Is LASIK permanent?

All your friends are having LASIK eye surgery done, but you are still reluctant. You likely have several questions, one of which might be “Is LASIK permanent?” We understand. At Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania, you can schedule a free initial consultation. We will answer all your questions and evaluate you as a surgical candidate.

LASIK is safe and effective

Most patients are excellent candidates for LASIK surgery, and in most cases, the LASIK procedure does provide permanent vision correction. This claim is backed by published science. Several studies have confirmed the long-term stability of LASIK vision correction. This recent published study speaks to the effectiveness and safety of the procedure, as well as to the long-term vision stability that LASIK provides.

At Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania, we prefer custom bladeless LASIK over traditional LASIK surgery. It is safer and more effective, and more patients qualify as candidates because the laser technology allows us to correct high levels of refractive error and even astigmatism.

If you have LASIK before age 40, your eyes may continue to change after age 40. These changes are not due to having the LASIK procedure, but to a condition called presbyopia that affects aging eyes. As such, some nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism can occur, but these can be corrected by a follow-up procedure called a LASIK enhancement, or we can use other methods of vision correction in cases of presbyopia.

Research has been done to determine the long-term effectiveness of LASIK in patients who had the procedure when younger than age 40. While there were some changes in vision, it was still minimal. Quite often, these changes in vision are minimal, and patients are not bothered by them and don’t even seek additional vision correction. People who are over age 40 when they have LASIK experience very little further change in vision. Interestingly, research shows that women experience more changes than men.

Bladeless LASIK

Our surgeons prefer the bladeless LASIK eye surgery technique. It is more technologically advanced and is a common alternative to traditional LASIK that uses a metal surgical blade. There are several key differences between traditional LASIK and bladeless LASIK, also called all-laser LASIK.

All LASIK procedures involve creation of a corneal flap. This flap is folded back to expose the cornea for vision correction. Bladeless LASIK uses a laser called a femtosecond laser to create the flap, instead of the traditional surgical metal blade called a microkeratome.

Once the cornea is exposed, the surgeon uses a second laser called an excimer laser to reshape the cornea to correct vision. Each person’s eye is unique and different, so prior to the surgery, we create a customized map of your cornea that guides the excimer laser during vision correction. This form of LASIK can be used to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and even astigmatism. For example, with astigmatism, the eye has both hills and valleys on the corneal surface, explaining why people with astigmatism have blurry vision at both near and far distances. The corneal map traces all of these distortions and guides the laser during the surgery.

Bladeless LASIK is safe and effective, and our surgeons are experts in the procedure. Therefore, if you have been considering LASIK eye surgery, and wondering whether bladeless custom LASIK is permanent, come talk to the LASIK specialists at Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania. We are ready to give you great vision.