For many people, when they hear the phrase “LASIK” the first thing they think of is the scene in Final Destination 5. You know the one. There’s a laser with a woman who is lying alone underneath it because the doctor isn’t in the room.
She’s also strapped to the bed and trapped. Sound familiar? That’s why it comes as no surprise that many people are also terrified of getting LASIK!
After all, the woman falls out of a window and dies! But is LASIK like what’s shown in Final Destination? Keep reading to find out what LASIK is really like and why you won’t die when you achieve clear vision!
1. You’re never alone during the LASIK procedure
We’re going to debunk this scene, once and for all. So number one, you’re never alone during the LASIK procedure.
In Final Destination 5, Olivia is left on the operating table and in the LASIK suite alone. In real life, this would never happen!
The LASIK surgeon never leaves the room, and there’s never any reason for them to leave you alone in the room. Not that it’s possible for you to accidentally set off the laser, either, but more on that later.
2. Your head is not strapped to the table and you’re not trapped
Part of what makes Olivia’s death scene in Final Destination so terrifying is the fact that she’s strapped to the operating table. No reputable LASIK practice, including Chicago Cornea Consultants™, will ever ask patients to strap their heads in.
All you have to do is hold your head still for 10-20 seconds at a time while the laser is applied to your eye. LASIK only takes about 15 minutes per eye or less. For the record, you’re not trapped either.
3. The laser will not continue moving if your eye moves
In fact, if your eye moves while the laser is on your eye, the laser automatically shuts off. This is a very important distinction between the scene in Final Destination and what actually happens when you get LASIK!
You are asked to keep your head still for 10-20 seconds at a time, but if you can’t, the laser will stop moving. The laser cannot keep moving even if you move your head or your eyes.
Part of the problem is that Final Destination shows the laser as continuing to move even after Olivia has already tried to escape. In a real-life situation, this cannot and will not ever occur!
The laser that’s used during LASIK has a tracker on it. This means that the laser can track your eye because it locks onto your iris and follows all movements of the eye.
LASIK is an incredibly precise procedure and has a 96% success rate with patients that have had it for a reason!
4. The laser used during LASIK cannot burn through eyes or skin
It’s pretty hard to watch as Olivia’s eye and then hands are burned through in an awful turn of events. After all, she was just trying to correct her vision and ended up dead!
Well, here’s some good news. The laser used during LASIK cannot burn through your eyes or your skin. Chicago Cornea Consultants™ utilizes only the most advanced lasers available for LASIK vision correction.
For the most custom LASIK procedure possible, we use Alcon’s Allegretto Wavelight technology. Wavelight technology ensures that patients have the most precise and exact results possible.
Although it seems like the lasers used during LASIK would be hot, they are actually cold. By using cold lasers, there’s no way that they could ever burn through your eyes or your skin.
Instead, thanks to the most state-of-the-art technology available, only a minuscule amount of corneal tissue is removed from the cornea.
5. Your eyeball won’t fall out after you have LASIK
Let’s not forget that after Olivia tragically falls out of the window and plummets to her death, her eyeball then pops right out of her head and gets run over! This is only a scene in a movie, and no, LASIK will not cause your eyes to fall out after you have it.
LASIK won’t make you go blind either. You could experience some mild discomfort, irritation, and temporary dry eyes.
But even if you do, most of these symptoms are only temporary and will go away on their own. It’s not normal to feel any pain during LASIK or during your recovery from LASIK. Here’s why.
Before the procedure begins, you’ll receive numbing eye drops to numb your eyes.
Unless your LASIK surgeon is a sadist (they aren’t) they don’t want you to feel any pain during the procedure. It can take a few minutes for the numbing eye drops to spread out over the surface of your eye, but they work.
If you happen to be nervous before the procedure, you can ask for something to calm you down like Valium. This is totally normal and something that most LASIK surgeons will provide to their patients. LASIK is not meant to be a painful, uncomfortable experience.
6. When you have LASIK, everything changes for the better
After LASIK, the numbing eye drops will start to wear off. This is when you may start feeling some discomfort or irritation.
The best thing you can do in this scenario is to have someone drive you home, take a few ibuprofen, and go to bed.
When you wake up a few hours later, you’ll feel refreshed. The best part, of course, will be your improved vision!
In the days and weeks following LASIK, your vision will only continue to improve. That is, after all, the reason you’re getting LASIK.
If you can get over your fears and unrealistic expectations due to Final Destination, LASIK is 100% worth it.
Ready to conquer your fears? Schedule a LASIK consultation at Chicago Cornea Consultants™ in Chicago, IL and get on the path to visual freedom!
