Review after two years: I regret it
After friends of mine had laser eye surgery two years ago and everything went well for them, I also decided to get my eyes lasered. Another reason was my mother, who had her eyes lasered back in 2007 and is still thrilled to this day. Her initial prescription was around -6.00.
I had my femto lasik surgery done at a regional clinic in south Germany, and my initial prescriptions were -7.00 and -8.00 when I was 33 years old. The consultation appointments are not conducted by the doctors, but by, let's say, regular employees. The process moves very quickly. Appointments for preliminary examinations are scheduled, and the surgery takes place within three weeks. The first and last time I had any contact with the doctor performing the surgery was on the day of the procedure itself.
My surgery went well, and fortunately, I had no complaints afterward. In the end, my vision was at +0.25 and -0.25, which, according to the clinic, is a success.
Unfortunately, after two years, I am experiencing a slight regression in both eyes and am now at -0.25 and -0.5, plus an astigmatism of -0.5 in both eyes. Sadly, during the consultation, I was not informed that regression is very likely with such high initial prescriptions. This is due to the large amount of corneal tissue being removed, which in turn tries to regenerate. This creates a very thin new layer of cornea, which leads to nearsightedness (to explain it very simply).
In my opinion, this is crucial information, because there are alternatives like ICL, where no corneal tissue is removed and therefore no regression can occur. During the consultation, such a regression is referred to as "undercorrection." I think that is highly misleading. It is never explicitly pointed out that your vision can deteriorate again due to the natural healing process.
I do have the option to get a enhancement (touch-up surgery), but I will not be taking advantage of it. For one thing, because of my high initial prescription, so much corneal tissue has already been removed that I don't know how the eye will behave in the future—for example, whether corneal ectasia might develop. Secondly, I got off easy and currently have no visual discomfort, pain, or dry eyes, which could potentially be triggered by a second laser procedure.
Ultimately, I currently see worse than I did before with contact lenses. At dusk and at night, I see very poorly without a light source, and I need glasses for driving both during the day and at night. Furthermore, I can no longer wear standard contact lenses; instead, I require rigid, gas-permeable contact lenses specially fitted to my cornea, which cost several hundred euros.
My conclusion is that if it were possible, I would undo the surgery. I never had any issues before when using contact lenses or my glasses. I also cannot recommend the clinic I’ve been due to the inadequate consultation.
At the moment I live with constant fear that my eyes will get worse and that I will have major eye problems in the future.