Lasik Surgery Experience: What REALLY happens

Last updated on April 13th, 2023 at 10:39 am

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I want to start the post by saying I’m in no way a medical professional. Please listen to what your eye doctor says.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get started with the LASIK experience blog post!

Anyone who’s worn glasses has probably thought about getting LASIK but there are usually a few hesitations:

• Going Blind
• Worrying About Pain
• High Cost

I was told being blind from getting LASIK is practically 0%.

It was reassuring to hear that but what about the pain?

I have a very low tolerance for pain. I even flinch when I get needles.

How can they shoot this laser in your eye while you’re awake and it NOT hurt?

Can’t they drug you so you’re completely out of it? (Unfortunately, they need you to cooperate with them so you can’t be asleep through the procedure.)

For a lot of people, these two reasons alone can take them some time to persuade themselves to get the surgery.

There’s also the cost factor. It ain’t cheap so you might need some time to save up.

Don’t Focus on Other People’s Experience

I get it.

Getting LASIK is scary but don’t spend too much time reading other people’s experiences.

For most people, the procedure turn out just fine but then there are those few who had an awful experience. How they wish they never got it done because this and this happened.

Those are the stories we focus on but it’s best to get a consultation yourself to hear what the doctor has to say.

LASIK Experience – Getting a Consultation

Not everyone is going to be a suitable candidate for LASIK. Doctors consider factors like age, stable prescription, etc. The consultation with your doctor will let you know if you can proceed with this operation. 

I had a 3 hour consultation at the Hong Kong Sanatorium Hospital. 3 hours is a long time but I convinced myself that it was my eyes we were doing a thorough check on. It’s also a one-time only thing.

Those are the words I kept repeating to myself when I was getting impatient.

The clinic wants to mentally prepare you for what you’re about to go through. They gave me an iPad to watch the entire LASIK experience process so I know what they’ll do to me.

As for the rest of the consultation, it was like doing your annual eye exam.

You read the chart from your chair and they ask you if 1 or 2 is more clear. Things like that.

These tests confirmed that I was a suitable candidate for both SMILE and LASIK.

I, like a lot of other people, have never heard of SMILE before.

If you’re interested in reading more about the differences between the two, Vision Center has a great article explaining it.

I could have gone with SMILE but went with LASIK because that’s what my doctor recommended.

Booking the LASIK Experience

The staff told me that…

• I had to be there at 9:30 am to prepare (surgery would be at 11 am)
• Get a friend or family member to drive me home and for them to come at 12:30 pm
• Emphasized not using contact lenses one week before surgery
• No makeup or perfume on the day of surgery
• The actual Lasik surgery is at a different location
• I can change my mind and choose SMILE instead up to a few days in advance

Lasik Surgery Day

Surgery Preparation

You do one final eye examination and sign some consent forms before it starts to get intense.

For hygienic purposes, I had to change my face mask, wear a hairnet (keep my frizzy hair away), put a hospital gown over my clothes, and even use the clinic’s slippers.

The nurse puts A LOT of eye drops in your eyes. Honestly, they put in so many eye drops I lost count.

There’s a lot of sitting and waiting around. That’s when the anxiety builds up. My stomach was doing nonstop somersaults.

It seemed like other people who got LASIK had an option of taking a Valium. I was disappointed when I didn’t. Only got a painkiller.

I barely ate before going in because I had no appetite. Also, I knew that I would be lying down all day after surgery. My eyes were already going to feel uncomfortable. The last thing I needed was to feel bloated too.

More sitting.

More waiting.

Then, it was showtime.

Before I went in, the nurse asked me if there was anything she could do to make me more comfortable. I asked for a stuffed animal or pillow to hug.

They didn’t have one but gave me a warm blanket. She could tell I was extremely nervous so she patted my shoulder a couple of times (I was such a baby).

Getting Ready for Lasik Operation

You walk into the surgery room and you see these big machines.

The doctor was sitting down, ready to go while there were like 7 other people around him. Is it necessary to have that many people in one room? I guess so but it was a little intimidating.

The picture below is the perfect example to show how I felt.

They tell you to lie down completely. I tried putting my legs up because it is a comfortable position but was quickly shot down. 

They also told me to stay completely still. When someone tells you that, you suddenly become conscious of every movement you make. It makes you want to wriggle around but nope, can’t do that.

LASIK Operation Time

The feeling was somewhat strange when they put this eye holder thing to keep your eyes open.

It wasn’t painful but I could feel the pressure. My eyes were numb at that point because of all the eye drops.

The team also taped my eyelashes to my eyebrow.

I asked my doctor if my eyelashes were going to fall out. He laughed and reassured me it wouldn’t.

The light-hearted moment did help a bit to ease my nerves.

There were two parts to the eye surgery.

They first create a flap and then reshape the eye and correct vision.

The two machines were in different rooms so I needed someone’s help to guide me from one room to the next.

Seeing a huge machine coming down slowly at you made me feel like I was going to be squished to death.

I clung to that blanket for dear life.

I think the doctor could tell that I was absolutely terrified. He said a lot of encouraging words but I could barely hear. My heart was pounding so loud.

The LASIK experience was so fast (10 – 15 minutes) that my memory is a bit blurry but all you need to do is to focus on the blinking green light.

It’s a bit loud and you can smell something burning. This did not faze me as I’ve done previous laser treatments.

People said that there are a few moments where your vision goes completely black but it only went very blurry for me. It was like opening your eyes underwater.

There was zero pain during the procedure itself, only a lot of pressure.

Going Home Post Surgery

Right after surgery, you’re brought back to your sitting area.

The doctor checked up on me one last time before I was free to go. He told me to keep my eyes closed as much as possible for the next few hours.

The nurse had to remind me several times how to take care of my eyes post-surgery because I was too loopy to listen. I finished about half an hour later than I was supposed to.

My mom was there waiting for me when I walked out.

I kind of wished she was there with me before surgery to have some emotional support but someone being there would have made me more nervous.

My mom probably would have asked me questions and it would have spiked up my anxiety.

I thought I was going to need to bring sunglasses with me to protect my eyes but they put these eye shields on you.

You’re supposed to keep them on until the next morning.

4 – 6 Hours Post Surgery

During the consultation, the doctor did warn me that after surgery, the next 4 – 6 hours would be the most uncomfortable.

It might feel like there’s sand in your eyes or an eyelash you can’t get out.

The best thing to do is to lie down in a dark room with your eyes closed.

The numbing eye drops wore off and I couldn’t stop tearing up. It wasn’t painful but was annoying.

If I had to rank how painful it was on a scale from 1 – 10, it would be 1.5. The 0.5 is from the constant tears.

My eyes were also extremely sensitive to light. I could barely open them.

It wasn’t fun when I had to get up to go to the bathroom. My mom was guiding me but she was terrible because I kept bumping into things.

I fell asleep soon afterwards. Cutting your eyes makes you tired. When I woke up from my nap, it was like another whole new world.

You can actually SEE! Without glasses!

It’s my first time seeing things clearly without contacts or glasses since I started wearing glasses at 13 years old (yup, wore glasses for half my life. I was 26 years old when I got LASIK).

Post LASIK Experience Care

It’s best to stay at home for the next few days. Your eyes are still in healing mode and there are a lot of eyedrops involved.

For the first week or so, I had to put in eyedrops every two hours. It wasn’t too bad as I set an alarm on my phone. 

The clinic provided these plastic eye shields to use at night when you’re sleeping. You tape these eye shields to your face so you won’t accidentally hit yourself in the eye while you’re asleep.

The tape they gave me sucked. It was tough to take off in the mornings and left some stubborn sticky residue.

Washing your face was also a pain. There were firm instructions not to use tap water near my eyes for a week and no eye products for two weeks. The nurses suggested buying distilled water bottles to wipe my eyes with a cotton pad. 

Not being able to do my skincare routine was a bummer. It’s a daily self-love activity I do and it wasn’t something I could continue doing for the next while. It was also hard to wash my forehead because you don’t want the cleanser to drip down to your eyes.

Also, facials and swimming was not allowed for one month, sauna for 3 months, contact sports and eye rubbing for at least 6 months.

It sounds worse than it is, promise.

Tips on Taking Care of Your Eyes Post Surgery

1) When you put in your eye drops, make sure you close your eyes for 1 – 2 minutes. Let your eyes soak it in. Rushing the process means you’ll taste those eyedrops in the back of your throat. It’s NASTY. Do not recommend it.

Unfortunately, those eyedrops also make your eyelashes crusty. It’s pretty gross.

2) Plan some LASIK recovery activities to do ahead so you’re not lying down the entire time you’re recovering. This will help the time go by faster.

3) Wear sunglasses when you’re outside for the next couple of months. Your eyes will still be sensitive to light. It’s also a good habit to wear them to protect your eyes.

If you’re looking to shop for sunglasses, I recommend going on to Vestiaire Collective! If you’ve never heard of the platform before and don’t know how to use the website, you can check out my guide to Vestiaire blog post.

Follow Up Appointments

There are several follow-up appointments: 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 month, and 6 months (it’s a lot, I know).

At my 1 day later appointment, they said that my eyes were healing better than expected although I still didn’t have 20/20 vision yet.

At that time, I was -0.5 in my left eye and -0.75 in my right eye, already far better than my original prescription, -3.75 and -4.50. 

I could skip my 1 week later appointment and see my doctors 3 weeks later.

That was reassuring to hear.

At my final check-up appointment at 6 months, my doctor confirms I have 20/15 vision. I was glad to hear that. My eyes are even better than 20/20!

It does take time for your eyes to heal so don’t expect to get perfect vision right away.

LASIK Surgery Side Effects

There are several follow-up appointments: 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 month, and 6 months (it’s a lot, I know).

At my 1 day later appointment, they said that my eyes were healing better than expected although I still didn’t have 20/20 vision yet

At that time, I was -0.5 in one eye and -0.75 in another eye, already far better than my original prescription, -3.75 and -4.50. 

I could skip my 1 week later appointment and see my doctor 3 weeks later.

That was reassuring to hear.

At my final check-up appointment at 6 months, my doctor confirms I have 20/15 vision. I was glad to hear that. My eyes are even better than 20/20!

It does take time for your eyes to heal so don’t expect to get perfect vision right away.

LASIK Experience Side Effects

The doctor said everyone has different symptoms but to see a common list of them, WebMD has a list of common symptoms people experience after LASIK.

The most common ones are probably dry eyes and halo effects. Those are the two I had to deal with.

Dry eyes weren’t too bad as the clinic provided artificial tears to help ease up the dryness.

Choosing A Clinic

Reviews are extremely important. You want to be selective with which clinic you go with because it’s your eyes.

Don’t go cheap with surgery.

This might be hard to do but if you can, try to pick a clinic that isn’t super busy.

The day I went for LASIK surgery, the place was completely swamped. I couldn’t tell if they were understaffed but many nurses were quite abrupt and rushed me.

It was hard to relax before getting LASIK when their attitudes weren’t great.

Final Thoughts – LASIK Experience

The pros of getting the LASIK experience is way more than the cons. I have ZERO regrets and would do it again in a heartbeat.

The recovery process wasn’t fun but it’s better than having to wear glasses all the time.

If I could go back in time, the one thing I would tell myself that the scariest part is the anticipation. The surgery itself wasn’t bad but I scared myself by thinking of the worse case scenario.

There’s a reason why millions of people have gotten LASIK before. Most of them also had a great experience. Add me to that list.

Now to You – LASIK Surgery Experience

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Xoxo,
Nicole