My vision acuity was 20/30 in one eye and 20/120 in the other; I also had noticeable astigmatism in the bad eye. I hated wearing glasses, not only for vanity reasons, but also because they hurt my ears (due to my cochlear implants). So, when I worked up the courage, I decided to undergo the LASIK process.
The pre-op testing, as it turns out, was the worst part of the surgical experience. They took all kinds of eye measurements, and poked my eyes with this little tool. That was the only time I would feel the sensation of “touching” my eye.
I was extremely freaked out about the actual surgery. Who wouldn’t be, given that it’s the eyeball being suctioned out and sliced open? Amazingly, I did not feel a thing, even the suction part. The only thing I felt was my eyelids being taped open. It makes sense — if there was any real discomfort with the procedure, millions of people would not have paid out of their pockets for this. This isn’t to say it’s easy — it isn’t; you do have to watch the whole procedure happening right on your eye and force yourself to relax. But the hardship’s all mental, and it’s over in minutes.