If you are considering LASIK eye surgery to get rid of your glasses or contact lenses, it is a great step. But are you anxious and doubtful, regarding ‘is LASIK surgery painful?’ It’s very natural to have these doubts because we all know how sensitive our eyes are and ‘surgery in the eyes’, itself sounds fearful. But the good news is that LASIK (Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis) eye surgery is totally painless and you will be awake all through the procedure. It is one of the best-known, quick, safe, and most commonly performed eye surgery for correcting vision. If you ask anyone who has actually had this surgery ‘does eye surgery hurt?’, almost 100 % will say ‘NO’ to this.

Let us know through this article, some details about how this LASIK eye surgery works and does LASIK eye surgery hurt?

How does LASIK work?

LASIK eye surgery is a minimally invasive procedure that provides you with better vision without glasses or contact lenses. LASIK works by reshaping your cornea (The clear front surface of the eye which allows light to enter the eye and contributes most of the eye focusing power), thus correcting the eye focusing ability and hence improving your vision.

For normal eyes, the light rays entering the eye are focused in such a way that images are formed on the retina and you can see clearly. But with various vision problems described below vision becomes quite difficult.

• Near-sightedness(Myopia): Distant vision is not clear because the cornea curves too sharply and the images are formed in front of the retina. The LASIK flattens the cornea, thus improving its focusing power and images start forming on the retina.
• Farsightedness (Hyperopia): Near vision is poor because the cornea is very flat and the images are formed behind the retina. With the help of LASIK surgery, the cornea is curved and made steeper, thus correcting the vision.
• Astigmatism: Where the cornea is uneven and both distant and near vision is disrupted. LASIK surgery smoothens the cornea and improves vision.

Before the surgery:

• Your ophthalmologist will numb your eyes with a numbing solution so that you do not feel any pain or discomfort. This will clarify your doubt about ‘Does LASIK hurt?’
• An instrument will help your eyes be wide open and a suction ring is placed before cutting the corneal flap. This might make you feel some pressure in your eyes.
• Your eye surgeon will use a cutting laser to cut a small flap away from the front of your eye. This flap is folded back to allow them to access your cornea.
• Then, using a controlled laser, your ophthalmologist will reshape your cornea according to your need.
•  After reshaping, the surgeon will put the flap back in its place which heals without stitches.
• The entire procedure takes around 20 minutes with actual surgery time which is not more than 5- 10 minutes.

Why Does LASIK Eye Surgery Seems Painful?

One of the most common fears of LASIK surgery is the thought of a ‘laser’ coming in contact with our eyes, which is the most delicate and sensitive organ of our body. Getting the surgery done on the eyes itself seems very frightening. When we understand the entire process of the LASIK surgery and come to know that a cut will be made, the flap will be cut, the corneal shape will be modified with some instrument. It seems dreadful and you may be anxious and have a question in mind that ‘Is laser surgery painful’? Also, in the past when technology was not much advanced, this surgery might be causing some pain and discomfort, which people relate to even now. But the fact is, that with so much technological advancement and most modern techniques and equipment, LASIK surgery has become very quick and completely painless. Therefore, be very clear about it, and never have doubts like ‘Does Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) hurt?’

Does LASIK Eye Surgery Really hurt?

LASIK surgery does not hurt or cause any pain, during or immediately after the procedure, as medications and numbing solutions are given prior to the surgery to alleviate any discomfort during the surgery. Only some pressure might be felt during the procedure.

Many times eye surgeons also prescribe medications to relax, in case you feel too anxious. After the laser reshapes the cornea, the flap is replaced and this serves as a natural bandage to facilitate healing. Now, you may be wondering ‘Does LASIK hurt after surgery?’

After the LASIK surgery, there may be a few after-effects like:

• Mild discomfort.
• Itching.
• Mild pain.
• Watery eyes etc.
• Dry eyes.
• Blurry vision.
• Haziness

All these usually occur after several hours of surgery, but these are temporary, and usually resolve within a few days.  You must be very regular with the medications and eye drops that your surgeon prescribes, so as to avoid any infection and speed up healing. Therefore, you need not even think of ‘Does eye laser treatment hurt?’

In very rare instances, if you experience severe pain, redness, swelling, or any kind of unusual signs and symptoms, immediately contact your eye surgeon.

FAQs

1.     What are the aftercare tips to follow after LASIK eye surgery?

• Try to keep your eyes closed and rest for some hours immediately after the surgery.
• Wear a protective eye shield while sleeping at least for the first 5 nights to avoid accidental injury and irritation to your eyes.
• Avoid going into bright sunlight and dusty places and always wear sunglasses to protect your eyes.
• Avoid eye makeup for a few days.
• Apply your eye drops and take medications very regularly as prescribed by your eye surgeon.
• Keep your follow-up appointments very regular, even if you are feeling perfect.

2.     Is LASIK surgery completely safe?

The success rate of LASIK eye surgery is more than 90% and mostly people get perfect vision, 8 out of 10 do not need glasses or contact lenses after the procedure. Minor temporary side effects may be there which go off gradually and can be managed with medications. Only 10% may have risks like:

• Recession.
• Prolonged dry eyes.
• Under correction.

These might need the use of lubricating eye drops for a prolonged-time period or another surgery for proper correction. Your eye surgeon will guide you on this. Less than 1% may have very serious side effects like vision loss.

 Takeaway

Dr. Deepa Gupta is considered one of the best eye specialists in Gurgaon due to her excellent clinical skills and proficiency in her work. At Dr. Deepa’s clinic, you are assured to receive customized solutions for all your eye problems in the most comfortable and safe environment. The use of the latest and modern technology and equipment further facilitates outstanding results and minimum side effects. So, why wait, consult Dr. Deepa Gupta, and say goodbye to all your eye issues.