Fortunately, LASIK eye surgery isn't painful. Right before the procedure, the surgeon will place anesthetic eye drops in both eyes. While you may still feel a little pressure during the procedure, you shouldn't feel any pain. So how painful is LASIK? With the use of topical anesthetic drops and oral sedation, this should not be the case.
However, there will still be some awareness and sense of the procedure being performed. A device is used to keep your eyelids open gently and to prevent you from blinking during surgery, which can cause a feeling of pressure. The eye is kept lubricated throughout the process to avoid dryness and discomfort. You'll feel pressure while the flap is placed on the cornea, but this shouldn't cause any discomfort due to the anesthetic drops.
The laser treatment itself isn't painful either. Some people find sounds to be anxiety-inducing, but sedatives help calm them down. Because the procedure lasts a few seconds, LASIK eye surgery causes little or no discomfort. The eyes are treated with drops that contain local anesthetic to numb eye tissues before LASIK begins.
Most surgeons can also prescribe medications to help you relax before the procedure. LASIK eye surgery requires only topical anesthetic drops and no stitches are required to heal after the procedure. LASIK doesn't hurt during the procedure, however, you may feel some pressure in your eyes. We have a 30-year history of safe and effective refractive and cataract surgery and are considered pioneers in modern LASIK.
The QualGught program is available so that members have access to quality, options and savings for LASIK eye surgery. Before LASIK eye surgery begins, anesthetic eye drops are used to relieve any eye pain or discomfort during the procedure. This study suggests that the perception of pain during LASIK surgery may have a psychological explanation, since there is no apparent reason why patients should feel more pain during LASIK surgery in the second eye. Some eye surgeries require whole-body anesthesia, while LASIK surgery only requires eye anesthesia.
Patients who are anxious or nervous about LASIK eye surgery may request anti-anxiety medications to ease their nerves. Lidocaine gel during LASIK or the use of Acular LS eye drops before and after LASIK can further reduce the discomfort that patients feel during laser vision correction. Find out what to consider when choosing an alternative procedure to LASIK for your eye surgery needs. Follow Ashley's LASIK process from her first exam to surgery and post-operative visit.
