How Long Does Laser Eye Surgery Last?
Laser eye surgery is a procedure performed by a highly trained and licensed ophthalmologist who has extensive experience with refractive surgery technology. The surgery uses a laser to reshape the cornea and improve the patient’s vision, whether they are far sighted (hyperopia), near sighted (myopia), or have astigmatism. How long laser eye surgery lasts depends on a number of factors including the level of correction, the complexity of the prescription. However, for the majority of patients, good eyesight often lasts for 10 years or more.
Is Laser Eye Surgery Permanent?
Laser eye surgery permanently reshapes a patient’s cornea through the use of refractive surgery technology. The cornea is the small transparent dome shaped section at the front of your eye. Ideally, it should function as a perfect sphere and refract light into your eye to allow you to see. However, if the cornea is misshapen in any way, this can cause common vision issues.
The surgery makes permanent changes to your eyes in order to improve your vision. Some patients may need additional corrective surgery or to wear glasses later in life, but for the majority of patients, the effects of laser eye surgery last for a decade if not more.
Can Your Vision Change After Laser Eye Surgery?
Yes, your vision can change after laser eye surgery but the majority of patients enjoy a long period of significantly improved vision after their procedure.
A long-term study of Lasik outcomes found that at 10 years post-surgery, 88% of patients were within ±1.00 dioptre of the intended correction, meaning that the majority of patients experience very little change in their eyesight after 10 years.
However, laser eye surgery does not guard against presbyopia which is the natural age-related loss of the eye’s ability to focus on near objects. This generally starts affecting people in their 40s and progresses from there.
What Affects How Long Laser Eye Surgery Lasts?
While the majority of laser eye patients may not experience any changes to their improved vision within the 10 years following their surgery, there are a number of mitigating factors that determine the rate of retreatment.
One of the main factors is the strength of your eyeglass prescription. If you have high myopia or high hyperopia, you have a higher likelihood of needing retreatment than if you have a lower or moderate prescription.
A study carried out in Belgium found that the retreatment rate for low/moderate myopia was 3.4% while the retreatment rate for high myopia was 22.6%. As you can see by the numbers, there is a higher likelihood of restreatment with higher prescriptions, however even with higher prescriptions, the majority of patients do not need retreatment.
How Long Do Different Types of Laser Eye Surgery Last?
There are three common types of laser eye surgery: LASIK, PRK and SMILE. At Eye Clinic Dublin, we perform PRK and LASIK laser eye surgeries. Both of these surgeries permanently reshape the cornea, resulting in often 20/20 vision for patients. The main difference between the two surgeries is that LASIK is performed by cutting a flap in the cornea, lifting it, and then performing the laser surgery underneath. In contrast, PRK makes two small incisions through which the surgery is performed instead of creating a flap. There have been long term studies performed on both types of surgeries as both procedures were originally developed around 35 years ago.
A comparison study between LASIK and PRK patients found that 10-years post-surgery, 88% of LASIK eyes were within ±1.00 dioptre of the intended correction and 71% of PRK eyes were within ±1.00 dioptre of the intended correction. While LASIK has slightly better long-term stability than the PRK procedure, PRK is still a highly respected procedure that is often recommended for patients with thinner corneas, irregularly shaped corneas, dry eyes, or those with more active lifestyles or who play contact sports.
Will You Need Glasses Again in the Future?
Laser eye surgery reshapes your corneas, giving you the level of vision you previously had with your glasses, now without the need for glasses. While you might not need glasses immediately after and in the years following your surgery, that does not mean that you will never need glasses again in the future.
While laser eye surgery corrects your current eye prescription, it does not keep your eyes from changing. The majority of patients often go up to 10 years without needing glasses after their surgery, but the surgery does not protect them from natural age-related eye changes. As people age, they are more likely to develop conditions like presbyopia, cataracts, dry eye and experience hormonal changes or regression which would require them to once again wear glasses.
Laser Eye Surgery in Dublin
Laser eye surgery can significantly improve your vision, allowing you to live your life glasses free. As mentioned, for most patients, the effects can last up to 10 years or more. If you are interested in getting laser eye surgery to correct your vision, get in contact with our team at Eye Clinic Dublin today.
FAQ
What factors affect how long laser eye surgery results last?
There are a number of factors that can affect how long laser eye surgery results last, including your original prescription, the complexity of your correction, your age, the type of laser eye surgery performed, and natural changes to your eyes over time. Patients with higher levels of myopia or hyperopia may have a higher chance of needing retreatment, while age-related changes such as presbyopia can also affect vision later in life.
Can your eyesight worsen again after laser eye surgery?
For the majority of patients, their eyesight does not worsen within the first 10 years following surgery. However, laser eye surgery does not protect your eyes from age-related decline, and as such, patients may experience a natural decline in their eyesight as they age despite their laser eye surgery.
Does laser eye surgery permanently fix your eyes?
Laser eye surgery removes imperfections from your cornea, improving your eyesight, and removing the need to wear glasses. The procedure permanently removes imperfections, ‘fixing’ your eyes so that you do not need to wear glasses in order to see clearly. In the majority of cases, most patients do not need retreatment within 10 years of surgery; however, a very small percentage may need additional surgery or return to glasses within the first decade of treatment.
Who shouldn’t get laser eye surgery?
Laser eye surgery is not for everyone. If you have thin or irregular corneas, dry eye syndrome, or severe eye diseases such as glaucoma or cataracts, laser eye surgery is not recommended. Individuals with uncontrolled diabetes or autoimmune disorders should not undergo laser eye surgery. In addition, if you are under 18, pregnant or breastfeeding, or have experienced significant vision change within the last two years, laser eye surgery is not for you.