Does Laser Eye Surgery Hurt?

When I tell people that I have had laser eye surgery the first thing that people will ask me is “Does laser eye surgery hurt?”.  I explain to them that no, it doesn’t hurt, all that I felt was some pressure on my eye while the laser was correcting my vision, and this must have lasted a few minutes for each eye. You can choose to have a sedative if you wish (I didn’t opt for one, so maybe the pressure I was feeling would have been non-existent if I had). The entire laser surgery operation didn’t last any longer than twenty minutes, and that includes walking in to the operating room and getting comfortable on the table as the surgeon prepares him/herself.

In terms of pain after the surgery, again for me there was none. I have heard others say that their eyes felt dry for a few days afterwards, and I will warn you that your eyes will be red for about a week after the procedure too, but once they have healed up they look great. Your eyes will be sensitive to light after the surgery though, so you will need some good sunglasses. I was driven home by my girlfriend at the time, and I couldn’t bear to open my eyes because it was at night and the other cars headlights were far too bright for my poor eyes.

When I got home I took a nap for about two hours, and once I awoke I was amazed at how clear my vision was. My vision was horrible before the procedure, if memory serves me correctly it was at about -6 for both of my eyes, so you can imagine how excited I was to be able to watch the television just a few hours after the laser surgery procedure without any glasses or contact lenses. As each day passed after the surgery my vision became noticeably stronger, and it was really noticeable for me because my job at the time required good vision and I could see further and clearer as each day passed.

I know it sounds pretty scary to think about a laser cutting your eyes, but I can assure you it is perfectly safe. This is especially true as the technology and skill of the surgeons become better and better year after  year. And not only is the quality getting better, but the prices are dropping as well. For me the operation wasn’t a mystery because my girlfriend had gone through it just months before (before I actually knew her) so any questions or concerns that I had were answered and squashed by her experience.

There are tons and tons of stories all over the Internet about laser eye surgeries gone wrong, but you really have to read these with a grain of salt, because some people just like to freak other people out, and people will often exaggerate too. You also have to understand that when it comes to the Internet all of the good results of something are buried under the stories of negative results, so when you read about someone complaining about something, whether it is a product or service, you need to realize that those who are satisfied with things rarely voice their opinion.

So does laser eye surgery hurt? The short answer is no, but if you haven’t taken the sedative which is offered to you by the surgeon you may feel a little bit of pressure as the laser is correcting your vision