My Lasik Eye Surgery Experience (Cost, Recovery, and More!)

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Today’s post is a little bit different than usual because I’m sharing my personal experience with Lasik Eye Surgery. And, I’m giving you ALL the details, from the consultation all the way to my recovery. So, if you’re interested in my experience or you’re considering getting Lasik, keep reading!

Why I wanted to get Lasik

I’ve been wearing glasses since my Freshman year of high school, which is like half of my life! I’ve wanted to get Lasik for a long time, but I was always too scared. But, the final straw for me was working during a pandemic and having to wear foggy glasses with a mask all day. After one random day of working, I went to LasikPlus.com and scheduled a free consultation at my local branch. I didn’t have to answer a lot of questions, and I didn’t even need my current prescription or insurance information. It was super easy, and I scheduled it for the next weekend.

The consultation

I showed up to my consultation appointment, and I was not nervous at all. The waiting room was clean, and the staff was very friendly and inviting. One of the workers (who I assume was a nurse or other medical professional) led me back into an exam room and asked me basic questions like “How long have you worn glasses?” and “How did you find out about us?”. She then explained the bladeless Lasik procedure to me. Basically, the doctor uses a programmed machine to cut a flap on the outer surface of the eye. He then lifts the flap and uses the laser to reshaped the cornea, changing your vision back to how it was before needing glasses. I didn’t have any questions, so she took some pictures of my eyes in order to get my prescription. (No random puffs of air here!). Then, she casually says, “Now, I have to tap on your eye to see if your cornea is thick enough for you to qualify for Lasik”. Internally, I was freaking out! She put numbing drops in my eyes, the same ones used for the procedure, and asked me to look at a focal point. When I tell you guys I did not feel her tap my eyeballs AT ALL, I am so serious! I did not feel a thing! After the tapping, she inserted dilating drops, and I met with one of the eye doctors. He did the usual, shone a light in my pupil, etc., and then, the same lady came back to talk with me about price and scheduling my appointment.

Scheduling the appointment + COST

I was told that I do qualify for Lasik, and I decided I wanted to go through with it! But, first, we had to discuss pricing. The website that I used to book the appointment said that they have flexible payment options, and it is true. The lady asked me how much I’d like to pay a month, and when I told her, she said it was reasonable. She printed me out a receipt, and the total came out to $4,896.95. But, they were having a special (which they often do) where you get $1,000 off, so my actual total came out to $3,900.87 (once taxes were added). For this price, I get the bladeless Lasik procedure, their Lifetime Advantage Plan, and all of the drops I needed for recovery. Overall, not too bad! I was able to finance $2,000 through their credit program, and I paid the other $1,900.87 before the appointment. But, they did have monthly payment options for that amount, too. LasikPlus is very accommodating to different budgets! I booked my appointment, and a next-day follow-up that same day. Again, she went over the procedure and the recovery process with me (which I’ll explain later), and I got a folder with lots of paperwork to read and sign before the procedure. The papers included post-op instructions, eyedrop instructions, and more information about Lasik. Easy peasy! Note: For the consultation, you can drive yourself home, but you will need sunglasses because your eyes are dilated.

Surgery Day!

The Procedure

The day of my procedure, I arrive at LasikPlus and hand the receptionist all of my paperwork. She then gives me a tote bag with all of my different eye drops in it. A nurse comes out and goes over all of the post-op instructions and eye drop instructions with me again, and if you’re wondering about the recovery and the different drops, I’ll include the basics at the end of this section. I have to wait a little bit, but then a nurse calls me back and tells me to tell my ride I’ll be done in about 7 minutes. I went back to the surgery room, and I met with the surgeon. He introduced himself, and explained the procedure once again. He also told me that he’d walk me through each step as he was doing it, which was nice. The nurse gave me a hair net, and she put in the same numbing drops from the consultation, and I was ready!

I walked over to the first machine, and I had to lay down while the machine cut the flap on my eye. They cover up one eye, and use a clamp to hold the other one open. I was nervous for the clamp, but it wasn’t bad at all. I’m not going to sugarcoat this next part…it was extremely uncomfortable! It’s not painful, but it felt like someone was pushing really hard on the top of my eyeball. Ya girl was holding her hands tightly and taking deep breaths to keep myself calm. During this part, the doctor told me to keep my eye focused on a light, but my vision WENT BLACK, so I was trying as hard as I could to keep my eye straight. As son as I felt like, “okay, I can’t take this anymore”, it was over, and they did the next eye exactly the same. This step took probably less than a minute. Then, I sit up, and the nurse helps me walk over to the laser machine.

Again, I lay down, they cover one eye, and clamp open the other. At this point, my vision is very blurry. For step two, the doctor has me look at a little light, and I can see him use a tool to lift up the flap on my eye. Then, I hear and smell the laser begin to work on my cornea. It kind of smells like burning hair lol. I keep looking at the light, my vision goes blurry, then clear, and then he says the laser is done. I can see him use a little squeegee type of thing to smooth the flap back down, and then he covers up my left eye and does the same thing to my right. This took maybe two minutes, and then they were done.

I can’t tell you if my vision was clear right away because my eyes were so watery and tearing up. They gave me sunglasses, reiterated thee post-op instructions, and sent me on my way. Right after the procedure, I was instructed to go home, and take a 4 hour nap because those first few hours are supposed to be brutal: burning, itching, stinging, etc. And, I was instructed to wear the sunglasses while I slept for at least 2 days. After the nap, I was to start my different drops and begin recovery. Again, you’re not supposed to touch or rub your eyes because you do have a flap cut which takes around 6 months to fully heal. The doctor told me that after the nap, I should be able to see clearly and resume normal activities.

Post-Op Instructions

• Have a ride take you directly home. Keep your eyes closed the entire drive and wear sunglasses.
• Take a 4 hour nap as soon as you get home. Start drops right after.
• Don’t rub your eyes!
• Don’t touch your eyes for several weeks after the procedure.
• Sleep with sunglasses for the first two nights.
• Don’t use eye makeup for 3 days.
• Don’t get water in your eyes for 7 days,
• Avoid pools, hot tubs, and saunas for two weeks.

Day 1 Recovery

The car ride home was pretty rough because it was so sunny outside, even with the two pair of sunglasses I had on! But, once I got home and closed my eyes, all was well. I didn’t sleep at all, but I did keep my eyes closed for four hours. I didn’t like the thought of sleeping in glasses, so I bought this Lasik sleeping mask from Amazon, and I ended up using it for two weeks, just to be safe. Other than watering, I had NO OTHER EFFECTS after the surgery. I didn’t experience stinging, burning, or itching at all. After the four hours, I opened my eyes, and I was in disbelief! I could clearly see my calendar that was all the way across the room! I looked in the mirror, and I did have some red bruising all over my eyeballs, but this is normal. Just like the doctor said, I put in my eyedrops (which I’ll explain), and got up to watch TV and do karaoke with my family. Just like that, all the hard parts were over!

Eyedrop Instructions

• Prednisone-Moxifloxacin: take four times a day for a week. (These did burn to put in)
• Blink tears: one drop every hour for the first two days, then four times a day for at least one month. (Can be used more as needed)
• Blink gel tears: one drop at morning and one at night for one month (These drops felt so good!)
• HydroEye Capsules: as needed (I didn’t use these at all

Follow-up appointment

The follow-up was pretty basic. I went back to the LasikPlus office the next morning and met with an eye doctor. He looked at my eyes and made sure everything looked good. He told me that the bruising would go away with time (it took about a month) and that things going in and out of blurriness is a normal part of the healing process. And with that, I was free to go!

3 months later…

I 100% recommend Lasik Eye Surgery to anyone wanting to get it! Just book the free consultation and see for yourself. It is painless, and the recovery is minimal. Three months later, I’ve had no problems, my vision is better than it has ever been, and I love the freedom of not having to wear glasses! I’m literally telling everyone I know: IT IS WORTH IT!

FAQ

• Can you go blind from getting Lasik eye surgery? No, the procedure only touches the surface of your eye, not deep enough to cause blindness, and the doctor can stop the Laser at any time.
• Do they put you under for the surgery? No. You have to be in complete control of your eyes, so you are awake the whole time. I have heard of people getting Valium or something before, but my Lasik center did not offer that. Instead, I took some Ashwagandha before I got there, and it kept me pretty calm.
• Can you get Lasik eye surgery if you wear contacts? Yes, but I think you have to stop wearing them a few days before your procedure.
• Can you get Lasik eye surgery with astigmatism? Yes, I had astigmatism and nearsightedness.
• Will you ever have to wear glasses again? While Lasik does repair vision, vision loss due to aging can still happen. So, it is a possibility that you could need readers as you age.

Well guys, that’s it! I hope you found this post helpful because I tried to include everything about my Lasik eye surgery experience! If you have any additional questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section, and I will definitely answer them. If you’re on the fence about getting Lasik eye surgery, just do it! My only regret is that I should have done it years ago!