I did Lasik about 5 years ago. (Gosh, time flies)
It's so fast, fuss-free and painless! Of course it's recommended to
find a good and reliable doctor. Because the type of machine he use
and his skills do play a part in making your surgery as smooth and
fast as possible.
If you like to know which doctor I went to, you can PM me ok?
As for side-effects, well what my doctor told me was we could be
more prone to developing long-sightedness earlier than others
(meaning those who got it due to old age)
But again, by then, chances are there could be new technologies to
help correct that too! So we went for it, and have been happily
wthout lenses since.
But, my eyesight is worsening too due to the long hours staring at
my small notebook screen 
