Eye laser surgery diary
A ten year retrospective
Disclaimer: This article is not medical advice. It is a reflection of my personal experiences; your mileage may vary. Always consult qualified professionals before making surgical decisions.
I decided to get eye laser surgery done in my late twenties after absolutely hating wearing glasses—and later contacts—since elementary school. This article is a diary documenting some technical background, the costs, the process itself, the recovery, and the final results of the procedure.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments.
Technologies
Most clinics offer three methods to choose from.
LASIK
The most common eye laser method is Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis, or LASIK. With this method, a high-precision oscillating blade slices a hinged flap from the cornea.
In a more advanced version of this method, Femto-LASIK, a laser uses ultrashort pulses of infrared light to create microscopic bubbles at a specified depth in the cornea instead of a blade. These bubbles form a precise and clean flap by separating the tissue at the molecular level.
Next, the surgeon lifts up the flap, laser-corrects the corneal tissue underneath, and reapplies the flap.
The main upsides are that it works great and the healing process is very quick and mostly painless. The downside is that the flap will always be a relative weak point. Not suitable for people practicing contact sports.
LASEK
There is also LASEK (Laser-Assisted Sub-Epithelial Keratectomy), which is similar but uses an alcohol solution to create the flap. Healing takes slightly longer than LASIK but leaves a more resilient end-result.
TransPRK
And finally, Transepithelial Photorefractive Keratectomy.
This technology creates no flap. Instead, the laser burns off the surface layer of the cornea entirely. After that, the laser corrects the corneal tissue underneath in the same way as the other techniques. Special “bandage” contact lenses are worn for up to two weeks after the procedure to protect the cornea as it regenerates. Steroid eye drops are applied for several weeks to protect the eyes against infections and to aid the healing process.
TransPRK advantages compared to LASIK & LASEK:
Less intrusive (no flap).
Safer.
The eye is not physically touched.
The cornea completely heals, leaving no scar tissue or added vulnerability.
TransPRK downsides compared to LASIK & LASEK:
Recovery process is significantly slower and painful.
Only suitable for mild to moderate nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
More expensive.
Wavefront-guided laser correction
This is an optional add-on for any of the methods that you’ll find at high-end clinics. Wavefront Mapping creates a detailed 3D-map of the eye’s optical system, measuring the smallest complex irregularities in the cornea and lens. The laser then uses this information to make a precise and comprehensive correction beyond basic nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
Wavefront-guided laser correction added benefits
Enhanced precision in the correction.
More comprehensive correction.
Improved night vision.
Reduces glare and halo-issues.
Tailored to each individual’s unique eye characteristics vs general purpose correction.
Wavefront-guided laser correction downsides
Adds a price premium.
Costs
Clinics always calculate costs per eye. Prices vary based on technologies used, clinic reputation, included services, level of aftercare, and geography.
Prices are higher in the United States than in Western Europe. They offer similar levels of tech, care, and outcomes, with the US having a very slight edge because of stricter regulations.
Turkey is a popular medical tourism destination for the procedure, as many clinics offer services similar to their Western counterparts at much lower prices. Online consensus suggests the quality of care varies more than in Western Europe or the US; it’s possible to get a world-class treatment, as long as you pick a good clinic. In other words: do your research.
Western Europe
LASIK: €900-€1500
LASEK: €800-€1300
TransPRK: €900-€1500
Wavefront-guided correction add-on: €300-€500
United States
LASIK: $2000-$3000
LASEK: $1500-$2500
TransPRK: $1700-$2800
Wavefront-guided correction add-on: $700-$1000
Turkey
LASIK: $260-$560
LASEK: $300-$500
TransPRK: $1000-$1300
Wavefront-guided correction add-on: $80-$120
These prices are as of writing (2025). I paid around 20% less than the prices listed here back in 2015.
Now that we have an idea of the options and prices, let’s get started.
Eye laser surgery diary
1. Pre-check
August 6, 2015
I walk into a small clinic called Visus, in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
The place looks modern, clean and slick, the reception desk-ladies are lovely, and the coffee is good. A positive first impression.
One of the assistants walks me into a room with no less than five different devices lined up. Several measurements are taken, including stuff like eye pressure, shape, and light sensitivity. One machine blows air into my eyes. Another one takes high-resolution macro photos of my eyeballs. It all feels very high-tech.
Next up, I go into another room where the doctor is. He’s a friendly, knowledgeable man who explains the possibilities, different methods available and what to expect in general. He also does some tests and measures my prescription again. All available methods turn out to be suitable for my eyes, including LASIK, which requires a relatively thick cornea. While that method is tried, tested, fast, and relatively cheap and painless, I really don’t like the idea of having something slicing my eyeball. The added vulnerability this method leaves in the end-result also doesn’t appeal to me, because I practice martial arts.
Since this would likely be a once-in-a-lifetime procedure, it made sense to choose the method with the best potential outcome.
Wavefront-guided TransPRK, it is.
After establishing that, the doctor puts some drops in my eyes in that completely dilate my pupils to do some more tests. Looking in the mirror, I look like I’m zonked on drugs. It should wear off in four hours or so.
Time to head home. It’s a nice summer day outside, and the sunlight immediately blinds me as I walk into it. My very dark sunglasses can’t even fully take the sting out of it. Focusing on things nearby is difficult, and everything is a little hazy. Annoying, but not terrible. On my walk home through the city, I stay in the shadows like a vampire.
The procedure is set for upcoming Thursday. August 13, 2015 will officially be the day I’ll say goodbye to wearing glasses.
I’m looking very much forward to it, but I’ll readily admit I haven’t been this nervous in a long time.
2. The treatment
August 13, 2015
I am the first to arrive in the morning at the clinic at the same time as the doctor, who rolls into the parking lot in a brand new 7-series. The eye laser business is good.
Walking in, the same lovely ladies at the reception greet me as last week. I grab a coffee and watch the big flat screen-TV hanging on the wall that’s tuned into National Geographic. The Dog Whisperer is on. As the morning rolls on, more and more people start coming in while Cesar Millan rehabilitates a Chihuahua, a Rottweiler, and two Poodles. The waiting room slowly fills up, and I decide to grab another coffee. There is barely any talking because everyone is nervous.
10 rolls around, and the next show on National Geographic Channel is Locked up Abroad. Some South African woman is busted for smuggling heroin into Mauritius and gets thrown into some hell-hole jail. No matter how bad this is gonna be, it can always be worse.
Just as I’m getting drawn into the TV show, an assistant calls us into the next waiting room, which is darkened to relax our eyes. It turns out today’s group consists of seven guys, aged mid-twenties to fifties. One of the doctor’s assistants walks into the room to explain what’s going to happen. Five guys of the group are getting the LASIK-treatment, and me and one other guy are getting the TransPRK treatment. The LASIK guys have to go through two steps: creating the flap, and the laser treatment itself. Me and the other guy will go straight into the laser-room.
Everyone gets a medical gown, hair net, and overshoes. We also get a little Teddy bear to hold as a distraction during the procedure, which is an interesting detail. It made for a pretty funny image to see the group like this, although I seemed to be the only one amused by it.
The assistant gives everyone painkiller eye-drops, and after five minutes, the LASIK guys go into the next room one by one to get their flaps done. They all say the same when they come back: it doesn’t hurt, it’s kinda a weird feeling of pressure when it happens. After that, they go into the laser-room one by one. We don’t see them come back, as they leave through a different door. As the group becomes smaller and smaller, the tension in the room slowly rises among the few that are left. Finally it’s the other TransPRK guy’s turn, and I’m left alone in the quiet dark waiting area.
The assistant calls my name, and I walk into the operating room. The light is bright. The doctor is waiting for me at the laser-machine (A “Schwind AMARIS”) with two other assistants. They tell me to lie on the table and relax. The doctor confirms once again which treatment I will be getting as the table slowly whirrs backwards until they position my head underneath complicated and intimidating machinery. Once I’m in place, they go to work.
First, they wipe down the skin around my eyes with Potassium-Iodide, and then apply a sterile mask covering my entire face except for my eyes and mouth. Next up, they pry open my right eye with a clamp, pour in lubricating drops, and one of the assistants wipes the eye surface clean with a little wiper. Having your eye touched while it is pried open is a strange experience, as normally even a tiny speck of dust would make it immediately close in a reflex.
The doctor tells me to look at the little green light in the lens in front of me, and pushes a couple of buttons.
A mechanical arm moves in from the right side with high-pitched precision machinery whir, and the laser activates. I see an endless amount of tiny bright lights swirling around my vision extremely rapidly. I don’t feel pain but it’s not comfortable. I also smell something akin to burning hair, or a fly in an electric flyswatter. It takes all my focus and strength to fight my reflexes to look away and keep staring at the little green light as the countless bright stars keep flying all over my vision. The doctor counts down from 30 to zero, which feels like an eternity. In the last five seconds or so, my vision turns hazy, like car windows fogging up on a cold winter morning. The assistant pours in lubricating drops and wipes my eye again, which clears everything up. After that (the doctor talks me through what they’re doing), they put in antibacterial drops, antibiotic drops, and apply a “bandage” contact lens to protect my eye. It all goes very fast and routine-like.
They remove the clamp and apply it to my left eye, where it’s the same exact procedure all over again.
Less than a minute later, I’m officially done. I’m blinking uncontrollably as tears flood out of my eyes while my brain is struggling to process the overwhelming stimuli it just got bombarded with.
I slowly get up, wildly disoriented, and all the lights in the room are suddenly so intense that they hit me like a physical blow, forcing me to hold on to the table’s edge. One of the assistants guides me by the hand out of the operating room into the darkened recovery-room. My legs are weak and I am woozy, like I just got hit in the head very hard. Everything looks and feels completely surreal, and I can only open my eyes slightly for a few seconds at a time.
I lie down in the lounge chair and drink some water from the glass that’s on the table next to me. All the other guys I saw in the waiting room are also here in chairs recuperating. One of the assistants stops by every ten minutes to put drops in our eyes. The people that had the LASIK treatment are commenting that their vision is clearing up and that they’re pretty much ready to take on the day. Me and the one other guy however, are still completely helpless and a mess.
Half an hour goes by, and it's time for everyone to leave. The LASIK group walks out without needing assistance. I still can’t open my eyes at this point, and the assistant leads me back into the main hall by the hand, where my dear mother is waiting to pick me up. I’m staying at my folks’ place for a couple of nights during the initial recovery period.
As we walk out of the building, I need to cover my eyes with my hands because direct sunlight is absolutely unbearable. This is what the world looked like to me:
I have trouble walking in a straight line. It feels like being seasick. The car ride home is miserable, but luckily it’s not far.
3. Recovery, week 1: Wrecked
Day 1, August 13, 2015
Home safe.
I am completely wrecked. After being on this planet for 28 years, I’ve broken almost half a dozen bones in my body, I’ve pulled several muscles and ligaments, I’ve had my eardrum ruptured, and I’ve had my fair share of rough mornings after a night out on the town. This is worse than anything I’ve ever experienced.
My eyes are absolutely killing me and I’m completely disoriented. The entire day consists of me fighting to not pass out from the pain and misery. Over-the-counter painkillers don’t seem to do anything, I can barely eat and drink, and lying down is not an option because I’m afraid it will make me throw up. I spend the entire day sitting hunched over in a chair in misery while pouring drops in my eyes.
My light sensitivity is incredible. The dimmest source is too bright. Even with my eyes closed while wearing the special super dark shades the staff gave me, I can see silhouettes of my hands if I move them in front of my face. It’s almost like having x-ray vision. I’m also extremely thirsty. I drank a huge amount of water today, but I barely had to pee.
Until the next appointment, I will need to put lubricating drops in my eyes every 15 minutes, antibiotic drops 4 times a day, and antibacterial drops also 4 times a day.
At nighttime, it takes around half an hour for me to be able to lie down and pass out without throwing up.
Day 2, August 14, 2015
I feel slightly better than yesterday, but not a whole lot. I would equate this to a nightmare-hangover combined with permanent sand-filled eyes. As the day moves on, things start to slowly get better, although I’m still completely incapacitated. In the evening, I struggle to get half a meal down.
Another absolutely miserable day from start to finish.
Day 3, August 15, 2015
I wake up with a migraine, but feel notably better. At noon, I can actually open my eyes again in short bursts. As the day goes on, I rapidly start to feel better. When evening comes around, my eyes feel pretty good and the headache is gone. Walking around and doing basic stuff is possible again. I can read things and even look at a computer screen with the brightness on the lowest setting. Finally some relief.
Today was a hundred times better than yesterday. I almost forget how bad the two days before were.
Day 4, August 16, 2015
I wake up feeling just fine, which is something I couldn’t imagine a few days ago. My eyes seem to function normally for the most part, and I’m not ultra-sensitive to light anymore. My vision is sharper than it was without glasses, but things are still hazy and distorted. This is to be expected, as I’m still wearing the bandage-contacts and my eyes are still recovering.
In the evening, I watch an episode of Deadliest Catch with my folks. The TV isn’t a proton beam anymore.
Excited for tomorrow, as the protective contact lenses get taken out.
Day 5, August 17, 2015
I walk back into the clinic with an air of excitement, and the contacts get taken out. To my surprise, there’s not much change in vision. My eyes feel vulnerable and “naked”. The assistant examines my eyes using a diagnostic device and tells me they’re healing up nicely. The outer layer has already regained about 30% of its total thickness. I also get a vision test, and I score 55% with my right eye, and 65% with my left eye. Apparently, we’re on track, and I’m okay to leave.
I won’t have to take antibiotic drops anymore, and I get different lubricating drops that I will only have to take once every hour now.
After half an hour, my eyes start feeling better and better. It’s like there was a grain of sand in there that is taken out now. As the day goes on, things improve further.
Day 6, August 18, 2015
Vision seems to be improving. I’m not there yet, but well on the way. I can read the tag on a car from 20 meters out now. My range before the laser surgery would be about 3 meters. I return to work and I can sit behind a computer again. Around 3 in the afternoon, I feel my eyes are getting tired from looking at the screen. They are still sensitive and feel vulnerable, but there’s no pain anymore, except a stingy feeling every now and then. Part of the recovery process, I was told.
Day 7, August 19, 2015
Pretty much the same as yesterday, but a little bit better. Eyes feel a little more rested.
Day 8, August 20, 2015
One week in! Vision has improved. The eye fatigue kicks in a bit later in the day now. I get through the work day just fine, but I’m still more fatigued than usual. After work, I head out to have a couple of beers with friends because it’s Friday. They ask how my eyes are doing, and I read the bar menu on the wall to them that’s about 10 meters away. They’re amazed as much as I am, as they can’t read that with their “normal” eyes.
4. Recovery, week 2: Glimpses of clarity
Day 9, August 21, 2015
Things are getting better in small increments. Dryness of the eyes is also diminishing. I still take my lubricating drops every hour, but only because I get reminded by an alarm I set on my phone, not because it feels like I need to.
Day 10, August 22, 2015
Slightly better than the day before on every metric.
Day 11, August 23, 2015
A lot better than yesterday. Wow, what a difference!
When I walk through the city, I notice how sharp and clear everything is. I also feel that my brain is working hard to adjust to all this new clarity and information that’s constantly coming in. It’s like I’ve upgraded from an old tube TV to a 4K OLED screen. I am tired and I go to bed early tonight.
Day 12, August 24, 2015
Monday. I wake up and everything is incredibly sharp. I go through the day in amazement how clear and detailed my world is. This lasts throughout the entire day.
Back to work, staring at a computer screen all day. Around 4, my eyes start to get a little tired, but that’s all.
Day 13, August 25, 2015
Vision is slightly worse. A little less sharpness, and a little double-vision here and there. They told me it’s normal that things fluctuate a little, especially during the first couple of weeks.
Day 14, August 26, 2015
Vision has improved slightly, but not as great as Monday.
I have another check-up at the clinic. I go during lunch and walk right in.
The assistant examines my eyes again and says the top layer is nearly completely healed. I take another vision test. The result: Left eye 95%, right eye 95%, both eyes combined 110% (when measuring eyesight, both eyes resolve more than the sum of their parts), meaning I can already see 10% better than someone with 20/20 vision at this early stage.
The assistant tells me I’m healing perfectly, and that I should expect much more improvement in the upcoming weeks, although it will vary day by day. After a month or so total, things should stabilize.
The next check-up will be in 6 months.
Conclusion so far
The first 3 days were pure hell, but I’ve pretty much forgotten about that by now. Although I’m not fully there yet, the results I’m living with today are nothing short of amazing. I am literally looking into the world with a new set of eyes. The feeling is difficult to put into words.
5. Recovery, week 3: Stabilizing
Every day seems to be a little better than the previous one. My vision still fluctuates a little bit, but it seems to stabilize more and more. My eyes are still a little dry, but this improves steadily, as well. I need to finish the antibacterial drops until the bottle is empty, and only drop with the lubricating drops when it feels necessary.
At night, there’s a little haloing around bright light sources, but this seems to be getting less and less every day. My vision in the dark is as good as it always was, and the same goes for seeing things up-close. This is one of the advantages of the TransPRK method versus the other ones, as those tend to diminish these qualities.
6. Recovery, week 4: Tack-sharp
It feels like my vision is perfect when I use both eyes. The amount of sharpness and clarity is still a little bit overwhelming, especially when I walk through the city and look at things that have a lot of detail. I seem to be getting more used to it, though, as my head doesn’t feel as tired anymore at the end of each day.
My left eye feels absolutely perfect and better than it has ever been in my entire life. The amount of sharpness it gives me is unbelievable. It truly feels like the “resolution” of the “sensor” in my eye is the limiting factor of how much I can see, as the lens is, as far as I can tell, perfect now.
My right eye is very good, but it’s not perfect yet. If I close my left eye and use my right eye only, I can see well enough to function, but it’s not as “tack-sharp” as the left one. That said, I can read things from pretty afar and it’s better than it’s ever been. I called the eye clinic, and they confirmed that it can take several months for vision to fully “settle.” My current results are right on track.
I still use the lubricating drops, but only when I need to, which is less and less. I watched an entire two and a half hour movie (Captain Philips; excellent) this week without having to put in eye drops. This is also a good sign, as it means the nerves that tell my brain my eyes are dry are recovering.
As time goes on, I’m happier every day with the results.
7. One year later: Better than ever
My eyes are pretty much perfect now. The last check-up showed that my vision is close to 20/12.5, meaning I can see at 20 feet what someone with 20/20 vision would normally need to be at 12.5 feet to see. That’s about 60% more resolution than the universal standard of "perfect vision.” Amazing.
My eyes were sensitive to light for several months after the procedure. That problem is gone now. They almost feel the same as before the treatment. There is still a little bit of heightened sensitivity and moments where my eyes feel vulnerable, but that is slowly declining. Even though I could pick up my regular activities after a week or two, it took about nine months before it felt like my eyes were close to completely recovered. That is also when I felt confident enough to pick up martial arts again.
As of today, my vision is so good it’s almost unbelievable. It happens at least once a week that I can read something that’s really far away and people around me are deeply impressed.
No dry eyes anymore, and I’m currently in one of the hottest, driest places on the planet (Western Australia). Long computer hours, air-conditioning, and long flights don’t bother me, either.
Bright lights at night still have weak halos around them, but that’s easy to ignore. This was also true in a much more pronounced way when wearing glasses or contacts.
Overall, I am very satisfied with this result.
8. Five years in: No regrets
I feel the quality of my vision hasn’t diminished one bit over the years, despite spending endless hours staring at computer screens.
The slight feeling of heightened sensitivity lasted for around two years after the surgery, but that is completely gone now. My eyes physically feel the same as before the surgery. Over the last four years, I’ve practiced martial arts, swam in the ocean, and went on trail runs with zero worry or problems. No issues in low or bright light situations, no issues when driving, no issues looking through the viewfinder of my camera, etc. I am very happy with the results.
9. Ten years in: Still sharp
At this point of writing, I’m in my late thirties. My eyesight is still completely fine and doesn’t feel diminished compared to a year after the procedure.
Conclusion
I originally wrote this diary on my WordPress blog as it happened. Reading it back brought back a lot of related and unrelated memories. A lot can change in a human life in ten years. Up until the moment I started moving my content to SubStack, it was one of the top posts in terms of hits.
Despite the rough couple of first days of recovery, I would say the TransPRK treatment was absolutely worth it. Taking a week off work and having a place to stay for the first few days were essential. Do keep that in mind if you consider this.
Looking back, going through with the procedure was absolutely the right decision. I’ve enjoyed the benefits every single waking moment for the last ten years, and undoubtedly will for many years to come. I can honestly say that the treatment has improved my general quality of life. I can work out, swim, drive, travel rough, and do everything else I want without having to worry about glasses or contacts. It’s been a blessing.
Feel free to leave a comment if you have questions.