Does LASIK Wear Off?
The short answer is “no”. LASIK is a permanent procedure.
One of the most common myths about LASIK is that the results “wear off”. A lot of people assume they will have to undergo multiple procedures to maintain the results.
How Long Does LASIK Last?
LASIK is a permanent surgical vision correction procedure. A laser is used to change the shape of the cornea to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. Reshaping your cornea is a permanent change and therefore, it does not “wear off”.
The best way to learn more is to talk to one of our highly-trained LASIK consultants during a free consultation. They will be able to answer all your LASIK questions.
How Does LASIK Eye Surgery Work?
Whether you are near-sighted, far-sighted or have astigmatism, LASIK is one of the most commonly performed procedures for the surgical correction of refractive errors. Performed under a thin flap made on the surface of the eye (the cornea) LASIK is accurate, and is painless for most patients. It takes about 14 minutes for both eyes. In a study of 100 eyes, more than 95% of ClearChoice patients saw 20/20 or better the very next day. Nationally, 12% of LASIK patients have needed a LASIK enhancement. At ClearChoice, our enhancement rate is just 5%. Enhancements are sometimes necessary because not every patient heals as the doctors’ formulas assume they will.
Like the rest of our body, our eyes will age over time. When we reach our early 40s, our eyes experience natural changes in the crystalline lens located inside the eye – behind the iris. In normal healthy eyes before 40ish, the lens flexes and changes shape allowing us to see objects at near when flexed in one direction and at far when flexed in another direction.
Why Do People Say LASIK Wears Off?
As we age, the lens gradually becomes more rigid and the flexibility it once had to help us see clearly at near is lost. The most noticeable effect of this lens becoming rigid is the loss of near vision in 40 and 50-year old’s who now have to use reading glasses to read small print or a menu in dim light. This loss of the ability to focus at near is not LASIK “wearing off” because remember, LASIK is performed on the surface of the eye. Rather, it is your lens inside of the eye aging with you. This hardening of the lens inside the eye is a condition called presbyopia.
Presbyopia is one of the first changes that happen in the eye as a result of age.
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