LASIK Stories, Opinions and Letters

We want to hear from you! If you have something you would like published, please let us know. Or just drop us a line. We welcome emails from anyone with an interest in LASIK, including the medical community. Even personal injury attorneys are welcome to write us — you’re ok with us! We especially enjoy hearing from prospective patients who found this site and learned about the real risks of LASIK — it makes all of our efforts worthwhile. We respect all requests for anonymity. Email your thoughts to lasikcomplications AT yahoo DOT com (please excuse the anti-spam email format).

Message from reader – 4/27/2021

I had LASIK about 19 years ago at 27. Afterward I suffered a severe migraine that lasted 2 months. I felt dizzy and had trouble seeing in low light and at night. Fast forward to me now being 46. Over the last 19 years, I have been depressed and suffering debilitating headaches due to my left eye not seeing properly in dim light. It feels like I have lived with one contact lens on leaving the other eye “uncorrected”. I finally was told what was wrong. My pupil is larger than the correction area from LASIK. When I was administered a “P drop” I saw perfectly. Sharp as a pin in dark light. I cried. If only it was permanent. The drop wears off after a few hours and I cannot use it constantly because of my eye shape with my astigmatism. I still have issues to this day and it has cost me countless medical bills, MRIs of my brain, countless eye doctor visits and vision that cannot be corrected with glasses or contacts, only a P drop, that wears off and I can only use intermittently. LASIK ruined my life.

Photographer loses vision after laser eye surgery – Amanda’s story 2/2/2019

“I’m sorry we don’t have more answers for you. Right now, we are just trying to save your actual eye.”

These are the words that forever changed my life, that repeatedly echo through my head still. It was hard to believe that just one week earlier, I sat up from a quick and simple LASIK eye procedure with the best vision I had ever had in my life. The procedure had gone perfectly, according to my doctor. I had been able to see and read a clock across a room, nothing short of a miracle, for me. And, now my husband and I sat and listened to the same Dr. and my new corneal specialist say that there was a chance I would lose my eye. How did this happen? Continue reading

LASIK patient with eye pain – December 2018

What happens with these other elective surgeries is terrible but lasik is the only elective surgery to my knowledge that results in so many suicides. There are two reasons for this.

First, humans have five senses but by far the most important organs of sense are our eyes. We perceive up to 80% of all impressions by means of our sight. Therefore, when vision is compromised, it has a devastating effect on a person’s quality of life.

Second, the cornea is the most densely innervated tissue of the body. For comparison, the cornea has 300-600 times the sensory innervation density of the skin. This dense innervation is necessary since the cornea is the first line of defense against injury to the eye. These nerves prevent you from “poking your eye out.”

LASIK cuts through these corneal nerves. When the nerves are cut or injured they regrow and some end up deformed. The aberrant nerve regeneration results in eyes feeling pain where pain doesn’t exist since the pain receptors of the eye are misfiring (phantom pain syndrome.) Remember, these pain receptors are extremely sensitive (300-600 times the sensory innervation of skin.) Continue reading

Juan 2/25/2018

I am from Monterrey, Mexico. Had LASIK in Vidaurri Oftalomologia. Recognized clinic in my city. Was 18 years at that time and was told I was candidate for the surgery. Surgery only costed around 300 dlls at that time. Never was mentioned about any risks. Days after the surgery I could see without glasses! Now comes the ugly part. 4 years later suffered from Post Lasik Ectasia which can ONLY get vision fixed with complicated special custom contact lenses which a pair can cost +3000 dlls and need to be replaced every few years, otherwise I cant see a thing with it. Right eye can get some decent vision with regular glasses but is still NOT the same vision i had before lasik, otherwise I also need a complicated special custom contact lens on it. After numerous lies from the doctor (one being that Crosslinking procedure performed by her would recover 50% of my vision which of course never happened) I asked for all my scans from before the surgery and turns out I wasn’t even a candidate for the surgery (according to numerous other doctors from Mexico and USA Ive seen). Of course the lasik doctor to this day says I was a perfect candidate, and the fault is on my “genes”, and even was trying to convince me to get ANOTHER procedure done called intracorneal rings to “fix” my ectasia (by that time I simply did not trusted her). I find sad that this procedure is still being performed and to me it looks like the surgeons simply hide the long term risks for economic benefit. My advice, keep your glasses and stay away from lasik doctors. And ALWAYS do your research online. Im glad this website exists for people considering this greedy procedure.

Steven 8/1/2016

I had normal reading vision prior to undergoing LASIK to clear up some distance vision problems in my left eye. Post LASIK I have double vision near and far and the doctor has no solutions to correct it. I have received 2 other consults from optometrists to see about getting corrective lenses and they cannot correct the vision due to the surgery. As a pilot and a medical student I now worry if I’ll ever be able continue flying and if I’ll be able to see well enough to graduate my surgical training.

Susan 11/26/2015

I received Lasik July of 2014. I had nearsightedness and it was perfect after the Lasik. But then, I’ve had problems ever since. My eyes are unbelivably dry and I was on Rx eye drops which I never noticed them improving my dry eye except right when I put the drops in, just like all the other drops I’ve tried since. I also have sudden stabbing eye pain that scares me everytime it happens because I think what the heck was that about?… Continue reading