Oh, man, that sounds like a nightmare. As someone with a lot of anxiety I was probably never going to do LASIK anyway, but after reading this there's absolutely no way I'd ever even consider it. And yes, when I find myself in an anxious situation I tend to cope with body movement, some of it I'm aware of, others probably not.
It was pretty nightmarish, but I'm still very thankful I received it. 40 minutes of awfulness in exchange for years of not needing glasses/contact lenses was worth it for me.
Also, I'm guessing this issue isn't too uncommon, because during my consultation a week or so before the procedure, they mentioned that they could give a small dose of a benzodiazepine (I think Valium) beforehand to reduce anxiety. When it was time for the procedure, I think they mentioned it again before it started but they said it didn't seem like I needed it, since I don't think I was showing outward signs of anxiety at that point, and I didn't express (or have) any conscious fears. I think there's a good chance that if I had taken it, all of the trouble could've been avoided.
So, if you make those concerns known and request one, I think you'll likely have a much better experience than I did.
My LASIK experience could not have been more opposite. I remember walking in, then putting some type of clamp to keep my eyelids from closing, you look at a red dot or a couple dots, the doctor even says you can move your eyeballs around and the laser will follow it so don’t worry about it messing up the procedure.
Then the laser activates for 10 seconds or so, you smell your burning eyeball, laser does it again to your other eye. Whole procedure is done within a couple minutes.
You get half a Xanax, go home, go to sleep, and wake up with crystal clear vision like you have never seen before.
But I also watched myself get a vasectomy, so I might not be able to relate to what an anxious person might go through.
Edit: I forgot part of the procedure. The clamp that keeps your eyelids open also slices the top layer of your eyeball and flips it open for the laser to shape your cornea. The Xanax is prob to ensure you sleep and let it heal.
Wait, you get the Xanax afterwards? I'd need several Xanaxen before being able to walk into the procedure.
> I might not be able to relate to what an anxious person might go through.
Yeah, I freak out even when I get my blood pressure taken. As soon as I hear them rip the velcro on the cuff I can feel my pulse rate just about double. And then they think I have high blood pressure and I have to explain that, no, when I take it at home it's actually kind of low. Adrenalin is a heck of a drug.
