Ohio man gets Lasik eye surgery. Three years later he still regrets it: ‘It isn’t what I thought it’d be’
On the surface, corrective eye surgery seems like a miracle. One day you need glasses, and the next, you can see glasses-free.
The reality, of course, is a bit different. Recovery from LASIK can involve several days of stinging and burning, and once the eyes have recovered, some patients report that their vision still isn’t perfect.
Still, some may have the idea of never wearing glasses again and think the trade-off is worth it. Now, a user on TikTok who actually had the procedure is explaining why, three years later, he regrets it.
Why Does This Man Regret His LASIK?
In a video with over 273,000 views, TikToker @titanium_talk says he got LASIK eye surgery “three or four years ago.” Now, he says he “fully regret[s]” the decision.
According to the TikToker, he wore glasses his entire life and contact lenses for about half of his life. He describes his vision prior to the procedure as “terrible,” saying he had a -5.5 in each eye.
“I thought LASIK was just gonna be perfect, fix it all — which, it doesn’t,” he shares. “The technology in LASIK is still not perfected.”
The TikToker then lists the variety of eye issues he’s had since the procedure. For example, he says that he thought the procedure would help with optic migraines; it does not. He thought that it could get rid of “floaters”; it did not.
“My eyes just get more dry more often, which sucks,” he adds. “When I wake up in the morning, if I look at bright lights, I see a halo still — like red, blue, green, and [it] eventually goes away once my eyes start waking up and moisturize a little bit.”
He notes that he’s particularly sensitive to green light, saying that it appears fuzzy to him.
“LASIK isn’t what I thought it’d be. For $4,000, it sucks,” details the TikToker. “I do get a free lifetime touch up, which I will never use. I’m not gonna go back to it. If my vision starts going out again, I’m just gonna go back to glasses.”
Are Issues Common With LASIK?
Figures in the industry frequently cite data showing that LASIK has a customer satisfaction rate of between 90 and 95 percent. They’ll also say that the complication rate is around one percent.
However, other investigations complicate this idea. Dr. Morris Waxler, a retired FDA adviser, analyzed the data and found that, in his analysis, the true complication rate was between 10 and 30 percent.
Often, these complications are relatively minor. For example, one will have lifelong dry eyes, as is the case for the TikToker.
However, sometimes, side effects are severe to the point of being life-altering. Reporter Jace Larson investigated over 700 claims of severe pain following LASIK. Some patients reported stinging pains “worse than childbirth.” Others said their eyeballs would frequently stick to their eyelids, causing pain.
Even without pain, there’s no guarantee that one’s eyes will be perfect following the procedure. While many patients don’t need glasses after the procedure, some report experiencing new visual symptoms after the surgery.
This lack of consistency may be why so many opticians do not themselves end up getting the procedure, as many internet users have noticed.
Commenters Aren’t Fans
In the comments section, users offered their thoughts on the corrective eye procedure.
“Luckily, the guy I went to didn’t want to do Lasik on my eyes because they did a dry eye test and they were already severely dry,” wrote a user. “I bet most surgeons would’ve just gone forward with me anyways.”
“I feel so bad for my mom who got LASIK. They talked it up so much. She had no idea of all the risks especially because she had it done before tiktok was a thing with everyone sharing their stories. Now she is back in glasses and constant dry eyes,” offered another. “Her eyes hurt so bad for such a long time. I feel so bad for everyone who got talked into it.”
That said, others recounted positive experiences.
“Been 13 years for me. No regrets. Never will either,” stated a commenter.
“This is so interesting. I had it done 7 ish years ago and feel like its the best money I ever spent. Zero issues,” wrote a second.
@titanium_talk Day 2. Regretting Lasik. #fyp #lasik #titaniumtalk #vlog #regrets ♬ original sound – Titanium Talk
The Mary Sue reached out to @titanium_talk via TikTok comment.
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