LASIK Surgery: Through the Eyes of an Actual Patient

So, you’ve thought about getting LASIK laser eye surgery, and are pretty sure you want to. But do you ever wish you could hear what it’s really like, from someone who has actually gone through the process, before making that final commitment? Today, you can.

We like to call Tim Paziora our LASIK Brand Ambassador, but that’s just our way of saying Tim was one of our patients and agreed to share his LASIK story. So we’ve asked him some of the most common questions we get about the procedure, so you can hear his perspective firsthand.  

Question: What was your history with corrective lenses?

Tim: I’ve been wearing corrective lenses since 2nd grade. I started with glasses first, then switched to contacts in 5th or 6th grade. Since then, I’ve been exclusively in contacts for close to close to 15 years. Eye care and corrective lenses have been a big part of my life.

Question: Why did you decide to finally get LASIK?

Tim: I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but when I moved to Arizona and got serious about trail running, my contacts increasingly became a problem. I have a big prescription and knew that I would be in trouble if I ever lost a contact on the trail. My contacts also were getting irritated often by the dust on the trails, so that was an annoyance too. It just felt like the right time to think about making LASIK happen.

Question: What made you choose Horizon?

Tim: A friend of mine works at Horizon and has always spoke very highly of the doctors and the technology they use. So, when I told her I wanted to get a LASIK evaluation, she recommended I come in. I went through a screening, and they said I was a good candidate for the procedure. I felt really comfortable with the doctor and decided to go ahead and schedule the surgery.

Question: Did you have any concerns about the procedure?

Tim: Doesn’t everyone? It’s only natural because it’s dealing with your eyes and your vision. But my biggest concern actually was that I was told I wouldn’t be able to rub my eyes for a month after the procedure - and I always rub my eyes!

Question: How did the surgery go?

Tim: It was really smooth overall, from my perspective. I didn’t realize they have to suction something onto my eye in order to laser the corneal flap, and that - candidly - wasn’t my favorite part. But once that was on, the procedure was much quicker than I thought it would be. I’d estimate the actual laser treatment between the two eyes was about one minute, and the total time in the room was only about 15-20 minutes. It was really quick. A little uncomfortable, but not bad.

Question: What was the recovery like?

Tim: Immediately after surgery, I had some cloudy vision and felt a little weird. I took a nap, and still felt a little weird and had foggy vision right after waking up. But then the next day, I felt totally normal and my vision was perfect. For the next week or so, I did see some halos around lights at night. But I was reassured that was normal, and that went away within a few days.

With a prescription of almost -6.00 per eye, going to 20/20 the next morning after surgery felt like a dream come true. And, as promised, I was even able to go to work the next day.

Question: Do you have any advice for someone thinking about getting LASIK?

Tim: Yes…. do it! People put it off for so long for a variety of reasons, but it’s definitely worth it. Just go for it. You’ll be so glad you did.

Interested in getting a LASIK evaluation? Please contact us anytime.