My LASIK Eye Surgery Experience

Before you start reading you need to know I’m not a medical advisor or someone related to the eye surgery field. I am only a patient who did this surgery and I will not say whether you should or shouldn’t go for LASIK eye surgery. Now let’s go to my story and I hope it will help with your LASIK surgery.

What is LASIK ?

Process of Lasik surgery for a patient who has myopia correction

Lasik (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis), commonly referred to as laser eye surgery or laser vision correction, is a type of refractive surgery for the correction of myopia(Nearsightedness), hyperopia (Farsightedness), and astigmatism . LASIK surgery is performed by an ophthalmologist who uses a laser or microkeratome to reshape the eye’s cornea in order to improve visual acuity. For most people, LASIK provides a long-lasting alternative to eyeglasses or contact lenses.

— Wikipedia

Before Surgery

I am an astigmatism sufferer. That means because of my eye shape, I see everything blurry. Before surgery, you need to know if you are a good candidate. After my first appointment with Dr. Charith Fonseka, a renowned ophthalmologist in Sri Lanka, I was referred to LASIK Eye Center to conduct a series of tests. I tested positive for dry eyes and was instructed to use fresh tears three times a day. Yes, you may have heard that dry eyes are not good for LASIK surgery. But after a few days of using fresh tears, my eyes got better and after a second test the results were good. I normally use the computer for at least 12 hours a day, so dry eyes are normal. Finally, after receiving all the test results, the doctor approved LASIK surgery and I received the following advices.

Do’s & Don’ts before the surgery

1. Don’t use perfume, creams, hair spray, powders on the surgery day.
2. Take a bathe on surgery day or previous day. — You should not bathe till a week and if you really want a bath, do it carefully only after three days.
3. Don’t use alcohol before or after the surgery. (at least for 24 hours)
4. Don’t smoke for at least two weeks.
5. You should completely stop using contact lenses before and after the surgery. (Hard Contact Lenses for 3–4 weeks and Soft Contact Lenses for 2 weeks)
6. Bring or wear a button-down shirt or blouse on surgery day. — So your eyes don’t get any pressure when you change the clothes.

Well, I don’t know if it’s good or bad. Due to the COVID 19 situation, the curfew was established in Sri Lanka on exactly the day of my surgery. So my surgery was postponed for a month. I thought I would have to do all the tests again. Fortunately, my surgery was rescheduled as soon as the curfew was lifted.

Surgery Day

Here comes the surgery day. I was a little bit nervous because this is my first ever surgery. Before the surgery you have to sign a form like any other surgery. So take a moment and read it carefully before you sign it.

At the beginning of the procedure, they cleaned my eyes and continuously put eye drops to my eyes. My surgery started at 5.00 p.m. and it finished at about 5.10 p.m. First, they start surgery with my right eye. They put a plastic cover to keep my eye open during the surgery. I was instructed to look at the green light, so I did. Don’t panic, you can see what is happening to your eye, it’s like they are doing some painting over your eye. The only thing I felt during the surgery was that there is some cool gel in my eye. I didn’t feel any pain or smell burning as some patients say. You can hum a song in your mind if you feel like panicking. You should not move your head during the surgery and try to focus your eye on the light. After finishing my right eye, they moved into my left eye. They keep telling me what they will do and that you are doing a good job. It made me relax and surgery finished more quickly than I expected.

Well, after the surgery my eyes were very watery. That might be the reason I saw everything blurry, but yeah I could see. I was instructed to keep my eyes close all the time and do it for the first 24 hours. I slept for 3 hours way back to my home and slept again after putting drops.

They will give your eye drop schedule that you need to follow. They told me how to clean my eyes and the next appointment schedule. It’s better if you can go to surgery with someone instead of going alone.

After Surgery

Do’s & Don’ts After the surgery

1. You can’t rub your eyes for two months and need to use a protective eye shield for a week when you go to bed. — If not you might accidentally rub your eyes. Rubbing your eyes might harm your flap healing process. I used my eye shield for two weeks just for more protection.
2. No swimming at least for two months (After two months use goggles while swimming).
3. Use a soft face towel to clean your face and don’t get soap, shampoo to your eyes for like at least three days.
4. You should not use any cosmetic products in the eye area for at least two weeks.
5. Use quality sunglasses for one to three months to avoid dust and UV.
6. Clean your hands before using eye drops.
7. You should rest your eyes for 10 minutes if you read books or use the computer for more than one hour.

First 24 hour

I used eye drops 3 times every 2 hours. Well, the first drop of bottle which is the one you have to put in a refrigerator is very itchy and you have to bear it without rubbing your eyes. When I woke up, my eyes were filled with tears and I didn’t have any pain. I only had one discomfort because I was like a weeping machine and my tears didn’t stop😭. I consulted LASIK Eye Center about my eyes and they said it is a normal situation. I didn’t use my phone or computer but I listened to good classic audiobooks to avoid boresome.

Two days after surgery

After the surgery, I went to my first appointment. The doctor checked my eyes and told me everything was fine. For the first three days, I practically lived in a very dark room because my eyes were super sensitive to light. I even woke up early in the morning thinking it’s daylight😂.

One week after surgery

Well, tears coming from the eyes got lesser but then eyes were dry. Sometimes it was a very high discomfort. I used my drops early when that happens. At the end of the week, I met my doctor and removed my contact lenses. I felt a little weird after removing it but after a few hours, it was okay.

One month after surgery

My vision got better and better. After my first monthly checkup, I have got a 6/6 (metric system) eye vision and no glasses anymore. I took frequent breaks when I use the computer to avoid dry eyes. So dry eyes haven’t plagued me so far.

Now let’s go to the question you really want to know.

Is it worth it?

It’s a big yes. I used very high prescription eyeglasses for a long time. My eyeglass prescription was -12.00 for left eye and -11.00 for right eye. The maximum correction they can do to my eyes is -10.50 . So they warn me I might have to wear glasses even I did the surgery. But after my first month’s appointment, they said that I no longer need glasses. There is -1.25 prescription in my right eye and my left eye is completely okay. As a person who has used eyeglasses for 6 years, I am really happy with my current vision.

Risks and Side Effects

According to Wikipedia LASIK surgery, the success rate is 92% to 98%. There is a chance to have complications such as Dry eye, Halos visions, Flap complications. So make sure what are the risks before going to the surgery and do a good research.

I suffered from dry eyes for about two weeks after the surgery. There is no pain but you have this irritating feel that something is in your eye. But after removing the contact lens it got better and eye drops help a lot for dry eyes. So make sure to use eye drops correctly and timely to your eyes.

Don’t worry this is not The End. I will update you about my vision, side effects. So let’s keep in touch!.