My friend said too that it was very very painful. He's the one who
said they used a machine, but maybe he fortgets some details after 50
years.

I sat in a backwards chair you straddled, and rested my face and chin on
positioned mounts. There was a rod across in front of my face. A lens came
very closely, then you could see something very small coming towards your
eye. And they tell you to sit very damn still or you'll blind yourself. I
was always able to hold still. The thing just touches your eyeball, and
it's over. No pain, just a little residual itching from the metal slicing
around inside your eyelid for a while. It was always by the touch method,
but it has been a long while since the last time. I forgot, but that time,
it was a small sticker burr that flew into my eye during a dust devil at
work. The other two times were with metal.

Steve