From "your corneas are too thin" to 6/4 vision – my femto-LASIK journey (-6D with high astigmatism)
29/M here living in Thane, Maharashtra, India. Thought I'd share my journey because I spent way too much time doomscrolling this sub before finally getting LASIK.
The beginning
Disclaimer: Personally I don't condone one hospital over the other. The difference in their opinion got me the best results hence I've specified their names. Mods let me know if it's acceptable.
Back in 2019, I went for a LASIK screening at Ramkrishna Netralaya and was told my corneas were too thin for standard LASIK. They asked me instead to go for ICL. My refractive error is high but not that high. I was skeptical and ICL was gonna cost 2.5x regular femto lasik, and was gonna be paid out completely out of pocket cause it was 'cosmetic' so I decided against it at the time.
Fast forward to May 2026, I decided to try again and went to Isha Netralaya for another evaluation.
To my surprise, my corneas measured:
Right: ~510 µm
Left: ~516 µm
So... apparently I had been carrying around unnecessary emotional baggage for seven years. 😂
My prescription
Right eye
-6.0 SPH
-2.5 to -2.75 CYL
Left eye
-6.25 SPH
-1.5 to -1.75 CYL
The right eye was the troublemaker. The high astigmatism meant I ended up spending almost a month collecting scans, getting second and third opinions, and generally becoming an honorary ophthalmology resident.
The great "What surgery should I get?" saga
Depending on who I asked, I was advised:
Contoura PRK
ASA
Femto-LASIK
WaveLight planning estimated:
PTA: ~41–43% (R), ~39–42% (L)
Residual stromal bed: ~287–300 µm (R), ~294–311 µm (L)
At one point, my surgeon even suggested intentionally leaving -0.5 D in my right eye to preserve tissue.
A week later, after repeating the WaveLight measurements...
Plot twist.
She looked at the new scans and went:
> "Nope, we're correcting both eyes fully."
What?! Why did you put me under the emotional turmoil for the last couple of weeks? Aaarrggghhh!
Surgery day
Right eye:
Docked.
Laser.
Done.
Around 3 minutes.
Left eye decided it wanted to be the main character.
Docking/clamp needed two attempts. One of the blood vessels also ruptured which freaked me out when I saw the blood on that swab thingy but apparently it's quite normal to happen in such procedures (my sister told me, she's been thru lasik).
Laser itself went smoothly.
The first bandage contact lens refused to cooperate and had to be replaced.
Total time: ~6.5 minutes.
As a bonus, the left side of my face hurt afterward, probably thanks to all the pressure from docking/speculum. Thankfully, that settled.
Recovery (Day 7)
Honestly...
It's been surprisingly smooth.
Measured 6/4 vision at my first follow-up.
Can read car number plates from my second-floor apartment.
Both eyes fluctuate together throughout the day, albeit it's pretty minor fluctuations.
Biggest annoyance is dryness and tearing while using screens. Pain is nearly minimal or non existent. Since I've had migraine issues, head feels heavy/achy in parts, but that's about it.
Despite the left eye's dramatic performance during surgery, it feels no different from the right. Right eye even before the surgery was never 100% clear, and even now still feels like I kept my old prescription where it's 95% clear but I can immediately notice the difference between the two eyes.
Final thoughts
If you're someone with a prescription around -6 D, significant astigmatism, and you've been told different things by different surgeons...
Get multiple opinions.
Technology and planning have improved a lot, and one consultation doesn't necessarily tell the whole story.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to continue reaching for glasses that no longer exist. 😅
Ps. Chatgpt helped me frame this a bit better. Thanks gpt!