Does eye surgery hurt?

Question

im still 12 but i wear glasses with vision -3.25. i cant see anything and my mom is saying that my eyes are getting smaller. Could that really happen?? and i wanna know wat they do during the lasik eye surgery. does it hurt. can you blink during it. how old do u have to be. ouchhh. im scared my mom said i could get it, and i thought u do it while asleep, but now i wen ton youtube and i saw wat they do to the eye. ouch!!!im scared . i know i have alot of time but w.e. Wat if my eyes get dry,. i want to know. should i wear glasses and contacts my whole life or should i take the surgery instead??

Answer 1

No, your eyes do not get smaller.  Your eyeballs stay the same size throughout your life - they just *seem* to get smaller because the rest of your face grows.  Hold up a baby's head next to an adult's head and you'll see the difference.

You probably can't get the surgery until you're at least 15 or 16.  Most doctors would recommend you give your eyes and your body time to finish growing - you're just starting puberty and your body will change a LOT in just a few short years.  So keep with the glasses and contacts until you're at least 16 (18 would be even better).

Lasik eye surgery is becoming increasingly safe and risk free, but any surgery carries risks and should be considered with caution.  Make sure to go to the best doctor you can find, at a real medical facilitiy - not the cheapest doctor you can find operating out of a mall or storefront.  

The surgery doesn't "hurt", not like getting a cut on your skin or breaking a bone hurts.  But it is uncomfortable and can be really intimidating, even for adults.  You won't feel *pain* - more like discomfort.  And it's a lot of bright lights and eye drops.  Imagine your annual visit to the eye doctor, times ten, all in one day.

No, you can't blink during the surgery.  They numb up your eye and tape it open, so you can't feel anything or blink.  Because everything is happening so close to your eye, you can't really see it, so it's just a lot of weird colors and sensations.  They take a special knife that slices a flap off the top part of your eye (like peeling a grape), shoot the laser at your eye, and then put the flap back.  All you have to do it lay back, stay really still, and look at all the trippy colors.  

Once the surgery is done, everything looks really watery and you'll be sensitive to bright light.  But you'll start to see much sharper almost immediately.  You have to put in lots of eye drops, and be very careful about what touches your eye for a few weeks.  Most side effects fade over the first year - dry eyes, light sensitivity, blurried night vision, etc.

So yeah, it's kinda intense, and definitely not appropriate for someone your age.  But it's something you can think about, and maybe look into more when you are older.

Answer 2

My mom got eye sugrey, not sure which one and what for. But she said she didn't feel anything and she was awake but heavily equiped with lots of pain killers so she didnt feel it and dont worry, your vision is good compared ot mines. (my eye prescription is a high 8.1!)

Answer 3

well y dont u comprimize and get contacts, they dont have all the bugs out of corrective eye surgery yet.

Answer 4

they would heavily medicate you w/ pain killers

Answer 5

The surgery is painless as the eye is completely numb but it is emotionally distressing. You can of course see the laser hitting your eye and you will feel "imaginary pain" as you are expecting it. But as far as I know, the eye is usually numb before the surgery