I got it done cause I was doing archery and my astigmatism meant I had to shift my glasses onto my nose for it. Contacts would have solved the problem but my eyesight was close to 20/20 and was only ruined by my astigmatism so I never bothered getting fitted for them. Plus, I kinda liked buying stlyish frames which I could wear cause my prescription was so light.
In the end, I had a consultation with a reputable optometrist that rejected a lot of people with thin corneas, dry eyes, and would try to sus out if you’re shopping around for a “yes.” They did not try to minimize the risks and kept reminding me it’s an elective surgery and anything can go wrong in surgery (although, rare).
The main side effects for me were: a painful, burning sting that lasted for 30 mins after surgery (due to correcting my astigmatism), which a nap cured, some lasting light sensitivity at night (LED headlights feel so bright), and a dryness that went away after a few months. What they don’t say is that you’re still healing for more than a few months after surgery so a lot of side effects can linger and fade away with time, and a few may stick.
Now if you don’t want LASIK, there is PRK which doesn’t cut anything off but has a more complicated healing post-surgery regiment and your vision is not 20/20 until at minimum a week after surgery. It also has its own problems depending on how you handled post-op.
In the end, if you realllllly want it and you find a trusted surgeon, and they’ve discussed all risks cause everyone’s eye is different, it’s certainly nice to no longer rely on glasses. But again, absolutely not necessary surgery.
Either way, if you ever get cataract surgery, it’s practically the same procedure of cutting up your eyes and replacing some lenses. (Also if you get LASIK, keep your records cause you’ll need em for cataracts).