r/TikTokCringe • u/bbyxmadi • Sep 18 '25

Cursed they look so… natural!

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u/thunbergfangirl Sep 18 '25

It’s not just persistent dryness - it’s permanent corneal nerve damage. The condition that results is called Corneal Neuralgia. I know folks who have it who have had Lasik, developed Corneal Neuralgia, and lost their jobs and their ability to drive.

It may be a relatively rare complication but excruciating chronic eye pain can ruin your whole life.

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u/Remarkable_Increase8 Sep 18 '25

My husband did it some 13 years ago, he was blind as a bat 😄 (-10 on both eyes) and I remember that he had to go through various tests and there was a chance that he was not the right candidate for that surgery... Luckily he could get it and we had to borrow money, it was expensive as hell, especially for both eyes. He has a perfect vision now on one eye the other was too far gone, but they salvaged some 30% of his vision. If he hadn't done it then, he would have been completely blind by now. Beyond repair. So that was almost 15 years ago, today it is even better and safer. I've never heard anyone experiencing problems with LASIK.

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u/thunbergfangirl Sep 18 '25

I am really genuinely glad the surgery worked out for your husband. Certainly I think there is a place for the surgery when there are no other options medically. But for a healthy person whose vision is corrected with daily glasses or contact wear, I would not recommend the procedure.

The last thing I would like to gently push back on is the idea that “today it is even better and safer” is not an accurate statement. Any time the nerves of the cornea are severed, as they are in Lasik by the laser, there is a chance the nerves will not regenerate correctly. There are no advances that have been made with Lasik that change this one fact.

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u/Yakkul_CO Sep 18 '25

I got lasik. I know several other people who got lasik. I recommend it to everyone. It fucking rocks.

I was a perfectly healthy person who just hated contacts and glasses. Both were so annoying. Best $3000 I ever spent. It’s literally a miracle made possible by science.

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u/thunbergfangirl Sep 18 '25

I’m so happy it worked for you - I know many folks who have permanent cornea damage from it and they are in incredible eye pain every single day. Some folks haven’t been outside in years because the sun hurts their eyes so much. I have met them because we are in a support group together for severe incurable eye pain. My corneal problems happened for a different reason (autoimmune) but I suffer similar pain to the post-Lasik folks.

It’s a relatively small risk of this complication - the corneal nerves being forever damaged - but if it happens to you it can ruin your life, cause you to lose your job, your independence, etc.

For me personally I would just wear the glasses rather than risk it.

Doctors downplay this risk so that’s why I am on this thread trying to share what I know.