LASIK, Or: "OH GOD THE BURN! I WAS NOT PREPARED!"

Status
Not open for further replies.
D

David Incorporated Esq.

Member
So I had LASIK surgery performed Friday night because I like spending thousands of dollars to have a laser melt my eyeballs (talk about a nasty smell!). Anyway, going into the surgery they tell you time and time again that afterwards you'll want to keep your eyes closed for 2-4 hours, and if you can, you should take a nap. Why should you keep your eyes closed? Because "you'll have a burning sensation and it will feel like you have something in your eyes."

No! Bullshit! Lies!

All you will feel is a burning sensation, as the rest of the world fades away to a dull background. There will be a fire in your eyes and nothing else will be able to pierce that veil of agony.

That's maybe a bit of hyperbole, but the first night after the surgery sucks pretty damn hard.

Anyway, I'm on day 3, still in the 48 hour period, and right now my eyes don't hurt at all but everything is a little fuzzy, and while I was a hair better than 20/20 at my check-up yesterday, my sight's nowhere near that sharp today. Has anyone else had something similar with LASIK? I'm sure it's going to be a while for my eyes to settle, but going to sleep with crystal clear vision last night and waking up with blurry vision this morning was a big "Hey what's going on here?" moment.
 
It was pretty simple for me, I had no burning sensation or anything. Went to take a nap right after for about 4 hours and woke up to everything being clear as fuck. It was amazing.
 
Was bladeless LASIK not an option for you. My uncle mentioned he had gotten it done and was performing surgery a couple of hours after.
 
As far as I understand it the amount of pain increases with the level of correction needed. My sister had quite poor sight and she went through quite a shitty ordeal for 2-3 days after. But like I hear from everyone thats had the op, its all definitely worth it for the end result.
 
Dave Inc. said:
So I had LASIK surgery performed Friday night because I like spending thousands of dollars to have a laser melt my eyeballs (talk about a nasty smell!). Anyway, going into the surgery they tell you time and time again that afterwards you'll want to keep your eyes closed for 2-4 hours, and if you can, you should take a nap. Why should you keep your eyes closed? Because "you'll have a burning sensation and it will feel like you have something in your eyes."

No! Bullshit! Lies!

All you will feel is a burning sensation, as the rest of the world fades away to a dull background. There will be a fire in your eyes and nothing else will be able to pierce that veil of agony.

That's maybe a bit of hyperbole, but the first night after the surgery sucks pretty damn hard.

Anyway, I'm on day 3, still in the 48 hour period, and right now my eyes don't hurt at all but everything is a little fuzzy, and while I was a hair better than 20/20 at my check-up yesterday, my sight's nowhere near that sharp today. Has anyone else had something similar with LASIK? I'm sure it's going to be a while for my eyes to settle, but going to sleep with crystal clear vision last night and waking up with blurry vision this morning was a big "Hey what's going on here?" moment.
Click to expand...
My place prescribed a couple of sleeping pills for the day of the procedure. Said it was basically the easiest way to make you keep your eyes closed and keep you from rubbing them.

A little fluctuation in acuity is pretty normal. A lot of the time it's just dryness. Just keep using the drops. I had a timer set for every twenty minutes for the first week. Makes a load of difference.
 
Tagyhag said:
I've thought about doing LASIK, are there no permanent options? I've seen people go in for multiple sessions.
Click to expand...

With this surgery the doctor told me he's seen about 3% of people come back for an enhancement, basically a touch-up to get on perfect 20/20. As far as permanence, from what I understand your vision can always change somewhat over the years and this is natural. I have a lifetime plan where I can get it enhanced in the future, though.

RapidCancel said:
It was pretty simple for me, I had no burning sensation or anything. Went to take a nap right after for about 4 hours and woke up to everything being clear as fuck. It was amazing.
Click to expand...

Yeah you suck dicks. I struggled to get to sleep for the first two hours, kinda zoned in and out for two more hours and then when I opened my eyes I was still in pain with a feeling of sand in my eyes. I was only up for about an hour after that to get the drops in before I went back to sleep. The next morning was pretty okay, was able to drive myself to the doctor.

whatsinaname said:
Was bladeless LASIK not an option for you. My uncle mentioned he had gotten it done and was performing surgery a couple of hours after.
Click to expand...

I had bladeless, where the corneal flap is cut with laser and then peeled back by the doctor. It only took about two minutes per eye, which is really pretty incredible for what they're doing.

whatsinaname said:
Was bladeless LASIK not an option for you. My uncle mentioned he had gotten it done and was performing surgery a couple of hours after.
Click to expand...

Worth getting a an exam to check, newer laser technologies are able to deal with some degrees of astigmatism.
 
Tagyhag said:
I've thought about doing LASIK, are there no permanent options? I've seen people go in for multiple sessions.
Click to expand...

LASIK is permanent, but you should only go when you are over 20 years old and have not had to change glasses for ~3 years. If you use glasses, you most likely have had to change glasses every 1-2 years as your eyesight gets worse. It will stop getting worse at some point and then you can go do the surgery.

It will also not solve the issue you will get at old age where you will need reading glasses. Nothing solves that.
 
I'd really like to get LASIK in the future, but I'm damn worried I'll be that 1% or whatever they use that's going to get my eyes ruined by the procedure and then I'll kiss away any career prospects. :|
 
I had another eye-surgery (PRK instead of LASIK) a couple of years ago, due to my cornea being so thin it was impossible to cut only a small flap of it for the surgery - PRK involved scraping part of the cornea. Plus, PRK takes far more recovery time than LASIK.

Operation went fine.

But the following days were hell on earth - eyes burning and itching like crazy with no possibility of scratching them AT ALL, and that went on for, like, a week. Ugh.

At least my vision is fine now (and though my night vision is still shit, it's miles better than before the surgery), so it was worth it.
 
I had LASEK for both eyes back in September last year, and I had my last post-op checkup at the surgery clinic yesterday. My eyes have fully healed from the surgery, my vision is great and I've had no issues whatever during the recovery process. The first few days are the most annoying, but that's why you're given a course of eye drops to aid recovery, along with some painkillers to get through any pain.
 
4Jd1LMk.gif
?
 
I had it twice last year - and didn't feel a thing. I smelled the eyeball flesh burning. Did you ask for a sedative? I got a powdered valium-based mild soporific because I didn't want to move suddenly.
 
Stinkles said:
I had it twice last year - and didn't feel a thing. I smelled the eyeball flesh burning. Did you ask for a sedative? I got a powdered valium-based mild soporific because I didn't want to move suddenly.
Click to expand...

They gave me valium and put a numbing agent in my eyes, which lasted for about twenty minutes after the surgery, at which point the pain came.

"Huh, my eyes kind of sting a little oh wait oh aaaAAAAAGGGHHH"

Mr. Giggles said:
What do melted eye balls smell like OP?
Click to expand...

Very similar to burning hair.
 
I want it, but I don't think insurance covers it. Also, I've had glasses since I was like 5 or 6...So I'd be that guy with fake glasses since they're such a part of me.
 
Didn't have any burning problems on my end. Some itching for the first day or so, that was it. It did take a couple of weeks before the haziness was completely gone, though.

After the first eye was done, I said "Anybody suddenly hungry for bacon?", got a laugh out of the doctor and the staff. Honestly, the smell wasn't all that bad, I've smelled worse, and I knew it was coming before I went in.
 
I wanted to get LASIK or PRK(Navy does it for free-you just gotta ask), but I was told my corneas are too flat and that I needed to get ICL, which sounded so fucking terrifying.
 
I took drugs and slept for 3 days .. My wife would ensure I got my regular eyedrop treatments.

Worked out ok :)
Later I returned the favor when it was her turn.
 
I want to get it simply because I am legally blind without glasses. If I misplace my glasses I often cannot even find them. Would never dream of driving.

On the other hand, I cannot imagine myself without glasses...
 
Apparently it's kind of rare, but it happened to me as well. Most people feel some slight discomfort but my pain was something else. I spent the entire next day in my bathroom with the lights off because no light were touching these eyes. The pain was incredibly intense.

But after a day the pain started to fade. Looking back it was 100% worth it but I'll always remember that pain.
 
Ceallach said:
I wanted to get LASIK or PRK(Navy does it for free-you just gotta ask), but I was told my corneas are too flat and that I needed to get ICL, which sounded so fucking terrifying.
Click to expand...

Is this lens replacement surgery? Well, that is my only way to get my vision fixed, because I have keratoconus on both eyes (already went over crosslinking surgery on the right, left remains...) and due to that every laser based procedure is a no go.
 
DrM said:
Is this lens replacement surgery? Well, that is my only way to get my vision fixed, because I have keratoconus on both eyes (already went over crosslinking surgery on the right, left remains...) and due to that every laser based procedure is a no go.
Click to expand...

Yup. It just sounds so scary, I don't want it.
 
Here's my Lasik story:

One of the bonuses of pre-surgery is they give you a Valium. I'm happily zoning out in the waiting room when the nurse comes to get me. We go to a dark room and she makes me lie back on a reclining chair. She puts a drop of numbing solution in my right eye (it's that same yellow stuff they put in your eye when you have a glaucoma pressure test; that thing actually touches and *presses* against your eyeball!). Then she prepares to put a drop in my left eye. For some reason, she takes much longer to do this. I've got my eye wide open, waiting, waiting. Then, just when she squeezes out the drop, I blink. I feel the drop splash against my lashes. Some got in my eye, I think. It had to. I mean, they probably use a lot stronger numbing solution than they even need to, right? Why wouldn't they? It's eye surgery after all. These are my thoughts in my Valium haze. Meanwhile, the nurse is at the office door telling me it's time for surgery. I get up and follow, mentioning nothing about the errant drop.

Surgery ensues. They hold your eyes open with clamps right out of A Clockwork Orange and a special saw slices open your cornea (bzzt-bzzt-bzzt), which they flip back and use a laser on the interior to change its shape and how it focuses (pop-pop-pop). Right eye, fine. When they start on my left eye, I CAN FEEL THE SAW CUTTING MY EYE OPEN!! Perhaps the doctor noticed my hands clenching the armrests, so he asks me if everything is all right. Well, the saw was really fast, and my eye has already been cut, so I tell him it's fine. Proceed to laser. I CAN FEEL THE LASER BURNING INTO MY EYE! Oh, and later it feels like there's grains of sand in your eye and you want to claw them out. Good times.
 
Yup... The burning lasted for like 5h really intense then mild burning for 24h. I was good after that.

It's been a bit over a month for me now and it's just FUCKING MAGICAL. I have perfect vision, no glasses at the gym, no frosted glasses during winter. So much more confortable.... Magical I'm telling you.
 
Ceallach said:
Yup. It just sounds so scary, I don't want it.
Click to expand...

Apparently it is not so bad . At least it is quickly done, compared to crosslinking where I had to endure 45 minutes of blinking green light into my eye with riboflavin drops every minute. And when the light went out, holy crap that pain, like sword through my head. But the most horrible part is scrapping the cornea down before 'disco' begins.

Luckily they provided me with tramal and other strong painkillers plus numerous drops. Even painkiller drops, but you can use them only in first 24 hours. I had rapid recovery compared to some other patients from that day.
 
I had it done a few years ago but recently I noticed my eyes are getting bad again so I am going to get my eyes tested.

The doctor made a Dr. No joke while the lazer was over my face was a little unnerving.

I remember the stinging for a few hours and trying not to rub my eyes.
 
Lucreto said:
I had it done a few years ago but recently I noticed my eyes are getting bad again so I am going to get my eyes tested.

The doctor made a Dr. No joke while the lazer was over my face was a little unnerving.

I remember the stinging for a few hours and trying not to rub my eyes.
Click to expand...

Yeah the assistants in the office were joking with me and my friend what to do with my stuff when I died in surgery, and how best to profit from the following lawsuit. Strange, but I was down.
 
Everything about LASIK seems like a waking nightmare to me. I made the mistake of watching a video of the procedure once and I still get chills at the thought of the little eye flap they have to make. Glasses are just fine for me.
 
Had lasik done 2 years ago. Luckily the sleeping aid they gave me worked fairly quick and I was asleep for 4-5 hours after the procedure. Woke up to my eyes drowning themselves in tears but no major pain. First 6-9 months had the halo/star effect around lights at night but that's gone away for me.

Biggest thing is to not forget the eye drops routine. I found a medication reminder app and set the proper intervals. I think that was the biggest reason I had no complications.
 
RomanticHeroX said:
Everything about LASIK seems like a waking nightmare to me. I made the mistake of watching a video of the procedure once and I still get chills at the thought of the little eye flap they have to make. Glasses are just fine for me.
Click to expand...

Yeah my friend filmed the screen showing my eyeball during the surgery (glass walls around the surgery room so people can watch) and posted it to my facebook. My mom flipped her shit and I laughed and laughed.

It does look pretty crazy, though, the way the doctor peels the flap back and then just pats it down gently. It's incredible the healing abilities of the cornea.
 
Some of these responses are really scaring me and I want to do this sometime within the year 😑
 
ODDI said:
Some of these responses are really scaring me and I want to do this sometime within the year 😑
Click to expand...

You'll probably have one or two shitty days and then won't need glasses again, I'd say it's pretty rad. Everyone I've talked to about it has said it was one of the best decisions they'd ever made for themselves.
 
So the choice is....

Wear glasses or lens

Or

Have a laser melt your lenses in your eyes.

Yeah, sorry, it's a no brainer, I'm not going to voluntarily have anyone shot a laser in my eyes thanks!

Are there any long term studies on the affects of lasik in later life?.
 
danowat said:
So the choice is....

Wear glasses or lens

Or

Have a laser melt your lenses in your eyes.

Yeah, sorry, it's a no brainer, I'm not going to voluntarily have anyone shot a laser in my eyes thanks!
Click to expand...

I wear helmets a lot for different activities, and dealing with glasses under full-face helmets is really annoying.

Also I do yoga, and while I'm there for the exercise, being able to see around the room wouldn't be the worst thing...
 
Dave Inc. said:
I wear helmets a lot for different activities, and dealing with glasses under full-face helmets is really annoying.

Also I do yoga, and while I'm there for the exercise, being able to see around the room wouldn't be the worst thing...
Click to expand...

I race cycles, so yeah, wearing glasses under helmets, especially aero ones with a visor is a pain, so I use contacts.
 
I had it done almost a year ago. Best decision I ever made.

Took a nap after it was done and kept sunglasses on inside for the rest of the day. Kept putting in my drops like they told me and I never had a lot of discomfort.
 
Dave Inc. said:
So I had LASIK surgery performed Friday night because I like spending thousands of dollars to have a laser melt my eyeballs (talk about a nasty smell!). Anyway, going into the surgery they tell you time and time again that afterwards you'll want to keep your eyes closed for 2-4 hours, and if you can, you should take a nap. Why should you keep your eyes closed? Because "you'll have a burning sensation and it will feel like you have something in your eyes."

No! Bullshit! Lies!

All you will feel is a burning sensation, as the rest of the world fades away to a dull background. There will be a fire in your eyes and nothing else will be able to pierce that veil of agony.

That's maybe a bit of hyperbole, but the first night after the surgery sucks pretty damn hard.

Anyway, I'm on day 3, still in the 48 hour period, and right now my eyes don't hurt at all but everything is a little fuzzy, and while I was a hair better than 20/20 at my check-up yesterday, my sight's nowhere near that sharp today. Has anyone else had something similar with LASIK? I'm sure it's going to be a while for my eyes to settle, but going to sleep with crystal clear vision last night and waking up with blurry vision this morning was a big "Hey what's going on here?" moment.
Click to expand...

Normal.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Lasik
36
208
j0hnnix replied
  • Locked
God bless the USA.
Cringe 
31
2K
Dacvak replied
I put a spell on you yes oh yes
14
935
Digital-Aftertaste replied
  • Poll
I feel like taking the Red Pill was a bad idea.
2 3
110
1K
Major Insano replied
I was banned on Reddit AMA
Drama  2
56
1K
Plies replied
Top Bottom