I had lasik surgery a bit over 3 years ago. I was told that I would be able to see clearly across the room. I cannot see clearly 2 feet in front of me, and I have experienced many side effects which were never mentioned to me. Here is my story:

My surgeon insisted that he had never had a bad result. He carefully "explained" everything to me and reassured me. He told me that I could probably expect to see clearly immediately following surgery, and that if not, my vision would improve during the night and I would awaken to clear vision. Someone else entered the room while I was having surgery and initiated a conversation with my surgeon about some new machine that would soon be available but would require doing one eye at a time. My surgeon commented that he didn't think he "could do one eye at a time." Following my surgery, it was as if someone had smeared vaseline over my eyes. My surgeon told me this was normal. I kept waking up during the night to see if my vision had improved, but everything was still blurry. I drove myself to the doctor for my post-op but it was really stupid and scary -- fortunately his practice was only half a mile from my house. Everything was blurry. I continued to go for follow-up but nothing improved. Finally he put me in -.5 lenses, but it was like wearing nothing. My daughter wore contacts, so I borrowed her -2.5 glasses to see. My surgeon kept insisting that I could see and that it was my fault. He said that putting me in stronger glasses would cause me to have spasms. Finally his assistant tried lenses with me and I got a prescription that helped me see. After about 4 months, my surgeon admitted that we had not gotten the results he had expected. I have found that traditional eye chart tests do not help me. I need to use trial lenses in order to determine my distance vision. I am currenltly at -2.75.

My continued nearsightedness is not the worse of my problems. I now have huge halos around lights at night, and driving at night is hell. I also have very little contrast in dark areas. It is almost Christmas as I write this, and I could not trim the tree at night because the branches all form a dark hole, the lights make halos, and I broke one of my favorite ornament because I could not see it. I can't see to put on my make-up in normal bathroom lights because the light shining down from the mirror causes glare. I have a flashlight that I use to see under my bed and in my (lighted) closet. I am middle-aged and wear progressive lenses, but I have to take them off constantly in order to see close-up. My eyes are incredibly dry and my current doctor (not the same as my surgeon) wants me to have plugs inserted but I am afraid to have anyone touch my eyes.

I can't see clearly in the mornings. I can't see distance without my glasses. I can't read or use the computer with my glasses, but I have to sit incredibly close. Sometimes I cup my hands around my eyes and that helps a bit, but I can hardly go through life doing that. I have no side vision, and my floaters have increased. After over 3 years, I mostly cope, but sometimes I am so depressed I can't stand it. Sure, my "vision" has improved, but I would gladly go back to tap tapping for my glasses and then going through life being able to see through them.