Glasses are annoying, and I’m not particularly risk averse, but unless I was completely blind or in excruciating pain, I can’t imagine any scenario in which I would elect to have someone cut, lase, or reshape my eyeball.

I elected for LASIK as my near-sighted prescription was severe enough that I could only see about 6-8 inches in front of my eyes without my glasses.

Also, I could only get my prescription filled in high-index lenses as the normal lenses would be too thick for nearly any glasses shop to order and grind. And had been that way for at least a decade by the time I opted for LASIK.

Poor control of my eye reflexes meant that even after over a year of trying I still couldn't reliably wear contacts, and was a highly stressful part of my day when I managed to get them on.

I had a family friend that went for LASIK very early on (late 2000s iirc) and had a horrible outcome losing sight in one eye, and a couple of friends in college that had amazing outcomes, so I had seen both sides. Ultimately, the LASIK operation was a very quick and pleasant operation for me, and the results were beyond my expectations. Nearly a decade later, my eyesight is still fine though I think I'm starting to see some blurring at middle distances that wasn't there a couple years ago. Did get some strong starbursts at night for a couple of years but I've either gotten used to them or they've faded.

After wearing glasses for around 20 years of my life, I love the freedom of no longer wearing them.

Lasers are not fun. Especially when they're not aiming at the cornea/etc flap and instead are intentionally burning your torn retina flap to "photocoagulate"/glue it back on to the back of they eyeball with the rest of the retina. It hurts quite a bit (like getting punched in the eyeball 300 times) and you have to remain perfectly still with your eye always looking at the the same exact spot for 20 minutes minutes while the doctor flashes the green laser at random unpredictable intervals. There are no resting intervals. It's very intense and difficult to hold so still while getting hurt. And sometimes the laser will literally hit a nerve and suddenly you'll feel like puking. I had this done to both eyes in the last month and both times I left absolutely soaked in sweat and pale like a ghost.

I still can't look at flashing green LEDs the same way. Too many bad memories.

That said, this electroforming process sounds even worse than photocuagulation! I can't imagine it being a procedure they could do to a conscious person.

For the vast majority of candidates, it's a life changing experience for the better, and well worth the minimal risk. Mine reverted in one eye, but I'm glad I did it regardless and have zero regrets. Just luck of the draw, really.

Everybody I know who had LASIK is thrilled with the results. Even the ones with complaints consider them minor compared to being able to see from the moment they wake up in the morning.

I'm still not gonna let somebody shoot my eyes with lasers. I'm just terrified that something will go wrong, and it won't be fixable. But that terror isn't justified by either anecdotal experience or the overall statistics.