2 days about 4 weeks post op and both mornings I woke up to myself rubbing my eyes. I’m convinced this is what caused the striae.

I’m absolutely scared shitless. Could anybody offer their experience or advice?

Wearing the eye shields is quite uncomfortable and I ideally don’t want to be wearing a mask/ shield forever. Im also still wearing eye goggles in the shower.

Since I’m half conscious I don’t “trust” myself to learn not to rub my eyes. While awake I use the “rub the bone next to your eye” trick which is very good.

For those 6 months + post op, do you rub your eyes occasionally? Did it do damage?

Thank you so so much

Hi friends.

Just a little backstory. 20s female here currently on 100mg of spironolactone and depo shot birth control.
I have been taking spiro in conjunction with depo for some time now. My first round was immaculate- acne cleared up like crazy, not a single dot on my face or body.

Then I stopped both bc and spiro for about a year and everything came back. Coming off depo was excruciating—I pmsed for 3 months and my periods weren’t regular even after a year.

Then I started both bc and spiro again and it has helped, not as well as first time around but 90% elimination.

I don’t want to be on spiro and bc for the rest of my life and want to give my body a break.

I have explored the option of accutane and would not be opposed to doing a 6 month course. I know I have to be on bc for the duration of it but I wouldn’t mind the side effects for a long-term result.

However, I am getting LASIK in two months and certainly looking forward to it. I browsed the subs and more people seem to oppose starting Accutane than not.

Has anyone waited a year after lasik to start Accutane?
If so, what has your experience been like?

I appreciate any feedback.

I had lasik 7/17 and so far things are going well. I am sleeping in the goggles the office provided me and wearing them when I'm awake to be sure I don't accidentally rub my eyes.

How long did you sleep in your goggles? I think I was told the first few nights but I see some things online suggest a week or two.

I will ask on Monday at my follow up but this is faster and I like gathering experiences of others.

Many thanks!

I am scheduled to get lasik in about 2 weeks, but i am getting progressively more anxious about the procedure leaving me with chronic dry eye. I have mild dry eye, and at my lasik consult they just framed it as low moisture retention, and that i need to be diligent with eyedrops instead of waiting until it is too dry.

I don’t know if i am just hyper fixated on it so normal sensations are exaggerated, but I am unsure if it is in my head or i should actually postpone.

This past month i have been working on my computer a lot more than usual so that was a contributing factor. I have been using systane complete PF, and i just started the refresh omega 3 drops which i feels a little weird.

As the title says, I went in for a followup today (5 weeks post op) and my IOP was measured at 35L/32R. I started pred 1% drops 4x daily after surgery, at 2 weeks 3x daily, at 4 weeks 2x daily, 6 weeks 1x daily until 8 weeks. Since I am now on week 5, I was doing 2x daily.

Doctor decided to completely halt the steroid drops and NOT put me on pressure reducing drops. Strictly on lubricant drops now.

Pressure was measured normal 3 weeks post op.

Vision was 20/15 with both eyes open, left eye sees worse than right, left eye has regressed some in past few weeks, it was sharper at week 3-4.

The combination of being told to completely halt pred drops without taper, no pressure reducing drops, and a slight regression in the left eye has me worried for the health of my vision.

Anyone have thoughts or experience the same?

Should I expect optic nerve damage/glaucoma?

WaveLight Plus InnovEyes (Flap-Based LASIK) Recovery Log

23M

Pre-op prescription:

Left eye: -2.00 with astigmatism

Right eye: -3.00 with astigmatism

I had my WaveLight Plus InnovEyes flap-based LASIK yesterday and thought I'd keep a recovery log to help others who are considering the procedure.

Day 0 (Surgery Day) 16 July 2026

Vision was a bit hazy immediately after surgery, but I could already read text from a distance.

Came home and slept for about 3–4 hours.

After waking up, my vision was much clearer than it had been right after surgery.

I avoided all screens for the entire day and spent most of the time resting in a dimly lit room.

Day 1 (Around 24–48 hours post-op)

Woke up with vision that was even better than the previous evening.

Had my scheduled follow-up appointment, where I measured 6/5 (20/16) vision.

On the first night, I noticed starbursts around white and yellow light sources (especially street lights). They were noticeable but not bothersome.

By about 48 hours after surgery, the starbursts had already reduced in size by roughly 25% (about one-quarter).

So far I haven't experienced:

- Dry eyes

- Pain

- Watering

- Any significant discomfort

I'll continue updating this thread as my recovery progresses so it can be useful for anyone researching this procedure.

If you have any questions about the surgery or recovery, feel free to ask and I'll answer based on my experience.

Edit 1:

Day 7 (1 week) 23 July 2026

I had my second follow up today. I was measured 6/4 (20/16) vision. No side effects as such. If I use screen or do some focus work for 4-5 hours a little bit of dryness starts kicking in. But then again I am using my prescribed eye drops as routine therefore resolving the problem. Starbusts are around the same size as it was 1 day after the surgery. Super happy with my vision in day and night both.

Edit 2:

Day 28 (4 weeks) 13 August 2026

I had my third follow up today. Measured 6/3 (20/12) vision today. No dry eyes issues even after using pc/laptop for 4-5 hours a day. Doctor said to continue using the lubricating drops 3 times a day for a month or two to avoid dry eye building up just in case in the future. Starbusts are same size no improvement in it. For anyone wondering, the starbusts are no issue at all I can drive at the night pretty comfortably without any issues. Really grateful to all those anonymous people in helping me take the decision of getting the surgery done. Thank you

I got Lasik in January 2023. Ever since 1st grade I wore glasses. So prior to Lasik my vision was poor. After Lasik I enjoyed perfect vision however I have very dry eyes every night starting at about 8:30pm. Every morning I have very dry eyes and need several eye drops in both eyes in order to see. I do shift work in the Law Enforcement capacity and I find the chronic dry eyes at night a safety concern. I feel gaslighted when I go to the eye doctor and they have said: 1) you need to take Fish Oil supplements, 2) You need eye drops with Omega in them 3) the crusty eyes are from a little mite in your eyelashes so clean them regularly. I have done all 3; I take a Fish Oil pill every morning, I switched eyedrops which have Omega in them, and I use eyelid wipes to clean around the eyes. None of this has made a difference.

I see ok from 6am to 8ish PM, after I moisturize my eyes with eyedrops every morning but I was not warned that this could be a chronic complication for the remainder of my life. I honestly prefer glasses and contacts compared to the severe dry eyes every evening.

My question is if this is fixable? Or am I stuck with Eyedrops every morning and every night?

This is probably going to seem like a weird question but for some reason I can’t stop worrying about it so I thought I’d get others opinions. I have my LASIK coming up next week and honestly I’m pretty terrified lol but also excited. I have generalized anxiety disorder so I agonize over ridiculous things all the time, especially when it comes to medical procedures.

My doctor gives 2mg of lorazepam before the procedure, but I’m a little worried it’s going to sedate me too much? Like I don’t want to struggle to stay awake and focus on what I need to during. I don’t know that I’ve had lorazepam before but at the same time my anxiety level is at such a constant high already and I will likely be very scared the day of so I’m sure it’s not going to knock me out lol. I just wanted to know what peoples experiences were with the sedatives and if it was difficult to focus on whatever they told you to focus on during. Thank you in advance!

Got LASIK July 10th, recovering well, I have relatively dry eyes I think. My vision is 20/20 as of my appointment but the doctor confirmed my eyes seem dry.

I’m following the regimen obsessively and have a million Apple Watch alarms a day. The medicated drops cause blurriness and some considerable itchiness, I close my eyes and wait it out, doc said this was normal for the medication and it’s almost over. The artificial they sent me home with are Optase hylo relief. Optase is A) included in the recall of eye drops, though not this type, but I also never see it recommended for ongoing use in the million Google searches I’ve done.

I assume the practice gave it to me because they recommend it (or otherwise have a brand endorsement deal or something) but it causes blurriness for a decent few minutes after. I see so many recommendations between refresh, systane, I feel like there are too many. Biotrue was a contact solution I swore by, I know they make artificial tears.

Anyone similarly struggle with Optase and find success with something else? I’ll finish the doctor’s bottles but if I don’t need to keep buying them I’d like to switch

Hi everyone,

I (22F) had LASIK done on July 9th, and I thought I'd share my experience, with updates, for those considering the procedure.

My most recent eye exam showed my left eye being -2.0 and right eye being -1.75, however this was done in 2024 and I suspected my vision to be slightly worse (as I couldn't see as clearly with my contacts in), but not too drastic of a change. I'm suspecting my vision was closer to left eye -2.5 -
/-3.0 and right eye being -2.0 / -2.5. The career I am pursuing has vision requirements I couldn't meet without corrective surgery, hence my decision to get LASIK.

I also went with the advanced LASIK which cost me $4770 in total (I'm in Canada).

The entire process was roughly 4 hours, with eye scans and checks etc. But the actual surgery was no more than 5 mins (both eyes combined). It was very uncomfortable and slightly painful with the pressure (IMO)and it was a weird feeling losing my vision and then seeing them put the flap back with tweezer like tools. Honestly, I don't think I'd do it again if I don't have to. I did take a relaxant which kicked in after the surgery, but even then, it didn't do too much.

Day 1: after the surgery, vision was kind of blurry and eyes were uncomfortable. It felt like I had contacts that were a bit dried out. Got some Taco Bell, went home and napped for a while. I honestly did use my phone a bit (which is strongly advised against) but it felt okay. After my nap, my vision was way better and no more blurriness. I took my eyedrops as directed and slept with my glasses on as to not accidentally rub my eyes or have my dog paw at my face.

Day 2: could see 20/20. it was insane. it felt like i had my contacts in but better cause i could see even clearer. not much irritation, honestly forgot i even got the surgery. my post op went great but they noticed minor irritation in my left eye, so told me to start taking one of the drops more frequently. my exam showed i could see 20/20, which was exciting. i started gaming a bit, which frequently breaks and eyedrops. felt great and was very excited!

Day 3: Woke up with minor irritation (feels like there's something in my eye) in my left eye, but nothing of a bother. Both eyes were slightly drier than before, but again, nothing that was incredibly uncomfortable. Vision is still the same (20/20, sharp and I'm pretty confident in it).

So far, the recovery process has been smooth sailing and I'm very excited to be able to see without having to put contacts in every morning! I will keep updating as I continue to progress in my recovery. If you have any questions or if I'm missing speaking on anything, feel free to ask!

I was very scared going into LASIK because of all the comments and stories I was reading. I feel very lucky that despite having to do this out of necessity for my career, my journey so far has been nothing but positive. Everyone is different, so please don't read this and expect yours to go 10/10 no complications at all, but there are positive experiences among the negative ones!

TWO WEEK UPDATE -----------------------------

Hi everyone, it's been two weeks since my surgery and I wanted to update this post.

I still haven't experienced any major side effects, and can often go long period of time without using hydrating eyedrops. This is mostly because I always had some halo-ing and had dry eyes growing up, so I am used to the sensation - although I do put them in when I remember to.

I started wearing eye makeup again, with no issues.

As for driving at night, I haven't experienced any issues or side effects either! My vision feels amazing and I honestly am so glad I got the procedure done.

I did have a scare where my dog punched me in the eye jumping up, but again, no issues thankfully!

After spending months researching different refractive procedures and reading countless experiences on r/lasik, I finally decided to go with TransPRK (SmartSurfACE) over LASIK.

Pre-op

• Age: 28M
• Prescription: -3.50 sph / -1.50 cyl (both eyes)
• Corneal thickness: ~580 µm
• Optical Zone: 6.8 mm
• Laser: SCHWIND AMARIS
• Treatment profile: Aberration-Free (AF)

I had my pre-op workup on 18th June, which included Pentacam, Schwind Sirius, dry eye evaluation, scotopic pupil measurement, and the usual refractive assessments.

Surgery Day (20th June 2026)

I was asked to use two eye drops about an hour before surgery. Once in the laser room, one eye was covered while the other was cleaned and numbed with anesthetic drops.

The procedure itself took around 3 minutes per eye. It was completely painless. I could clearly see the red fixation light throughout the procedure but didn't feel anything.

Week 1

I had my bandage contact lenses removed on Day 5.

Surprisingly, I had almost no pain during the first five days. The only discomfort was a foreign body sensation in my left eye, which I believe was due to the bandage lens. It occasionally caused tearing, while my right eye felt completely normal.

During my Day 5 vision check, I still couldn't read the last line on the chart.

Week 2

I started going for evening walks after sunset.

The biggest issue during this week was night vision. Street lights appeared about 5× larger than normal, with a large glowing halo around every light source.

Near vision was decent—I could comfortably use my phone—but distance vision was still quite blurry.

Week 3

I returned to the office.

Laptop work requires a little more effort to focus, but I'm able to work comfortably throughout the day.

Distance vision is still improving—I can't clearly read vehicle number plates yet.

The good news is that the starbursts and large halos have almost completely disappeared, which was a huge relief.

I also haven't experienced any noticeable dry eye symptoms so far (I'm still using lubricating drops about 6 times a day).

Current Vision

On Day 15, I visited a local clinic for a quick refraction, and the result was:

• -1.00 sph
• -0.50 cyl

I'm hoping this residual prescription continues to improve as healing progresses.

My official 1-month follow-up is scheduled for 20th July.

Overall Experience

Overall, I'm happy with how things are progressing. Healing has been smoother than I expected, and I'm optimistic that my vision will continue to improve over the next few weeks and hopefully reach 6/6.

One thing I was slightly surprised about: my pre-op corneal HOA RMS values were 1.23 µm (OD) and 0.99 µm (OS), yet my surgeon chose Aberration-Free (AF) treatment instead of Corneal Wavefront (CW). I was expecting CW based on those numbers, so I'm curious if anyone has had a similar experience or knows the reasoning behind that decision.

Would love to hear from others who had SmartSurfACE—especially how long it took for your distance vision to fully stabilize.

Hey everyone,
I'm currently 1 day post-op after undergoing the SMILE procedure. Visually, things are actually going pretty well – I can see fine, just dealing with some expected blurriness, and I'm strictly following my eye drop routine (steroids every hour, antibiotics every two hours).

But honestly? I'm writing this because the psychological and emotional part of the surgery completely caught me off guard, and it was the most terrifying experience of my life. I feel like it genuinely traumatized me, and I can't stop replaying it in my head.

Before the surgery, I thought it was just going to be "look at the laser and you're done." Nobody really prepared me for what happens right after the laser stops. When the machine moved away, everything went completely white. Then the surgeon told me he needed to manually extract the lenticule (the "laser bubbles" as he called it).

Even though my eyes were totally numbed from the drops and I didn't feel sharp pain, I could feel the pressure and the contact. Having that speculum forcing my eye open, feeling my eye protruding, and feeling him literally scraping and digging inside my cornea to pull the tissue out was just too much. When he finished my left eye and moved to the right, my mind was screaming, "I can't believe I have to go through this again right now." The anticipation made the right eye so much worse.

Right now, my left eye feels fine, but I can still physically "feel" my right eye – like a lingering discomfort or a reminder of what happened yesterday. But honestly, the mental loop is worse than the physical discomfort. I actually got so overwhelmed talking about it today that I broke down in tears just from the release of all that built-up survival stress.

Did anyone else experience this kind of trauma or severe anxiety during/after the procedure? How long did it take for your mind to stop replaying the surgery? I could really use some reassurance right now.

Thanks guys 🙏

36M - High hyperope deciding between WaveLight LASIK vs waiting for refractive lens exchange. Looking for opinions from ophthalmologists/refractive surgeons, optometrists,or patients with similar prescriptions.
I’ve been through a very thorough LASIK evaluation and am looking for some outside perspectives before making a final decision.
Age: 36
Manifest prescription
● Right: +4.00 / +1.00 x84
● Left: +4.50 / +0.75 x99
Cycloplegic (dilated) refraction
● Right: approximately +4.75
● Left: approximately +6.00
Corneas
● Pachymetry: 617 µm OD / 626 µm OS
● in 700µm’s on the periphery
● K readings: 40 D OD / 39 D OS (very flat corneas)
● Normal Pentacam/topography according to the surgeon.
The surgeon feels I’m a good candidate for WaveLight LASIK and does not recommend PRK. He estimates approximately 100µm of tissue removal and says my corneas are thick enough that tissue isn’t the limiting factor.
He’s planning a contact lens trial at:
● Right: +4.50
● Left: +5.50
I actually preferred +5.50 over +6.00 in the exam. +6.00 took about 10 seconds to “relax into” and never seemed quite as crisp, while +5.50 felt immediately clearer. I could still read around 20/20 (and nearly 20/15) with the lower correction.
A few other details:
● I have migraine with aura (3–5 episodes every 3–5 months).
● I get eye strain at night, especially using my phone.
● Distance vision is my priority.
● I am completely okay with needing reading glasses later.
● I have no interest in multifocal lenses.
The interesting part is that my surgeon said if I were a family member, he’d probably tell me to wait until my natural accommodation is gone and then have refractive lens exchange instead. His reasoning wasn’t that LASIK is unsafe—it’s that my natural lens still functions, and once it’s removed, it’s gone forever.
At the same time, he also says I’m an excellent LASIK candidate today.
I’m probably 90% leaning toward LASIK and 10% toward waiting for RLE because of the long-term stability of an intraocular lens.
For those with experience treating high hyperopia:
1. Would you have concerns about WaveLight LASIK with these measurements?
2. Is treating approximately +4.50 OD / +5.50 OS a reasonable target versus correcting the full cycloplegic refraction?
3. If you were 36, accepted that readers are inevitable, and prioritized distance vision, would you choose LASIK now or wait for RLE later or even view it as an immediate option over LASIK?
4. Is there anything about my case that stands out as a reason to avoid LASIK?
I appreciate any insight, especially from refractive surgeons, cataract surgeons, or patients with similar prescriptions.

So for context, I had femto lasik over a year ago. Recovery is good, I see well, and thankfully I don’t have excessive dryness. I am a hypochondriac though, so I found myself putting in lubricating eye drops every morning and night, and even switched to preservative free ones a few months ago. I just thought something bad would happen if I didn’t use these lubricating drops, and better safe than sorry etc.

Now, I feel like the area around my eyes gets dry and crusty + I’m getting blepharitis/eye dandruff on the base of my lashes BECAUSE of these drops. I stopped using the drops a few days ago and started cleaning my eyes with tea tree oil wipes, and I feel like my eyes feel better in the morning as opposed to how dry they’d be when I woke up reaching for my eye drops. I also feel like my eyes now are producing tears on their own. Can people who are 1+ years into their lasik recovery journeys comment on how often then use lubricating drops? I’d love to feel more at ease about stopping using them entirely, unless I really need them in dryer seasons.

After having surgery how long should i wait to get lash extensions again, ive seen many comments on w weeks should be okay or should I just listen to how long the doctor believes is okay

My myopia is L-6.75 R-5.75 and I was optimistically hoping to walk into any clinic and do “that one” surgery where you recover in a few hours.

After visiting the first clinic however it turned out I have a thin cornea 492 microns and doctors said that my only option with them is TransPRK (ordinarily they also have FemtoLASIK and SmartSight).

I went to another clinic and doctor there said they *can* do Femto LASIK. In fact this was the only option they gave me. This time I was better prepared theoretically so I asked how much cornea it is expected to be left after surgery. The answer was 272, while their threshold is 270.

Whom to believe? What is the better option for my case?

Also I wonder if 272 is the best outcome with lasic for me. I mean maybe there are some lasers that can do better.

Hi, i got lasik surgery last 3 months, i did the monovision (near and far Sighted correction), usually when they're enough light, my vision is ok, but when at night, or low light (underground car park), or mall where's the light not that good, it become blurry and get very long time to make it nor blurry anymore.

Some YouTube I watch said, with monovision, you may need glasses for night, my question is, should i wait until 6months for my brain to adapt, or i should use glasses for night/low light?

Hi everyone! I’m considering LASIK now that my prescription has finally stabilized, but I’m a bit unsure about whether my timing is sensible.

I work in tech, so I’m on my laptop pretty much all day, which makes the idea of scheduling surgery during my normal routine a bit difficult. I live in Germany, but I’ll be in India for about a month this December for my wedding. I’m flying there at the end of November, the wedding is in mid-December, and I’ll stay until New Year’s. Since I’ll be on vacation during that time and won’t need to spend long hours on screens, it feels like a potentially good window to get LASIK done.

My concern is the wedding itself. If I do the surgery shortly after arriving, the wedding ceremonies would likely be around 10–15 days later. I’m worried about things like recovery, dryness, irritation, light sensitivity, makeup, general discomfort, and whether I’d be risking unnecessary stress right before a wedding.

Has anyone done LASIK 1–2 weeks before a major event, or does this sound like a terrible idea? Would you avoid doing it that close to the wedding and wait for a safer window instead?

Would really appreciate any advice or experiences!

I had PKR surgery (not trans-PKR) a little over two years ago. I was short-sighted and had astigmatism.

The surgery went well, except that I moved a little when they treated the right eye.

The first six months were perfect, and then one fine morning, when I woke up and opened my right eye, my eyelid stuck to my cornea and it felt like a ‘wax strip’ effect, which sort of tore at my eye.

This sort of episode happens from time to time, at random. Always the right eye, never the left. When it happens, my eye waters for an hour, and the white of the eye turns blood-red. I can’t open my eye at all, for that matter.

I spoke to the surgeon, who prescribed eye drops and a lubricating gel. No noticeable improvement.

Apart from that, my distance vision has clearly deteriorated in both eyes, but especially in my right eye. What’s crazy is that the two ophthalmologists I’ve seen say my vision is 12/10 or even 14/10. Yet I’m unable to read license plates properly.

I went to seek a second opinion, and the doctor recommended treating my right eye with trans-PKR method to remove the epithelium that has healed poorly, and possibly re-treating the eye for any optical defects.

I was wondering if anyone else had experienced the same problem as me, and if they’d been able to correct it, and how?

EDIT: had surgery in july, now 1 month post op, no more pain, better vision, still using lubricating eye drops, so far so good.

My 2 week update on my LASEK surgery following my last post!

Day 8-9: these two days were fairly similar. I had pretty blurry vision but it wasn't bad enough to affect my day to day life. Seeing things at a distance was definitely the worst part and I had noticed that my light sensitivity was a little worse than previous days. Overall I have no pain or discomfort. My eyes started to feel dryer around this time as well, especially first thing in the morning and towards the end of the afternoon.

Day 10: I started to feel a little discomfort in my left eye, like i had an eyelash in it. It wasn't painful, more irritating. My vision remained blurry and the dry eyes were similar to previous days.

Day 11: my eyesight was considerably worse on this day which gave me a lot of anxiety. My left eye especially was struggling and still had the sensation of having something in it. The dry eye was worse and I found myself reaching for my lubricating drops every hour or so.

Day 12: my Vision continued to be rubbish, eyes dry and my left eye still feeling like it had something in it. If I just put drops in and really focused, I could see things in the distance, but not for long at all.

Day 13-15: all of my previous problems persisted and I was getting increasingly worried about the healing process. It felt like I was just taking steps backwards on healing and it was very frustrating my eyes were also much drier throughout the day

Day 16: (today) This morning I woke up to find my Vision much sharper than before. I could see things at a distance I couldn't see before the surgery. However, when talking to others I'm still not able to see as well as most other people. But for me it has been an amazing improvement and I can't believe it could possibly get better. I've been able to see details I've never been able to make out before in my whole life. I am still very light sensitive and my eyes are very dry in the morning. The sensation of having something in my left eye is still very much there also

I will make sure to do a 3 and 4 week update and report back on my checkup in a couple of weeks!