#Lasik

[toytowns]

[animentality]

[confusionmeisss]

“a whole fandom can’t have beef with lasik eye surgery, that’s just insane!” hey u wanna fucking bet?? meet the waterparks fandom! strong haters of lasik eye surgery!

[xomiamibb]

Has anyone ever done Lasik? It seems scary tbh

[safije]

I was looking into Lasik eye surgery last night and the side effects were like:

• Dry eye

• Suicide

[lasikcomplications]

Lasik Complications

I created this account to share my story with Lasik. I hope my experience informs others of the truth behind the Lasik industry—its deceptive marketing practices, medical negligence culture and hidden complication rates.

I got Wavefront Optimized Lasik in 2023 with the ex500 laser with an Ivy League faculty surgeon in the USA. My myopia was between -5.00 and -6.00 in both eyes beforehand. My astigmatism was minor and uncorrected beforehand, between -.25 and -.50. I actually didn’t even know I had astigmatism before getting Lasik. Since that is a normal amount for most people, it is not noticeable or corrected. My prescription had been stable for over 3 years before proceeding with Lasik.

I have many complications after Lasik and it has been traumatic both physically and mentally. It is singlehandedly the most devastating thing to ever happen to me.

The surgeon should be discussing the risks with you in relation to your specific screening and eye health history during the initial consultation, but the problem is that many do not, rather they just send you a consent form after approving you as a candidate, without explaining why thoroughly. It is solely up to you to educate and inform yourself of the risks beforehand, but you are not an expert in the field so may not know what to look for in your own research.

Below are the things I wish I had known before going through with the procedure.

1) The risk of ectasia in relation to your individual screening results (corneal thickness, age, prescription, etc.). How corneal thickness impacts possibility of retreatment down the line if needed, how further treatment would greatly increase the risk of ectasia by further thinning the cornea. The risk is also very dependent on your current prescription and current corneal thickness. Higher prescriptions require more tissue removal.

2) Dry eye risk in relation to your screening. Explanation of how Lasik severs nerves which causes dry eye, risk of corneal neuralgia if nerves do not heal adequately. Explanation of how nerves never return to preoperative levels.

3) Loss of best achieved/corrected visual acuity and loss of contrast particularly at night due to pupil dilation.

4) Risk of starbursts/halos at night in relation to the patient’s pupil size vs. treatment zone.

5) Risk of under and overcorrection, and irregular astigmatism.

6) Explanation of what the Lasik flap is, scarring risk and permanent loss of corneal strength. Comparison of risks to other procedures: PRK and Smile.

7) Risk of floaters in relation to myopia, lattice degeneration, and risk of retinal detachment or early posterior vitreous detachment due to trauma caused by suction used during procedure. 

8) Risk of rainbow glare due to laser pattern.

9) Explanation of how Lasik increases higher order aberrations which are uncorrectable through regular glasses/soft contacts and lead to visual side effects such as irregular starbursts, etc. There is no guaranteed fix--one can try topography guided retreatment, but it may not work. Scleral lenses can potentially correct but not cure.

10) Explanation of how Lasik makes cataract surgery harder to get if needed down the line. Patients getting Lasik should hold onto all previous eye records and topography scan for future cataract surgery. 11) Explanation of how Lasik leads to falsely low IOP measurements which may increase risk of undiagnosed glaucoma

Of these possible short-term and long-term risks, I currently have the following.

Rainbow glare, a rare side effect caused by the laser pattern. Usually transient over 2 years but not for all. Retreatment can fix it but cannot do due to post-Lasik dry eye syndrome and suspected corneal neuralgia.

Massive, irregular starbursts and halos at night, making night vision significantly poorer than before. I was told after the procedure during a second opinion consultation that I have larger than average dilated pupils, causing light to enter the untreated area at night which causes these visual disturbances. Only temporary pupil constriction drops can treat it, or risk topography-guided retreatment to widen the treatment zone, which may not work either. I'm not sure why I was approved for Lasik given my pupil size, but they told me nothing.

Diagnosed under correction, diagnosed worsened astigmatism after the procedure by .50 diopters in left eye

Diagnosed severe flap scarring

Diagnosed Higher order aberrations (HOAs). Spherical and coma in particular as shown by aberrometry. In only one eye I see diagonal streaks of lights on cars even during the day time, and ghosting at night making it hard to read subtitles, digital clocks, any text on dark screens (can no longer use my phone in dark mode, for example). I also see starbursts and halos at all times of day but they are massive at night. Again, HOAs cannot be easily corrected. Topography guided retreatment may or may not fix it, could make it worse, and scleral lenses may or may not help.

Floaters: I thought I had retinal detachment given all the floaters gradually appearing 1-3 months after Lasik, so I had an emergency appointment. The ophthalmologists cannot explain definitively why Lasik causes more floaters. I have been told that Lasik may just make them clearer. Another has said that the suction during the procedure stirs them up, and may damage the retina. Another has said that Lasik isn’t “supposed” to cause floaters the way cataract surgery does. But no one could provide a concrete answer. However, studies show that Lasik can lead to early Posterior Vitreous Detachment and and Retinal Detachment is a known risk of Lasik, so damage to the retina caused by the suction makes the most sense. In the most recent laser information, all of these are now listed as side effect so I was lied to.

Post-Lasik dry eye and corneal neuralgia. My nerves may or may not regrow adequately over the course of 18 months. I am currently being treated with serum tears which cost around $300 (not covered by insurance) for a 3-month supply. Serum tears are made from your own blood. Another treatment option is IPL which can be around $450 a session (also not covered by insurance). Previously tried prescription Xiidra eyedrops which is around $60 a month with insurance. Before Lasik, I rarely used eye drops. I now use them daily alongside frequent painkillers, nerve medication (Gabapentin), warm compresses and icepacks. I was told I likely had Dry Eye Syndrome before Lasik by an outside eye doctor, but wasn’t aware. I had thought I was becoming intolerant of contact lenses due to allergies. The ophthalmologist should have seen my dry eye during the Lasik screening, but if they did, they didn’t say anything and still approved me as a candidate. Many doctors will also say that Lasik “only causes dry eyes for the first few months,” but this is not true for many people. Some develop long-term or permanent dry eye syndrome and corneal neuralgia due to poor nerve regeneration. My life is very different than it was 8 months ago due to the daily discomfort and pain caused by dry eyes. This is the most devastating impact of Lasik so far. I would strongly advise against getting Lasik if you already have dry eye symptoms.

All this to say, I also knew around 10 people who got Lasik, PRK or Smile before I went through with it, and none had serious complications. Only one regretted the procedure due to regressing with his astigmatism a few years later. Another got Lasik in 2000 for -4.00 myopia and is still 20/20 today without side effects.

But given my side effects, I am shocked to be the “1 in 11.” I have wondered if the statistics are really accurate that most fare well. Even if I am the unlucky one, the 1 in 11, I would still argue that this probability is still way too high for such devastating risks. 

When I did the procedure, I was mostly basing my faith on the people around me who had gotten it, rather than digging deeper into the research, data and stories of those with complications.

A report from the FDA in 2022 highlighted some statistics around Lasik side effects/complications and they are actually quite high despite the overall short-term satisfaction rate: https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/lasik/lasik-quality-life-collaboration-project#:~:text=Questionnaire%20with%20Filenames-,Study%20Results,halos)

The study also admits it doesn’t have much data on long-term side effects, long-term risks and satisfaction.

In general, the marketing around Lasik is that it has the highest satisfaction rate in the world, and is a quick and casual miracle. Given that Lasik is an elective, expensive, privately paid procedure, I believe that this is why many clinics don’t adequately discuss these risks or review the patient’s screening with them in detail. 

I am now in a Lasik support group with a lot of people who have both similar and different issues from the procedure.

The consequences of Lasik are honestly the hardest thing I have ever gone through, so I want to make sure the next person considering Lasik is more well-informed than I was, and knows their risks in relation to their individual screening and health history. If I could go back in time, I would’ve stuck with glasses and contacts.

All in all, the effects of Lasik on my physical and mental wellbeing have been truthfully devastating. My outcome and experience thus far is something for me to adapt to, cope with, accept and move forward from. 

Thank you for reading.

-C

[brunchbitch]

Are you near-sighted or far-sighted? Do you need glasses all the time in order to see? Ahh, I hope you get amazing results from lasik! I’ve never really looked into it, but is there a recovery time for lasik?

i'm near-sighted! i do use glasses all the time, though my prescription really isn't terrible. i think both my eyes were somewhere around 20/50 and my left eye also had astigmatism. i went for a free 90 minute consultation where they took all these measurements and determined that i was a good candidate, though my cornea is a little thin.

i went in yesterday morning and they tested my eyesight again, gave me valium and numbing eye drops, and then i was brought in to the OR. it was VERY quick - three minutes per eye. my surgeon was amazing - he was sooo nice and explained everything that was happening. there was a kind of scary part where for about 10 seconds i couldn't see anything at all in the eye they were lasering, but he counted down until i would be able to see again. there was a part where they were lasering part of the cornea and it smelled like burning hair, but it was pretty brief and not awful.

my eyes felt very uncomfortable and dry but it was manageable. they gave me "comfort drops" which basically numbed my eyes. i could use them as much as i wanted yesterday and it definitely helped the pain. there are two other eyedrops i use four times a day for a week and then twice a day for a week and i can use artificial tears liberally. when i got home, i put on a cold compress and took a long nap. eyes were dry and uncomfortable throughout the rest of the day. sometimes i couldn't even open them bc of light sensitivity. this morning i woke up and they felt dry, but now at midday they don't feel dry at all so the eyedrops are really good! i even was able to drive to my follow up appt which felt crazy. when i got out of the car and saw the trees in the parking lot, i started laughing bc i could see individual leaves without my glasses!! 24 hours out i would highly recommend this procedure if you're a good candidate!

[cerchionero]

Tomorrow I'll have LASIK eye surgery, and I'll not be able to use a computer, phone and look at bright light for several days. It will be a pity not to see posts from mutuals and friends, communicate and draw new silly art, but this is a necessary measure.

See you (HA) guys next week! ✌️

[puzzlingfrost]

I’m getting a new set of eyeballs today lol

No more glasses only laser vision. That’s what lasik is right?

[dakota4]

Nobody wears glasses to just see anymore. LASIK replaced that idea. Now they are just a fashion accoutrements. Because glam never takes a day off.

[acetrainerkatie]

not to get emotional on main but all I want for my birthday next month is to have perfect vision 🥲

I don't qualify for LASIK bc my prescription is so high (-10 L -12 R and astigmatism on top of that) so my only option is ICL, which is significantly more expensive. LASIK costs around 1000-4000 USD per eye. ICL is 3500- 5000 USD per eye. and since it's considered cosmetic my insurance won't copay.

I'm 22 - almost 23 years old. I've had glasses since I was 3. my eye doctor told my mom I had the worst eyes on a 3 year old he's ever seen. he even told her there was a good chance I'd be blind before I turned 18. I'm so glad I didn't. I don't even know what I would do if I went blind...

my current financial situation isn't the best. partly my fault for quitting my second job and putting way too many bill payments on a credit card. partly for not having any financial support from family. partly for instead of going to college I moved out of my mom's shitty roach infested trailer and into a shared apartment with a roommate who leeched off of me instead of contributing anything.

like I know I don't have it the worst. I'm not homeless. I still can see with glasses. my life is ok considering the state of the world.

I just want to be able to wake up and see. to not have glasses that irritate the bridge of my nose. to not have to go on rollercoasters with my glasses in my pocket and not being able to see anything. to not be afraid of going swimming because my glasses are in a bag on a chair and not on my face. to be able to wear sunglasses comfortably so the UV rays don't make my vision worse (I'm high risk for macular degeneration and retinal detachment.) even applying makeup is impossible unless I climb onto the bathroom sink, and don't even get me started on shaving in the shower. it's these little things people take for granted, when they buy the plastic lensed glasses frames as accessories and colored contact lenses to make their eyes red or purple or gold. I didn't get a choice not to need glasses or contacts. I just want to have the option of those things without spending a fortune on getting them in my prescription, if that's even possible to start with.

like. dude. what do I do at this point?

[thedepartmentofdiscoveries]

[t33nunic0rnz]

I felt cute last night but not enough to post on Instagram

[brunchbitch]

Decided sort of impulsively to get LASIK next Monday lol. I’ve been thinking about it for a while but made a same day appointment for a consultation and asked for the soonest available surgery slot. This place is a freaking institution - they do sooooo many LASIK surgeries, so that makes me feel better that it’s literally so routine. They have really good reviews but a part of me was like is it insane to do this??? Guess we’ll find out lol.

[thewanderingfaith]

I don’t know about you, but I’d 100% trust the advice of my eye doctor, over that of a stranger on the Internet.

I just had LASIK surgery last Thursday (a dream I had since I was 10, and VERY nearsighted), and it’s honestly the best thing that’s ever happened to me! ☺️☺️☺️☺️