Also, I could only get my prescription filled in high-index lenses as the normal lenses would be too thick for nearly any glasses shop to order and grind. And had been that way for at least a decade by the time I opted for LASIK.
Poor control of my eye reflexes meant that even after over a year of trying I still couldn't reliably wear contacts, and was a highly stressful part of my day when I managed to get them on.
I had a family friend that went for LASIK very early on (late 2000s iirc) and had a horrible outcome losing sight in one eye, and a couple of friends in college that had amazing outcomes, so I had seen both sides. Ultimately, the LASIK operation was a very quick and pleasant operation for me, and the results were beyond my expectations. Nearly a decade later, my eyesight is still fine though I think I'm starting to see some blurring at middle distances that wasn't there a couple years ago. Did get some strong starbursts at night for a couple of years but I've either gotten used to them or they've faded.
After wearing glasses for around 20 years of my life, I love the freedom of no longer wearing them.
I still can't look at flashing green LEDs the same way. Too many bad memories.
That said, this electroforming process sounds even worse than photocuagulation! I can't imagine it being a procedure they could do to a conscious person.
I'm still not gonna let somebody shoot my eyes with lasers. I'm just terrified that something will go wrong, and it won't be fixable. But that terror isn't justified by either anecdotal experience or the overall statistics.