How Long Does LASIK Eye Surgery Last?

July 14, 2021

Are you tired of wearing glasses or contacts every day? You may be wondering whether you are a good candidate for LASIK, which is a type of refractive eye surgical procedure. Generally, most people who undergo this procedure achieve 20/25 vision or even better. However, most people will still need to wear eyeglasses while driving at night as they get older.

What Is LASIK?

When light hits the cornea, which is the transparent outer layer of the eye, it bends. This bending or refraction focuses it on the retina, which is in the back of the eye. When the light does not refract correctly, it fails to focus on the retina and vision often becomes blurry.

LASIK surgery corrects three main types of refractive errors by using lasers to reshape the cornea. This allows light to bend correctly and focus on the retina, leading to sharp, clear near and distant vision. These refractive errors are farsightedness, nearsightedness, and astigmatism.

Are Results Permanent or Temporary?

People considering having LASIK surgery often wonder whether the results are permanent. LASIK is a refractive procedure meant to correct conditions such as astigmatism, hyperopia, and myopia. Its goal is to reduce the patient’s dependence on eyeglasses or contact lenses.

LASIK surgery aims to reshape corneal tissues using a laser, and these changes last a lifetime. It has a good track record. However, your vision may still get worse over time as you age even after having LASIK surgery. Laser-assisted in situ keratomileuses cannot prevent this natural process. Therefore, you may notice your vision becoming blurry as you age.

Vision Changes After LASIK Eye Surgery

The treatment permanently changes your vision. Following LASIK surgery, however, your vision may change due to various reasons. The American Refractive Surgery Council suggests that a patient’s vision may still change over time. This will happen if the initial condition that affected his/her vision continues to progress.

Another reason why your vision may change years after having this surgical procedure is presbyopia. This is a natural eye change that happens as you age. You will find it more difficult to focus on nearby objects as your eye’s lens becomes less flexible.

How long LASIK eye surgery lasts, therefore, will depend on how much your initial condition continues to progress, if it does at all. It will also depend on the age at which you undergo the procedure. Most people who undergo LASIK remain quite happy with the results for more than 10 years.

According to one study, approximately 35 percent of people who underwent LASIK surgery needed another treatment over ten years. Another study followed people with astigmatism and/or nearsightedness following their LASIK surgery. Over 12 years, around ten percent of them experienced age-related vision changes.

Therefore, you can still have another LASIK treatment years later if your vision begins to change again. However, it will depend on how much tissue your surgeon removed during the initial surgery and how much you have left.

To learn more about LASIK eye surgery, visit Eye Associates of New York at our office in New York, New York. You can also call (212) 650-4888 today to book an appointment.