I was considering getting lasik... but now I'm not sure. I have astigmatism (I think high), but my glasses prescription is relatively low. (I don't know the exact number, I've just been told I don't need a whole lot of correction.)
After talking to a doc (salesman?) about lasik (and researching online), I learned lasik mainly improves your distance vision. The doc said, I'll probably still need glasses for up-close work.
But. Don't we constantly do up close work? Read a message on my phone -> close up work. Read a menu -> close up work. Read a price tag -> close up work. Type on my computer -> close up work. Having to constantly put on and take off my glasses based on the task seems like a huge step backwards compared to today where I just have my glasses on all the time and don't think about them. (Or lose them.) I heard I could get some glasses that let me see far and close... and I could wear them all day...
So... what's the point of lasik in that case?
I've heard after lasik, my overall un-assisted vision would improve. I would only need minor corrective lenses. But. Why does major vs minor correction matter?
If I still need glasses (with minor correction), what's the point of lasik?
Am I missing something here?
Why do tons of people online seem extremely happy with their lasik experience?
4 Jun 2026 23:08
Myopia/nearsightedness is one of the most common reasons for needing glasses or contacts. The happy people you're seeing online are most likely ones who only needed their distance vision corrected anyway (assuming the reviews were written by actual humans). I have farsightedness/hyperopia and astigmatism, and I've never really considered Lasik for similar reasons to you.
4 Jun 2026 23:17
The answer is that Lasik isn't a cure-all.
I had the same experience. My vision was getting kinda bad and I wanted Lasik. I went to an eye doctor, and while I am farsighted in the left eye, the right is 20/20.
Lasik would fix the farsightedness, but having that in one eye is an asset for driving. So now I have driving glasses and won't worry about Lasik.
4 Jun 2026 23:23
Eye surgeries always come with risk. When they go wrong, you can even end up with worse vision than before.
If life is comfortable for you, I wouldn't change anything.
I'm not sure why the surgery wouldn't help with near-sightedness. It modifies the shape of the lens in your eye, essentially applying correction directly to your body.
How much can be done and in which direction, depends on the individual. As you're essentially working with a subtractive tool (using a laser to remove stuff) to modify the optical material in your eye. You're limited by the shape and amount of material in each persons eye in the first place, and you can't make changes that would require adding material. As such, there is a maximum amount of correction that can be applied before you run out of usable material, and it varies from person to person.
If more is neded beyond that limit, you will still need glasses.
4 Jun 2026 23:35
Knew a guy who had laser treatment and he found it hard to drive at night afterwards due to doubled/blurry effects.
4 Jun 2026 23:55
found it hard to drive at night afterwards
Found it hard to drive while wearing glasses after lasik? Or found it hard to drive without glasses after lasik?
5 Jun 2026 00:04
TL;DR? You don't need it. Your eyes are already healthy.
My experience.
It was all a sales pitch. Price was per eye, so unexpectedly double the bill. HSA helped, or maybe burned a hole in my pocket, not sure which. The major worry was post surgery, lots of things that _could_ go wrong, but didn't. The flap never heals, just the edge. Got comfortable using eye drops for 6 (Yes SIX) months. Didn't go anywhere without an eye drop packet, felt like an addict. Even when I slept.
My vision is corrected. But I still use glasses to drive. I was kinda pissed I didn't have perfect vision, but 10 years later and I still don't need reading glasses. I do need to take off my driving glasses to see my phone.
All in all a net positive but I don't actually recommend it, so much can go wrong.
5 Jun 2026 00:10
things go wrong in the medical world far, far more often than doctors let on. I would never get any unnecessary surgery
5 Jun 2026 00:11
I have friend with the same experience. I would call his choice of clinic a discount one though. They seemed as focused on the financing aspect as the financing medical one.
5 Jun 2026 00:15
It would be both.
They seem to be describing a potential defect in the correction that can occur, which causes "lens flares", "blurring" or "smearing" of bright points of light. This is especially bad at night due to the contrast between lights and the darkness of the night.
It's similar to a the effect you get with a camera when there are scratches or dents in the lens surface, or if it's greasy. Except it's in your eye.
5 Jun 2026 00:47
Why don't you go to a public hospital and get an opinion from a doctor who has no monetary interest in whatever choice you end up making?
5 Jun 2026 01:12
Lasik corrected my vision enough that I've had ~15 years without glasses, and can expect another 5-10 before I need reading glasses like any other aging human. The lens gets stiffer, the muscles that manipulate the lenses to focus weaken, people start to need glasses while reading to make up for it, Lasik will not stop that from happening.
So IMO, Lasik at 35+, not worth it. Lasik at 25 or under, maybe.
I also had astigmatism and went to a doctor who knew enough to use the Lasik process to counter some of it. I still have a little bit but can pass driving tests and go about daily life with no correction. I also play contact sports so not having to wear glasses was a significant mark in the pro column as well.
I also agree with others about not going to a Lasik salesman doctor. I went to a doctor who was affiliated with a hospital and did other sorts of eye surgeries.
5 Jun 2026 03:18
Also with LASIK you run the risk of chronic dry eye that will have you constantly blinking and using drops. Had one of my engineers go through it after one year working with him. It was hell for him after.
5 Jun 2026 03:23
The people I know who got lasik had to carry around reading glasses. I don't know the specific details of their treatment beyond that, but the idea of carrying glasses everywhere honestly seems less convenient than just wearing them all day
5 Jun 2026 03:31
I was near sighted since I was young and it was not to big a deal but in my old age I have become near sighted and its a pita. Besides that the way I understand it you can only get lasik so many times and it does not last forever. I will get it done when I have cataract to deal with or such.
5 Jun 2026 03:53
Lemmy
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