Realistic Expectations Of LASIK Eye Surgery

LASIK surgery is correcting people's vision every day with very little complications. The common myth behind LASIK is the effects of the surgery. Many believe that after LASIK they will be free of glasses forever. This is just not the case unfortunately. Having the correct expectations of LASIK will help you not only decide if you want the operation done but also prevent any disappointments in the future.

The first thing to expect if you want this operation is going through the pre-screening process. You can even take the pre-screening questionnaire online to see if there is any chance that you would not qualify. This will prevent someone who is not a good candidate from undergoing the surgery and potentially having more serious complications than normal. Not everyone qualifies for LASIK, however, there still could be an alternative solution.

If you do qualify, understand how LASIK can benefit you before having the operation. LASIK does not 'cure' your vision for the rest of your life; it will however decrease your dependency on corrective lenses. How long the effects last is different for everyone. Many go on without glasses for many decades and other start wearing them again after ten or fifteen years. Since LASIK has only been around for that long, most people today are not wearing glasses but in ten more years, they could be.

Some expect immediate results after the operation. After surgery, many will not have clear vision for at least several hours. Normal recovery is several days before you head back to work or start driving again. While your eyes are healing, expect to go back and forth between clear and blurry vision for several weeks. Everyone's recovery is different, some go back to work the next day and others wait much longer depending on any complications. Do not expect fast results, you could have to return to get a slight adjustment.

Repeat treatment may be necessary, depending on how your eyes heal and the results after surgery. Some need to have an adjustment or re-treatment. Since LASIK costs a few thousand dollars, check to see if the office where you are having the surgery done offers free re-treatments. Most places offer it for a certain amount of time, somewhere between six months and five years. This could save you a lot of money depending on where you go.

Vision results differ between patients as well. The legal driving vision is 20/40 and 95% of all LASIK procedures produce better than 20/40 results. Most people experience between 20/30 and 20/10 vision. If you have less than seven diopters of myopia, you will have close to a 99% chance of better than legal driving vision. Of course, everyone's eye deteriorates over time and you can expect these numbers to get worse but if your eyesight before LASIK was 20/1500, there is an obvious difference.

LASIK is not for everyone and it could take several months before you can 'see' the difference clearly. Technology is getting better and major complications are rare but remember that LASIK is not a permanent solution, but in the short term, you can throw those glasses away and begin to leave free of corrective lenses.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Lasik