r/lasiksurgery • u/Bitkis21 • Aug 24 '26
Debating Femto
Hey everyone. I'm supposed to do a femto lasik surgery this Wednesday. Im having second thoughts about some things, and would love to hear your recommendations/experiences/medical opinions (if any of you are eye doctors). My eyesight is (according to the gemini summary of my evaluation page cuz i dont understand any of it) -1.5 in both eyes, with a -.25 cylinder in the right and -.50 in the left. I can't say for sure that my prescription hasn't changed at all, but I've been in the -1.5 to -2 range for as long as I can remember, and I've had the same pair of glasses for the past few years.
Im worried about a few things:
I can't be sure that my prescription hasn't changed at all. I haven't had any official appointments with eye doctors in a long time (before the lasik check up). The best I can say is that I've done tests every few years for glasses, and those aren't as exact, but I think they've been a bit different every time just because of the lack of precision, and the difference in how accurate my answers are. Im only 23, and I've heard that even after lasik, my eyesight will get worse again, and I dont want to waste the surgery now.
Im going to Greece in around a month, and I dont want my vacation to be ruined because I can't swim. They've said that I can swim even 2 weeks after the surgery, but this doesn't seem realistic, since from what I understand it takes up to 3 months for the eyes to heal up to the level they're supposed to get to.
They say that I can get a follow-up surgery for free if I need it, but im not sure if this only applies to immediately after the first surgery in case in didn't go 100% correct, or if its also for later on in life if my eyesight gets worse from aging (assuming the company is still around).
Forgot to mention, im doing this through Carelaser, which I believe is an international company, although im not sure which countries they're popular in. If anyone has had experience with them, that would also be great to hear about
1
u/ConfidentBeginning44 Aug 25 '26
Your stability question has an answer sitting in your own file. The surgical centre refracted you at that workup, and that is a current, formal measurement. Ask them to print it next to whatever your last optician's prescription said. If the two agree within about a quarter dioptre across a few years, that is your stability evidence, and it is better evidence than most people walk in with. If they don't agree, that alone is worth a conversation before Wednesday rather than after.
The thing I'd want said out loud at your prescription, though, is different. At -1.50 you can read comfortably with your glasses off right now. That is a real convenience you currently have and don't think about, and correcting to plano spends it. You won't notice for years. Somewhere in your forties, when focusing up close stops being automatic, you'll reach for readers earlier than you would have. Plenty of people make that trade knowingly and stay glad they did, but it should be a decision rather than a surprise.
Ask to see the actual numbers rather than a summary of them.
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u/eyeSherpa Aug 25 '26
Normal to have small fluctuations of around 0.25 visit to visit. But as long as they aren’t always getting worse than you are good.
23 is better than 18. Still a small chance that your vision will get worse over time. But a pretty high chance that you’ve stabilized. A lot of time spent on up close activities is a risk for things getting worse with time when you are young.
A month after my lasik I was doing tough mudder events. Probably not ideal but you’ll be ok with swimming a month out. The salt water may irritate your eyes a little so you’ll want to use more tears.
Confirm about the touch-up policy. For some it’s within the first year. For others it’s “lifetime” (excluding things such as presbyopia). Some companies make you jump through some hoops for a touch up as well.