First off I want to say unfortunately I have seen a lot of negative reviews of LAZEK in this group and it seems for viewers that this is the case for everyone but is most definitely not. I am sorry to hear the negative experiences it's a shame the minority have to go through that and I hope you get better. I wanted to share my positive experience as I know before getting the surgery I read a lot of horror stories but a LOT of positive stories too but the 1 horror story to 99 positive stories was always in the back of my mind.

My prescription op stats were concerning as due to my large pupil size of 7.5mm I heard that this would not make me a good candidate for laser from the stories I heard. My prescription is -5.5 with astigmatism mainly in the right. I believe my corneas were on the thicker side also.

I put the following below into chat gpt to make it a bit more concise.

My LASEK Recovery – Day by Day

Day 1 (Surgery 12pm) Immediately post-op my vision was incredible — far better than my previous -5.5 prescription. I could clearly see the surgeon across the room and the clock behind me. Felt so good I even went out for a burger. About 1.5–2 hours later, while driving home, the anaesthetic wore off and a gritty sensation began. By the end of the journey I could barely open my eyes. The rest of the day and night were extremely painful, especially the right eye (sharp, stabbing pain and pressure). I could only open my eyes for 3–4 seconds to apply drops before they forced shut. Spent the day sleeping in a dark room with eye shields. Surgeon reassured me this should improve by night or the next morning. Somehow avoided using the anaesthetic drops.

Day 2 Woke at 6am feeling much better. Left eye almost clear; right eye lagging. No major halos or starbursts. Right eye discomfort was far more manageable, with mild symptoms starting in the left eye. Surgeon review showed excellent progress, especially the left eye — reassured me fluctuations are normal. Took one nap but overall a huge improvement. Some redness and discharge after waking but this cleared quickly.

Day 3 Opening my eyes quickly in the morning was briefly painful due to dryness, but settled fast. Minimal issues during the day. Dryness and gritty sensation more noticeable at night. Upper eyelids visibly swollen. Right eye nearly caught up visually.

Day 4 Similar to Day 3 but slightly better. Eyelid swelling persisted. Vision clearest so far and more even between both eyes. Day 5

Swelling noticeably reduced. Mild dryness on waking and at night. Vision stable. Day 6

Morning dryness clears within 10–20 minutes. Right eye continues to fluctuate — improves then dips again. Mild glare in the right eye in dark lighting and on screens. Left eye still excellent. Noticed mild starbursts at night from headlights but not bothersome. Day 7

Morning dryness again but cleared quicker. No visible redness. Right eye still fluctuating. Left eye sharp with no concerns. Day 8

Surgeon visit — bandage contact lenses removed. Eyes felt like they could “breathe.” Vision unchanged but felt amazing knowing I could see this well without correction. Day 9

Morning dryness continues. Eyes starting to feel more like “my own.” Ghosting and starbursts still present, mainly right eye, but less distracting. Day 10

Dry on waking. Bright flashlight briefly hurt my eyes but settled quickly with drops. First day back at the gym — no issues. Day 11

Gym again with harder (not maximal) effort. Vision still fluctuating. Ghosting mainly on white text with dark backgrounds. Starbursts still present.

Days 12–20 Little change overall. Left eye continued to sharpen slightly. Right eye still lagging, though ghosting slowly improving unless at night with dry eyes. Using drops 6–8 times/day; they sting if delayed. Long showers caused burning. By Day 20, eyes very dry and red on waking, difficult to open for several minutes.

Days 20–28 Burning from drops greatly reduced and improving daily. Left eye improving more noticeably; right eye still behind. Headaches peaked earlier in the week but then reduced. Day 27 felt like the right eye caught up, then dipped again on Day 28. Dryness persists in mornings. Stopped steroid drops at 4 weeks per surgeon advice. Glare and ghosting still present, mainly right eye, but possibly slightly improved.

Days 28–34 Headaches continued to reduce. Right eye catching up further in clarity. Ghosting still more noticeable on the right but overall eyes feel much more normal. Drops no longer sting. Dryness improving; using ~7 drops/day.

Day 35 – 1-Month Post-Op Review Surgeon said eyes look very good with no haze detected, even though I suspected that was affecting the right eye. Glare significantly improved compared to early weeks, though still noticeable when dry. Snellen test: 20/15 in both eyes, including the right. Surgeon said vision can continue improving for another 4 months — very encouraging.

Final thoughts - I must say starbursts and halos are still present but they are not nearly as bothersome as people make them sound. Night driving has been really good and I believe this was my major worry before the surgery. All in all, Alhamdullillah I am so happy I got this surgery.

Please let me know any questions as I remember researching for so long and wanting to hear experiences!