They also put a device on your eye to keep you from blinking. The reason that they do not put you to sleep is because you may go into REM (rapid eye movement) and your eye would involuntarily move. Source(s): Been there, done that. Yes you are awake during laser eye surgery. There is an instrument called a speculum that keeps the eye open and keeps it from blinking. You don't feel a thing...topical numbing drops are put in prior to surgery (they last 15 mins) and continued during the surgery to make sure it is definitely numb.