How Long do LASIK Results Last?

    SAN FRANCISCO, CA, October 22, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- LASIK vision correction is a long-term solution. The eye surgery changes the shape of your cornea, permanently altering the way that your eye receives light. The longevity of your LASIK results depends greatly on whether you will undergo age-related vision changes and if you had a stable prescription prior to surgery. During an initial LASIK consultation, your LASIK doctor will make sure you are a good candidate for the eye surgery.

Vision after LASIK

LASIK eye surgery changes the shape of your cornea, allowing your eye to correctly focus light for clear and precise vision. After LASIK, your vision will change over time. Immediately after LASIK, you may experience fluctuations in your vision throughout the healing process. After about 6 months, your vision should stabilize. Your corneal shape will not change after LASIK, but you will experience vision changes if you develop any eye diseases or age-related eye conditions.

LASIK is especially successful as a long-term solution if you receive LASIK surgery after having stable vision for at least 1-2 years. Stable vision means that your prescription has not changed during a given amount of time. If your vision were to change after LASIK eye surgery, you would most likely require an additional surgery to adjust for these changes. Many people choose to have LASIK in their 20s or 30s because vision tends to become stable after young adulthood.

Age-Related Vision Problems

Common age-related vision problems, such as cataracts, can cause your vision to decline even if you have had LASIK in the past.

Cataracts occur when protein fibers in the eyes lens clump together, causing cloudy, blurry vision. Cataracts require eye surgery to replace the lens with an implantable contact lens. Like cataracts, other age-related vision disorders will deteriorate your vision even if you have had LASIK in the past.

These age-related issues include:
- Presbyopia
- Glaucoma
- Macular degeneration

Presbyopia occurs when the eye lens loses its ability to focus, and having LASIK surgery beforehand will not prevent presbyopia. Everyone experiences presbyopia, and as we approach our 40s, it becomes difficult to read or see objects at close distances. Eventually this normal aging of the eyes requires many people to use reading glasses. Glaucoma and macular degeneration also become more likely to occur with age, and these conditions will change your vision if you have had LASIK in the past.

If you are interested in LASIK vision correction and you live in San Francisco, Bay Area or San Jose, California, please visit the website of the Laser Eye Center of Silicon Valley at www.lasikdocs.com.

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