I'm with you on that. I was actually very, very close to taking the plunge a few years ago, but then made the mistake of doing a Google deep dive into how the procedure actually works and what happens in those few minutes time. Moral of the story...it freaked me out and now I'm not sure I'll ever be ready to have it done. Then again, I'm also the guy that went to get contact lenses when I was in my teens but couldn't go through with it because I'm one of those people that cannot stand to have something, even my own fingers, that close to my eyeballs. Kinda makes me think I'm an ill fit for LASIK based on that alone.
I had it done about 4 years ago, and it's one of the best decisions I've made. But it took about 5-6 years of waffling about it to get over that "terrifying" feeling. The idea of messing with your eyes with lasers is freaky. Two things helped. Once is that the newest machines are basically completely automated, which reduces the chance of doctor error and eliminates the really freaky part of having a scalpel near your eye (now a laser is used for that part too). But what really got me over the hump was that the place I did it at let me go watch someone else getting the procedure done. I thought it would be from outside the room, but they literally let me stand about 2 feet away, right behind the doctor. Seeing the other random patient and how calm they were and how quick the whole thing was really helped. If you're considering the procedure and nervous about it, I highly recommend seeing if the place you're considering will let you do that. For the actual procedure, it really was painless. A little weirdness as they are moving your eyelids around and all that, but otherwise, it wasn't even very stressful. It also helps that they explained each step as they did it and it took maybe 1 minute per eye, so it was pretty quick. Vision is a little sketchy for a day or two, but I was 20/20 within a few days, and 20/15 a year later. I had to use the refreshing eye drops a few times a day for several months and then maybe once a day for another few months, but after about a year, I didn't need to use anything - that varies by patient, though. Some less, some more. I used to wear contacts, and it's made life so much easier. The daily change is great, but what really is awesome is how much easier travel is, especially to less-than-developed areas where contacts were a real mess. Other thing I would say - there's a wide range of technologies involved and many places use different machines. I would highly recommend doing research and going to the most respected places with the best technology as opposed to the places that do it cheaper. Your eyes are too valuable to take a chance. I think you can also ask for success rates and what % of people come back with complications, etc.
On a side note, the place I went to was the Mann Eye Institute in Austin - I believe their primary office is in Houston, and they are very highly regarded. The other place that's top-tier in Austin is Dell Laser. From my understanding, those two places have all the top technology and some top doctors and are a class above everyone else here.
