LASIK is a big decision, and most people start looking into it after years of pushing glasses up their nose or fussing with contact lenses. It’s also an investment, so it makes sense to think about the years ahead before you book a LASIK consultation.
Plenty of people go a long time without glasses after surgery. The changes LASIK makes to your cornea are permanent, but your eyes keep aging, so your vision can still change and you may need glasses for some tasks later on.
What LASIK Changes About Your Eyes
Your cornea is the clear dome at the front of your eye, and it handles a lot of the focusing. During laser eye surgery, a surgeon creates a thin flap in the cornea, reshapes the tissue underneath with a laser, and then puts the flap back in place.
That reshaping can correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. Your cornea won’t slowly return to its old shape over the years. The lens inside your eye keeps aging on its own timeline, though, and LASIK doesn’t slow that down.
Why Vision Can Change After LASIK
Around age 40, you might notice yourself holding menus and your phone a little farther away. That’s presbyopia, a normal part of aging that happens whether you’ve had LASIK or not.
So you could have clear distance vision from surgery and still keep a pair of reading glasses on the kitchen counter. Reading glasses help with close-up tasks and work alongside the distance correction you got from LASIK. If you’d rather not keep track of an extra pair, ask your optometrist whether multifocal contact lenses could work for you.
Prescription Changes and Other Eye Conditions
Some prescriptions also keep changing after surgery. It’s more common in people whose eyes were still changing when they had the procedure. It tends to happen gradually, and many people first notice it on highway signs at night.
Cataracts can also develop later in life, with or without LASIK. Your optometrist can spot early signs during a routine examination, often before they affect your day-to-day vision.
What LASIK Looks Like 10 and 20 Years Later
Many people go 10 or 20 years after LASIK without thinking much about their vision. Others start to notice some blurriness years later, maybe while driving at night or squinting at the scoreboard at their kid’s hockey game. If that happens to you, book an examination. Often, the cause is natural change in your eyes since the procedure.
Book routine eye examinations after LASIK so your optometrist can keep track of:
- Small prescription changes that add up over time
- The health of your cornea
- Early signs of cataracts
- Dry eye symptoms, like grittiness or burning, which some people notice after LASIK
- Changes in your near vision as you get older
A yearly examination gives your optometrist a record of how your eyes change over time. Mention anything new between visits too, even something small like needing more light to read.
Can You Get LASIK a Second Time?
Some people can have a second procedure, which surgeons often call an enhancement. You may need a second surgery if the first one didn’t give you enough correction or if your vision has changed since.
Your surgeon will look at how much corneal tissue you have left and the overall health of your eyes. Expect a full assessment, since qualifying once doesn’t mean you’ll qualify again.
Alternatives If LASIK Isn’t the Fit
If a second procedure isn’t right for you, glasses and contact lenses are still reasonable choices. Specialized lens options are often thinner and lighter than many people remember.
Cataract surgery later in life also comes with lens choices, and those choices can affect how you see up close and far away. Talk them over with your optometrist when the time comes.
How Your Optometrist Helps Before and After LASIK
Before surgery, your optometrist measures your cornea and checks whether your prescription has stayed stable. This often takes a couple of examinations spread over time to confirm. We also check your corneal thickness and how well your eyes stay moist. A thin cornea or ongoing dry eye can affect whether LASIK suits you, so it’s worth knowing before you meet with a surgeon.
After LASIK, we handle your follow-up care and track your eye health year after year. Every patient’s eyes heal and age differently, so we build your plan around what we see in yours.
Looking After Your Eyes Long After LASIK
LASIK can reduce how much you rely on glasses for years. Regular examinations can help you stay on top of any changes that come later.
The team at Westmount Optometrists has cared for local families since 1973. Whether you’re thinking about LASIK or had it years ago, book an eye examination and bring your questions with you.
