[honeychile]

It's been at least 6 years since I had LASIK, and I haven't regretted it even for one minute! My eyesight was so bad that I once walked into a wall and broke my orbital bone, but now it's better than 20/20. The minute the surgery was done, I started crying with joy from being able to really see!! It was like I was transformed to Oz or something.

When I had it done, it was about $2500 for both eyes, and I went to a doctor who had done several thousand prior to me. I was able to get a medical loan at 4.9% (I tease that my eyes are "paid for" now!).

My recommendations: On a scale from 1-10, the pain is never more than a 4 or 5; the emotional pain is about 129!!! The more you can relax during the surgery, the better outcome you will have (clenching will constrict your blood vessels). They gave me 2 Valiium - but I had taken another before going, and I'm glad I did. Also, if you're sensitive to smells, it will smell much like when you're having dental work done. No one told me about that flash of blindness or the smell, and that was what freaked me out!

When you go on your follow-up visit, you will meet a lot of nay-sayers. Ignore them, unless you're having a problem yourself. Remember: relax!! About a month afterwards, I went back to the doctor because I didn't feel as if I was seeing properly in the one eye. What it turned out to be was, my one eye is perfect for driving/long distance, etc, and the other is great for reading!! They actually try to do that for people, so I really lucked out!! I will never have to wear bifocals, ever!

I know about 5 other people who have had LASIK or PRK, and not one of them is unhappy with the results. You've done your research, now remember to give yourself time to relax both before and after your surgery. Good luck!!