Does laser eye surgery hurt?

One of the most commonly asked questions about laser eye surgery is whether or not the procedure is painful. When it comes to laser eye treatment people are often quite squeamish and are worried about all sorts of things such as the use of needles and the burning sensation of the laser. The aim of this blog post is to address some of the main concerns people have about the procedure.

The first thing to mention is that laser eye surgery does not involve the use of any needles at all and the eyes are numbed using anaesthetic eye drops  which cause a mild stinging for no longer than 20 seconds. The vast majority of people undergoing laser eye surgery experience very little pain at all and most people report only a mild feeling of pressure during the procedure. The only part of the procedure that can be uncomfortable is when an instrument is used to keep the eye lids open. This is only uncomfortable if you ‘fight against it’ so the key thing to do is to try and remain relaxed – this is easier said than done for some people! The actual lasering of the eye is completely painless and the laser itself is actually cold. Most people falsely presume the laser is hot and burns the surface of the eye – this is not the case.

Obviously during the procedure your eyes are anaethetised and this is why there is very little discomfort. People also want to know what the recovery period is like and whether or not to expect any discomfort following the treatment. Regardless of which type of laser eye surgery you have, you can expect to experience some mild discomfort following the procedure – you have had eye surgery after all! – What is important to mention though is that the discomfort levels are different dependent on whether you have had Lasik eye surgery or Lasek surgery:

Lasik: Most people following Lasik surgery experience only mild discomfort (stinging, burning and dryness) for approximately 24-48 hours or so. Most people can return to work and normal activities within 48 hours which makes this the preferred laser eye surgery procedure. The visual recovery is also generally extremely quick with most people having 20:20 vision within 24 hours.

Lasek: The recovery period following Lasek is typically more painful and longer lasting when compared with Lasik. Some people can experience quite moderate pain (pain killers will help) and some people need up to 1 week off work following surgery. As a result of this, Lasek is far less popular than Lasik and is normally only carried out at the request of the surgeon. This is likely to be as a result certain findings about your eyes such as thin corneas, which is the part of the eye that the laser is applied.

In summary laser eye surgery involves very little, if any discomfort at all and should definitely not be a reason to put you off having the treatment. The vast majority of people experience only mild pressure during the actual procedure and the more relaxed you are the less discomfort you are likely to feel. The Lasik recovery is generally quicker and more comfortable than the Lasek recovery and this is why it is the most popular type.

I hope this post has been helpful and please let me know if you have any further questions. Either comment on this blog post or ask a question in our laser eye surgery forum. If you are interested in reading more about laser eye surgery please visit www.treatmentsaver.com.

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