Anything to look out for for someone considering going for LASIK in the next few months?

Unless things have changed, be sure you keep the little note they give you at the end that tells you your measurements. Supposedly if you end up needing another round later in life, it may be necessary to have those measurements. They apparently need to know exactly how much corneal tissue was there originally to know how much more they can remove.

And be sure you do your annual check-ups. The place where I had mine done guaranteed any follow-up procedures would be free for life, but only if I could show I'd been doing the annual check-ups.

That's about all I can remember. After the procedure, you go home and take a nap. For me, I woke up the next morning and could see clearly.

It has some underappreciated side effects, such as reduced night vision.

Even if everything else went perfectly, I don't think that's an acceptable side effect for me.

Severe side effects may not be common, but they can be very very severe. I had it 20 years ago and had no issues myself.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7431709/

I had it done in late 2022. The doctor does close to zero work and it’s all in the laser. I called almost every lasik specialist in the city to figure out what laser they use and what their price is and then narrowed that list further with in person consultations. Don’t go for the absolute cheapest but there’s zero reason to pay quadruple.

At the time it was about $1k per eye and of course vision insurance sucks and won’t make a difference for lasik. My company even had a lasik benefit ($1k/eye) but the offices that worked through insurance cost $2.5k/eye.

If I recall correctly there’s three major laser brands and they’re on the fifth generation lasers. The buzzword at that time was waveform technology.

Overall it has been AMAZING and everyone should do it. Literally can’t express how wonderful it is to no longer need contracts or glasses. It’s probably paid for itself already as well but the quality of life improvements are worth it even if there was no break even point.

The equipment they use matters a lot.

It's surprisingly automated. The best thing you can do for yourself is call every provider and ask exactly what model machine they will use. As long as the doctor isn't grossly negligent, the one using the most recent and advanced machine will be your best option.

Just be prepared for the waiver you have to sign.

After all of the advertising about how amazing and safe and wonderful it is, the rubber meets the road with the release you sign.

Essentially “we’re about to shoot LASERS into your eye and if we manage to not BLIND you, that’s a good outcome.”

All routine, of course, but it’s still a scary form to sign.

Many acquaintances dating decades back to high school days have gone through LASIK.

They were lucky enough to be happy at first (not everybody is). Long term, they all regretted it.

The statistics agree. I would personally not consider LASIK.

My wife had PRK done on both eyes over a decade ago, and it was great. At the time, she had the choice between LASIK and PRK (I’m not sure that everybody has both options given their particular conditions). After reviewing the long-term prognosis and possible side effects of both, she went with PRK. It’s been a fantastic decision for her, but that just one person’s experience.

best 3 grand i ever spent. my vision was so bad prior I couldn't see the largest letter in the test and afterwards i felt like i could have gone a few levels past the smallest on the test with no issue. after 7 years and my last exam showed I still had 20/20 vision. I can relate with the night driving halos but I had trouble driving at night prior to it too so ymmv. waking up the night of the procedure and walking the dog it was like a whole new world of clarity with the amount of detail I could see of the leaves on the trees backlit by streetlights. the first month is a pain because you can't touch your eyes and you gotta wear goggles to sleep. and being able to see in the shower is pretty cool too.

This is something I am considering as well, so I am definitely interested in hearing feedback from other users that have gotten LASIK or have looked into it.

If it matters, I have slight astigmatism in both my eyes.

Don’t. Watch “Broken Eyes” before https://youtu.be/V9g4tnLL2r4

Do your pros and cons versus ICL. It's pricier. But it comes with fewer side effects, is fully reversible and allows for refinement down the road.

Don’t get LASIK. Get Wavelight Plus ray-tracing guided LASIK. The outcomes are incredibly improved.

Get SMILE instead.