eyes that received gel had slightly thinner than intended flaps

In this study the investigators will be comparing two different types of anesthetic, a numbing eye drop and a numbing gel, to test if they are equally effective or if one has a better outcome in terms of the level of comfort you experience one hour and one day after your surgery. The two medications are commonly used and appear to be equally effective for other types of eye surgery, such as cataract surgery. This study will show if one type of anesthesia is preferred over another by patients getting LASIK. Before your LASIK procedure, you will be given a short questionnaire to determine the baseline comfort of your eyes. In the operating room, one type of anesthetic will be put in one eye, and the other medication will be put in the other eye. Which anesthetic you get in each eye will be chosen in a random way (similar to flipping a coin). After your LASIK surgery, the investigators will ask you if you felt more comfort in your right eye, your left eye, or if they were equal, and the investigators will ask you the same survey questions that were asked prior to your LASIK to get more details about your experience.

*Of note- the randomization being done is for which eye will be receiving the lidocaine and which eye will be receiving the tetracaine. Each patient will receive lidocaine in 1 eye and tetracaine in the other eye, the randomization is for each individual eye. This means, of 11 patients in our study, 22 eyes received treatment. 11 eyes received lidocaine and 11 eyes received tetracaine.

when we did our comparison, 11 values were used for lidocaine and 11 eyes were used for tetracaine, giving a total of 22 eyes. This is important to note since the randomization refers to EYE for each individual patient, and not for the patient (ie: participant means 1 eye, not 1 person in the descriptions below).

Outcome measures involve comparing the right eye and left eye for severity of 12 different symptoms, that are recorded in severity on a 1-5 scale. A score of 1 means no symptoms and 5 means severe. The 12 measurements include sharp pain, dull ache, pain during movement, stinging sensation, itching, light sensitivity, watery eyes, dry eyes, sandy sensation, pressure sensation, decreased vision, and blurry vision.

Inclusion Criteria:

• healthy volunteers of age 18 years or greater

Exclusion Criteria:

• Previous reaction/allergy to the same drug class
• prior ocular surgery
• active facial injuries
• any active current ophthalmological disease
• history of diabetes
• any current non- Over The Counter pain medication
• inability to complete the questionnaire.
• Economically or educationally disadvantaged persons, Prisoners, or Children
• Patients with fluctuating or impaired decision-making capacity
• Any other condition that the investigator believes would pose a significant hazard to the subject if the investigational therapy were initiated