Laser eye surgery made my vision WORSE

PRK or LASIK laser eye surgery: Should you get it? Taran says "no!"

Here's the public domain images I created:

[trisymphony]

The fear of not being able to see properly after surgery is why I could never do it, no matter how bad my eyes ever get. Hope you get better eventually!

[billyeyes]

(Optometrist here) As with any surgery, there is always a risk that the outcome isn't what was aimed for.
I think in your case, with such a high refractive error (and previously thought to be outside of what could be corrected for with LASIK, PRK, SMILE etc), the introduction of aberrations to your right eye is the likely cause of your issues. These aberrations are worse with a larger pupil.
Some lasers used in refractive surgery use wavefront guided ablations to minimise these issues.
PRK is also used when the corneal thickness (usually 520 to 540 micron) is deemed too thin, and/or, the desired correction is very high, as in your case.
You may have had the option of an implanted collamer lens (ICL) but that depends on a few things as well but these are at least reversible in case of complications.
Some patients have a clear lens extraction with lens replacement, where they remove your lens inside your eye and replace it with a new lens, correcting for your refractive error.
In your case, perhaps a simple pair of glasses may help.
You may also have a small postop refractive error that may be able to be corrected and used for night driving. New ophthalmic lens designs can, in some cases also improve clarity.
Even choice of lens material can reduce chromatic aberration.
Good luck.

[indjuweg]

I'm an optician myself and I always tell people the same thing. You need to wonder why most eye specialist wears glasses and don't opt for surgery

[nspgreen]

I had PRK back in 2014, and suffered from the starburst effect for several months. However, it did eventually go away and I’ve been very happy with the results. It’s improved my quality of life more than anything else I can think of.

[bobowon]

I've always had Starbursts in my vision. I asked about Lazer eye surgery to fix my poor vision. They warned me that if I didn't already have Starbursts that I might get them from surgery.

That's when I found out that not everyone is completely and utterly blinded by all lights at night. I feel biologically cheated

[MrMoogle]

So glad you made this! The next time someone asks me about laser eye surgery, I'm sending them to this video rather than try to explain it myself. Most don't realize LASIK and PRK are a thing, they just assume all laser eye surgery is LASIK since that's what gets advertised the most. I had PRK in 2011 after my eye surgeon suggested it over LASIK, with the caveat that the recovery time would be longer. I'm glad I went with PRK.

12 years later, I'm thankful to report I don't have any issues with dry eyes or starbursts. The most annoying long-term effect for me has been extreme light sensitivity. I simply cannot be outside without sunglasses, even on a cloudy day. Otherwise, my eyes immediately tear up uncontrollably. I also noticed my vision for objects very close up did take a bit of a hit after the surgery. Sorry to hear about the starburst and dry eye issues you are having. That sounds very annoying for sure.

Oh yeah, and even after 12 years without having glasses, I still occasionally reach up to my face to adjust them, haha.

[LPR]

Hey Taran, sorry that didn't work for you! I used to have a -14 & -16 prescription plus astigmatism, so none of the laser surgeries were an option. Thankfully ICL (kinda new) came up as an alternative and it has been a godsend. It is more expensive because the implants are made to order and not many ophthalmologists feel comfortable with it, but it has been 6-7 years and besides the first week after surgery, I have never had any problems with it.

Pros:
- Reversible, the implant can be removed or replaced in case your prescription changes
- It doesn't remove or reshape the eye, so if the implant is removed, you just return to your original prescription
- Less side-effects than any of the laser surgeries
- Works for more severe prescriptions

Cons:
- More expensive (5-15x the price of LASIK)
- Newer, so if any long-term side effects exist, we don't know them yet

Overall, 100% recommended if you can pay for it.

Edit: One thing Ido share with the others is the light sensitivity, but a pair of sunglasses by my door and in the car take care of that.

[MikeC]

Have thought of laser eye correction in passing several times throughout my life. Always came to the conclusion that I'd rather wear glasses than risk complications. I probably won't seriously consider any eye surgery until I'm losing or at risk or losing my sight.

This is why I'll keep using contact lenses, 20/20 vision and no weird stuff at night. I considered the surgery but it would take me like 14 years to break even instead of just using contacts. And the risks, and seeing so many optometrists with glasses made me suspicious 🤓

[dennispremoli]

I literally just had a convo with my optometrist about this. He said that it is surprisingly common for people getting this kind of surgery for astigmatism, to regret it.

[seefzi]

I'm glad I watched this. As someone who has lived with glasses most of my life, I'd always thought about getting lasik, and every time I heard about it, I heard about how easy, cheap and safe it was. Never did anyone mention there would be permanent side effects like those starbursts, or the ability of the flap to open back up. The dry eyes issue would probably be the worst overall - I already have such a complicated and picky sleeping routine that the mildest of annoyances keeps me awake.

[nami]

As someone who had dry eye problems without surgery, here are some tips:
- You can keep your eyes moist, by wearing a moisture trapping sleep mask such as Tranquileyes. They are basically comfortable swimming glasses but the only ones decent on the market.
- With some practice, you can apply your eye ointment directly to the eye lid. That way you don't run the risk of getting an infection from something on your finger. I am not sure if your doctor really meant you to apply it with your finger.
- Use eyedrops without preservatives. They ruin your eyes over time. You can spot those either because of single use containers or complex multi-use containers (so that they stay hygienic without preservatives).

[DrewColpurs]

I got LASIK (and also had a negative experience), but the center has been extremely kind and accommodating and my eyes are about 90%-100% of perfect imo (it kinda depends on the day). When I was experiencing dry eye, they gave me drops that were extra thick, they were almost gooey/slimy. These would only be used at night and did a much better job and handling sleeping dryness. The brand was called "blink geltears" and one of the taglines says "extra long-lasting relief"

[Giraffe_]

Both of my eyes were -7 and I was told LASIK was not an option.
So instead in December I went the route of getting ICL lens implants which put a lens between your cornea and iris. I had a slight haze for a day or so which was to be expected but after that first day I had 20/20 vision without an complications, no pain or anything afterwards and the only thing I had to do was put in eye drops for three weeks. The only side effect I have that has since diminished to a point I don't even notice it anymore unless I focus on it, is that when there is a bright light source in my field of view I get some sort of halo in my peripheral vision (kind of like lens flare). In the end I'm insanely happy with the result and if I had to choose again I would do it.

[vikhaxnz]

Coming from a licensed eye doctor, this is actually an amazing video for high myopes that are considering laser eye surgery.

[Whitebushido]

I got LASIK about a year and a half ago. Was absolutely blown away at how effective it was. Biggest downside I had was body dysmorphia from not ever seeing myself without glasses before. I was worried about starbursts but thankfully none encountered.

[dionicgg]

As someone looking into laser eye surgery, with an astigmatism, night driving is already rough enough… glad to have watched this, so I know what questions to ask when the time comes.

[TheTrio]

I feel validated by this video, I got lasik around 2 years ago and looking online I couldn’t find testimonials that line up with nightly eye drops multiple times through the night, but that is totally my experience too. I had astigmatism so the starbursts remained fairly consistent for me before and after surgery. I do notice a bit more eye fatigue from focusing on something close like a screen for an extended duration, it never used to feel good to focus on something far away, now it feels like I’m literally stretching my eyes.

[ellafoxoo]

Gosh, I've had so many people in my life try to push me towards getting this surgery and I just couldn't. Reality is, I like how I look with glasses! I wouldn't change that for the world to be honest. Like yourself, I'm also in need of my vision for my job because I work with colour rendering and photography. I suffered dry eyes consistently for a good 2 years after a severe eye infection in 2015, and it was so frustrating to deal with. Thank you for the information, it's definitely made me feel like I've made the right call

[musiclabmn]

I had LASIK back in 2007. Absolutely amazing from a vision perspective, even 16 years later I have perfect vision. Like mentioned frequently from others, while I'm happy I did it and I was sick of wearing glasses and contacts, I do suffer from night-time starbursts around lights and dry eye at night. I was hoping it would get better over the years, but it really hasn't. It doesn't bother me like it did the first couple years.