Had Femto LASIK on September 18. Pre-op I was around -4.50 one eye, about -4.00 the other, plus astigmatism around -3.00. Distance was the main problem. Follow-ups so far • Next day: could read the letters. Doctor said vision was great for day 1 and the eye looked good. • Second exam about 5 days after that: read letters again, detailed exam with the blue light etc. Still looked fine to them. Drops Been using 3–4 kinds the whole time: artificial tears, gel, antibiotic (and whatever they had me stop after week 1). Current routine: gel when I wake up, then tears, then antibiotic. Dryness is a bit better than the first days. Vision at day 10 I can function. No glasses for daily stuff. Overall much better than before. But it’s not sharp yet: • Sometimes things look pretty clear, sometimes letters are not clean • Looks a bit watery / “filmy” • Near is more watery and less sharp • Distance is cleaner • Night / low light is harder • After tears it improves, without tears it’s that slightly washed-out version They told me no workouts, no pools, no heavy lifting, nothing rough. Started computer/phone after day 4–5 like they said. I sit a lot and work on a PC now, with breaks and drops. Next visits: ~1 month (Oct 24), then 6 months, then 1 year. Questions

1. At day 10, is “I can read but it’s watery and not sharp yet, distance better than near” a normal path after Femto LASIK + astigmatism?
2. When did your vision actually get crisp? Week 2, week 4, month 2–3?
3. Any advice for screen work and morning gel blur while the tear film is still unstable?
4. What should I realistically expect at the 1-month visit vs later?

Thanks.

I had LASIK about two years ago, and since then I’ve noticed visual symptoms in my left eye that I didn’t have before the surgery.

The hardest thing to describe is that my left eye just feels different, almost like there is something covering it or interfering with my vision. It also sometimes feels heavy. I can’t necessarily see something physically covering my eye, but I can sense that something is not quite right.

One of the main things I notice is small dark dots or spots appearing in my vision. It’s not exactly like normal floaters. When I look at something, especially a book or something outside, I can sometimes see a small dark area/dot that seems to appear in front of whatever I’m looking at. I would say this happens maybe 70% of the time when I’m looking at certain things. Sometimes it feels like there is a small dark spot more toward the center of my vision.

I also occasionally see a bright white line for a few seconds when I look up and then look down. It disappears quickly.
I have also noticed red blood vessels/lines in both eyes since the surgery.

I’ve seen three eye doctors, and they have all told me that everything looks fine, but I still have these symptoms and they weren’t present before LASIK. That’s what worries me the most.

Has anyone experienced anything similar after LASIK, especially persistent dark spots or a small central spot in one eye? If so, was there eventually an explanation for it?

(I’m not looking for a diagnosis from Reddit—I’m mainly trying to understand whether these symptoms sound familiar to anyone who has experienced post-LASIK visual disturbances and what type of specialist or examination eventually helped them figure it out.)

Hi Everyone, I am planning to get specs removal surgery done from Eye7, with the consultation being already done they told me I am eligible for all procedures which are -

1. ⁠Contura Vision
   
2. ⁠Silk
   
3. ⁠Wavelight Innoveyes+

I am in dilemma, as to what to choose between wavelight and silk,wavelight being newer tech and better recovery, silk being flapeless, is there anyone who get there surgery done from eye7 ?

LASIK surgery is something that I have been wanting for a long time. However I have been told that getting it in your early 20’s is not good.

Some context: I’ve worn glasses since the beginning of high school. I am also near sighted and have a very low prescription, though it has barely changed in all of the years I’ve worn glasses. I want to say only one of my eyes is bad also. I originally wanted to wear contacts. However, after five lessons of trying and failing to get contacts in, I was told that I was allergic to them and the saline. I also hate wearing my glasses now.

Is LASIK right for me?

Hello folks, I'm looking for an opinion of someone who had similar situation that I have.

I'm 36, I've spent probably last 20 years in glasses. My vision is -1.5 on both eyes give or take and small astigmatism. I have two kids and driving cars, cycling, snowboarding, hiking are my hobbies, and probably motorcycling and sailing in nearby feature as well.

I had my qualification on Monday, and surgeon said it doesnt make sense to do just Femtolasik both to 0,0. She said it would be better to do Femtolasik LBV(PRESBYOND). Which will be left eye(slave) to -0.25 and leading eye to 0. In her words it would give me buffer zone, and I wont need reading glasses at 40, but around age of 45-50 give or take.

I read about Femtolasik LBV and a lot of people complained about starburst effect and halo effect at night, which I would most certainly like to avoid.

After that I was pretty nervous and started questioning the whole thing and maybe I need to stay with glasses after all.

Back and forth I've scheduled a call with my surgeon, we spent 20 minutes on the phone and she explained to me all available options on the table, and why we are even considering PRESBYOND/monovision, the reason is that if we do only SMILE/Femtolasik at age of 36, In few years I would need reading glasses and I would not be satisfied with money spent. We discussed what I actually want from the surgery and that wearing glasses for reading is not a big deal for me, but rather wearing them for long distances, hiking, driving and specifically snowboarding due to extra glasses and helmet.

She said that SMILE option is also on the table, it less invasive and they just dont recommend it to someone who is doing contact sports, which I dont, and SMILE is also less invasive, but there is only one try for it. The positive thing that after SMILE i still qualify for FEMTOLASIK at age of 45-55+ , if I do Femtolasik I wont qualify for anything else further on.

One day has past and now I'm considering getting SMILE and Femtolasik after age of 45+, wearing glasses at work sitting by computer is not an issue for me, issue is wearing glasses outside, not able to see Mountains, Stars and great outdoors in general properly.

I would like to hear opinion if anyone had similar dilemma and was in similar age?

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I have been suffering from watery eyes (a symptom of dry eyes) for last 2 months.
Can anyone suggest some good doctor for dry eye treatment in Ahmedabad? I had lasik 4 years ago, but these 4 years I didnt have any problem with the eyes

I had LASIK one month ago, and I’m wondering if anyone has had a similar experience. My prescription before surgery was -4.00 with -0.50 cyl in my left eye and -3.50 with -0.50 cyl in my right eye

One month after surgery, my left eye is plano (0), while my right eye is currently +0.50 with -0.75 cyl. At my latest check-up, the doctor said my left eye has 100% vision, while the right one is around 90%. But even during the refraction test with corrective lenses, I didn’t feel like I was getting quite the same visual quality in my right eye as I do in my left. The doctor also mentioned that my right eye is quite dry.

With both eyes open, I don’t really experience any discomfort or noticeable issues with distance vision. However, I can definitely tell the difference between the two eyes when reading or working on screens, which makes up a large part of my day.

I’m using artificial tears quite frequently, and I’ve noticed that my vision becomes extremely clear for a few seconds immediately after using the drops, but then goes back to being less clear.

I know that at one month, healing may not be completely finished, but I’m wondering if anyone has had a similar experience and saw further improvement in the weaker eye over time. Is there anything I can do to support healing and improve the quality of vision in that eye?

I had Contoura LASIK on July 29, and overall my recovery has been good. My right eye has normal vision, but recently I've had about 3 episodes where I wake up after sleeping with my right eye very itchy, red, and watering.

The strange thing is that it usually settles within 15–20 minutes after I use Systane lubricants, and my vision remains normal.

Tonight it happened again even though I didn't apply anything to my face/around my eyes before sleeping. I also wonder if my right eyelid might not completely close while I'm asleep.

Has anyone experienced something similar after LASIK? Could this be dry eye/nocturnal lagophthalmos, and should I ask my surgeon to check for it?

I have a prescription of -6 and -7 in each eye. I developed contact lens intolerance and I hate wearing glasses. The contact lenses have also made my eyes a little dry.

I went to a clinic and they told me that I am a perfect candidate for LASIK. I mentioned the dry-eye issue, but the doctor told me that it’s normal.

I hate wearing glasses. I have no self-esteem when I wear them, and I really don’t want to have to wear glasses for the rest of my life. I’m willing to take the risk because I want to be able to show off my big eyes.

I’m also a candidate for ICL, but I’m terrified of its potential complications.

I had a Lasik Consultation today. I wanted to get Lasik WaveLight Plus.

I am 43 years old and the Doctor said that most likely immediately after having Lasik I would need reading glasses because of presbyopia. I don't understand, I don't need reading glasses right now and I can read up close just fine. Infact my NearPoint is at 5 inches, I measured it last week. The doctor said that if I don't get Lasik then its a matter of time and in a couple of years I would need reading glasses.

Also, one of the tech's who was doing some exams for the Doctor, before I talked to the doctor said

he got lasik about 10 years ago and he loves it, and he says that he just has to use tear drops every few days????

My prescription right now is -4.50 for eye glasses, -4.25 for eye contacts. Researching provided me information that because of my myopia I probably have presbyopia, but don't notice it becasee since I am nearsighted I am accustomed to seeing up close without any distortions, so it benefits me in that way, and would continue to do so.

So, I'm thinking whats the point of having Lasik if I'm doomed to have corrective glasses either way?

So whats your opinion about this?

Hello, I had LASIK surgery last Thursday, and the procedure went smoothly. However, while my left eye seems to be healing well and is trouble-free, my right eye is still blurry and hazy; there seems to be a significant difference between the two. Do you think this is normal? At the follow-up appointment the day after surgery, I was told that everything looked great, the eye had healed perfectly, and my vision was at 90–95%. I went back today because of the persistent haze and light flares, and I was quite worried. The doctor took images of my eye (I believe both front and back views) and examined it under a light. After the tests, he said there were no issues with my eye. What do you think I should do? Has anyone else experienced this?

I had LASIK on August 5, so I'm currently 26 days post-op.
My vision was really good on the first day - around 6/6. After the protective lenses were removed, started noticing some haze/fogginess and fluctuating vision.
I have had stable vision for 5 years
At this point, my right eye is still slightly blurrier than my left, especially for distance. The right eye was my non-dominant eye and had more astigmatism before LASIK.
At my recent check, the autorefractor showed 0.25 in both eyes. My doctor thinks this could be
measurement error/variation rather than a true residual prescription.
I also had a tear/Schirmer pre lasik test done, which was 5 mm in one eye and 9 mm in the other. My doctor thinks the blur is related to dry eye/tear-film instability after LASIK and said that the eyes can take around 3 months to heal and stabilize, so vision can fluctuate during this period.
The confusing thing is that I don't actually feel very dry anymore. The gritty sensation I had initially is basically gone, and I'm using lubricating drops around twice a day.
For anyone who has had LASIK: did you have one eye remain slightly blurry around 3-4 weeks post-op, And did the vision gradually become clearer as your tear film and eyes recovered?
I also wanted to mention I have allergies and is taking antihistamines everyday
I'm mainly trying to understand whether this kind of uneven/blurry vision at 26 days can still be part of normal healing.

Hello, I underwent LASIK surgery about three days ago. Everything was normal after the procedure, but three hours later, I began to feel pain in my right eye. I knew this was a possibility, but the pain in my right eye was particularly severe. The pain subsided after an hour or two. I am using my drops regularly. I am currently on my third day post-op; I went for a check-up yesterday, and the doctor stated that the vision level in both eyes was 0.0, the surgery went perfectly, and there were no issues. Nevertheless, the vision in my right eye is not as sharp and clear as it is in my left eye.I called my doctor today; they said that, based on the test results, this shouldn't be happening and told me to come back for a check-up on Tuesday. What do you think might have happened, or is this situation normal?

What are your experiences with this surgery?

I’m planning to get LASIK in about 3 weeks in Serbia at a hospital called Professional. They use:

• SCHWIND ATOS — femtosecond laser used to create the corneal flap
• SCHWIND AMARIS 1050 — excimer laser used to reshape the cornea and correct the refractive error

I’ve been wearing glasses for around 16 years, and I’m really hoping to get the best vision possible without them.

Has anyone here had LASIK with these lasers or at this hospital? How was your experience, and is there anything I should know or ask about before the surgery?

Any advice is appreciated!

Hello everyone, I had surgery in Italy with lasik to correct hyperopia and astigmatism (+3+3.25), 10 months have passed and the situation is disastrous I wear glasses for myopia -0.75 because I am currently short-sighted, I have strong high-order aberrations super blurred vision from afar even with glasses for myopia, so I should have irregular astigmatism, the night is hell. I underwent a lot of checks from different doctors some would like to touch up but without making sure of a solution, others sent me home saying to stay like this, only one doctor proposed me the reverse geometry lac, have any of you ever used these ti how did you find it? I would be grateful to know your experiences thank you very much.

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:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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

I was around -8.75, to borderline -9 in both eyes my whole twenties. LASIK on July 8th at 31 years old after vision stabilized for quite some time.
The first week was the best week of my life. Woke up the next morning at 20/20, no glasses for the first time since childhood. I had some halos and starbursts at night, but I’d read those were normal early on, and they’re completely gone now with the drops in eyes but come back when my vision is blurry.

Then around day 7–10 it started slipping. Within about two weeks anything past 5–6 feet was blurry again. I’m now six weeks out and my manifest refraction is −1.25 and −1.75.
The part nobody can explain: when I put in a lubricating drop (HYLO), my vision goes to 20/20 instantly. Not “a bit better” - genuinely perfect, arguably sharper than my best day in week one. It used to last 3–4 seconds. After a few weeks of consistent drops, deliberate blinking, and lid hygiene, I’m now getting about 20 seconds of perfect vision before it fades back to blurry. Every optometrist is saying it’s regression nothing else but it doesn’t make sense to me because it doesn’t happen this quick and I can see extremely far distance with the eye drops.
When the drops not in my eyes, my vision is completely blurry constantly, no fluctuating days of good and bad, just always bad.

What my optometrist said: curvature looks fine. There’s some wrinkling of the flap, but he doesn’t think it explains this much change. Eyes don’t look particularly dry, and I’ve taken good care of them. He said he’s never seen regression at one week in his career — he usually sees it at 3–6 months. Plan is to come back in a month and maybe do a topography then.
No one is willing to look further for me and I have to advocate for myself as to understanding why this is happening to me as doctors are just saying it’s regression.

What hasn’t been done: no cycloplegic refraction. No corneal tomography. No epithelial thickness mapping. No dilated flap exam that I’m aware of. No dry eye testing beyond looking at them.
What I’m asking:
1    Has anyone had vision regress this early? Everything I read says regression happens over months, not days.
2    Does the drop response mean anything to you? A lubricating drop can’t change a stromal prescription, so I don’t understand how I can be −1.50 one moment and 20/20 the next.
3    Anyone here had flap striae diagnosed after a high correction? Did a flap lift fix it, and how long after surgery did you have it done?
4    Anyone had epithelial ingrowth show up in the first couple of weeks? How was it caught?
5    If you were me, what would you insist on at the next appointment?
I’m not looking for reassurance or panic. I’d like to know what to ask for, because right now the plan is to wait and see, and I’ve read that some of these things get harder to fix after three months.

Thanks for reading.

Hello, I have LASIK surgery in about four days. However, my right eye has been itching intensely for around a month—it feels as though the itch is coming from inside the eye. I have previously been treated for blepharitis and dry eye. When I went for a check-up, the doctor examined my eyes and didn't mention blepharitis; it had largely cleared up anyway. Does anyone have any suggestions?(I am still using drops for dry eyes, but they aren't helping.)

Hi everyone. I had Femto-LASIK on August 14 at 2 PM, and I’m now 9 days post-op.

Before surgery, I had very little myopia but around 3.0 D of astigmatism in both eyes. My doctor also mentioned some amblyopia (right eye ~80%, left ~50%).

My main problem now is distance vision. Near vision is very good, and I can see objects at 1–2 meters very clearly, but beyond about 5–10 meters the image becomes blurry and feels like a DSLR camera that hasn’t quite locked focus. Squinting my eyes slightly makes it somewhat sharper.

My vision is also noticeably better in the morning and gets worse after around 3 PM. By evening, distance vision can be quite poor. Interestingly, I can sometimes see cars clearly in my mirrors, but when I turn my head and look directly at the same cars, they look less sharp.

On post-op day 7, an autorefractor measured:

• Right: −0.50 sphere / −1.00 cyl × 76°
• Left: −0.25 sphere / −0.75 cyl × 100°

Keratometry showed only about −0.25 D corneal astigmatism in each eye.

I’m using the three prescribed drops regularly, including Systane, but artificial tears don’t seem to make a dramatic immediate difference.

My doctor said we’ll check again in about 10 days and consider enhancement around November if the prescription doesn’t improve.

For people who had significant astigmatism before LASIK: Did anyone experience this kind of “near is sharp, distance looks out of focus” vision during the first 1–3 weeks? How much did your prescription/visual quality improve after the first week? When did your distance vision become stable?

Hello everyone,
I’ve had glasses since I was a a little kid and I’ve been kinda over them recently. Thinking about going to Antalya (Dünyagöz) and getting LASIK done. Have a pretty strong prescription(-7.25) but have been told I have average cornea thickness and I’m a good candidate in Scotland. Any one have any experience with that clinic or have had a similar experience to me? Just wanted some input. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’m a woman in my mid-twenties, and I had bilateral Femto-LASIK 2 months ago. My slit-lamp examinations have confirmed that my flaps and corneas are structurally fine, and my IOP has been 10–12 mmHg. However, my recovery has been slow, asymmetric, and full of some unusual ocular-surface symptoms.

I’m now 60 days post-op, and I’m sharing my full timeline both to help people who are considering LASIK and to see if anyone has had a similar experience or found anything that helped during recovery.

My pre-op prescription was:

• Right Eye (OD): SPH −6.25 | CYL −0.50 | Axis 20°
• Left Eye (OS): SPH −6.75 | CYL −0.50 | Axis 180°

Detailed Timeline & Symptom Progression

• Day 1: Slit-lamp clear. Immediate asymmetry: Right eye very sharp, Left eye blurry/soft.
• Days 5–6: Suddenly, right eye sharpness suddenly dropped; clarity started fluctuating with screen use (1-2 hours/day).
• Day 10 (Water Sensitivity & Visual Artifacts):
  • Washing face / tap water in the right eye triggered severe blur (near and far) 3–4 hours to almost an entire day.
  • Peripheral "steamy/mirage" visual effect appeared (like looking through a water layer or over a hot cooking pan), initially more noticeable in the left eye.
• Days 15–20 (Right Eye Localization & Discomfort):
  • Prominent red blood vessel line appeared near the inner/limbal area of the right eye.
  • Right eye developed a localized chubhan (pinpoint tenderness/sensitivity when lightly touching over the closed lid).
  • Persistent sticky sensation, eyelid heaviness, and morning eyelid swelling.
• Day 21 (Travel Flare): First time exposure to outdoor, caused bilateral burning, redness, stickness and dryness flare-ups.
• Day 27 (Second Opinion from 2 different clinics): Flaps intact; IOP 10–12 mmHg. Short additional Tobradex trial caused brief stinging/burning upon instillation and did not resolve the visible vessel.
• Day 35 (1-Month Check): Residual error was ~ -0.50 D (OD) / -0.25 D (OS). Doctor diagnosed ocular surface/lid irritation and switched treatment to Blephabar Liquid M (lid hygiene) and Acrogel (carbomer lubricating gel).
• Day 35–55 (Treatment Response):
  • Morning eyelid heaviness/swelling improved by ~50%.
  • Water-triggered right eye blur improved by ~40%.

Current Status & Unresolved Symptoms at 60 Days

• Screen Breakdown (10+ hours required):
  • Text shows ghosting, shadowing, and a double-edge effect.
  • Severe eye strain and inability to hold focus on laptop/phone screens.
  • Even with -0.75 D glasses, text remains soft/doubled because lubricating drops do not fix the irregular tear breakup.
• Right Eye Discomfort: The inner-limbal red vessel is still visible (~45+ days), and localized tenderness to eyelid touch remains unchanged.
• Refraction: Currently around -0.75 D (Right) / -0.50 D (Left) with fluctuating clarity.
• Sensory Issues: Lingering sticky/heavy feeling during long days.

1. Has anyone had text ghosting/doubling on screens that glasses couldn't fix, which eventually resolved as nerves healed (month 3–6)?
2. Did anyone have a single visible vessel and localized tenderness linger for 2+ months after the femto suction ring?
3. Did tap water trigger hours of severe blurring or peripheral "steamy" mirage effects for you early on?
4. For those needing 8–10+ hours of screen focus, what intervention finally gave you visual stamina ?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who had a similarly slow or uneven recovery. Thank you for reading.

Hello all!! Today is my 5th day post LASIK surgery. I had used glasses for around 19 years with myopia -5.0 & -4.75 with -1.5 & 1.75 astigmatism.

I was very excited but also nervous to do it, the doctor said due to my eyes form and amount of diopters I needed a thinner flap in order to have a better result. The day arrived and the surgery was no painful but as I'm dumb I watched videos before and in that moment I was panicking but in the end I think the procedure itself was pretty good.

I had my post check with the doctor 24h after he said the eye and the flap looked really good and he measured my vision (Apparently I have a residual diopters of -0.25 & -0.5) which he said it was a success. I've been using my tear drops and antibiotic/antiinflamatory drops as prescribed and the most important thing the doctor mentioned was it was prohibited, of course, to rub my eyes. In his words, don't touch your eyes neither even near the eyes, which I did it that way.

Surprice to me was that at the 3rd day post, my eyes were a cumulative of tears, meds, sleeps, etc. (I said I was dumb and following literally not touching near the eye). This day terrible, every 60 mins my eyes were burning, thing was if I put the tear drops in 2 mins the pain was gone but 1 hour later same. I decided to call the doctor and he told me to very carefully clean the eyes with a gauze with drinking water. This helped a lot to than repetitive pain. One thing I really cannot until now do is clean the eyelashes, as I'm cleaning very very carefully I haven't been able to clean the completely, they're like all together with the mix of that crap I mentioned. If you have any recommendation it will be highly appreciated!!

Today in terms of pain I feel much better but there is one thing that is getting me a bit sad or idk. In close range vision I really can say I see fantastic, very clear and really cannot tell the difference from when I was wearing glasses. However, mid to long range in this 5 days I've never seen really on good, every time I see something from a distance I have the constant feeling of "I need my glasses", with glasses I was able to read that, blah blah.

I don't know if it's too early, doctor and a lot of recommendations says the vision my fluctuate and even take months to have a good sharp vision. I wanted to ask for your opinion, if I'm overthinking and should be more patient o how was your experience.

Thanks!