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LASIK surgery is one of the most highly sought-after treatment methods for people suffering from refractive eye issues. Over 700,000 patients get LASIK surgery every year, due to the promise of immediate improvement in eye vision quality. While Lasik surgery is permanent, explore the different factors that can increase or decrease the procedure’s long-term effectiveness. 

Understanding LASIK

What is LASIK? 

LASIK is a surgical eye procedure that improves refractive eye errors, helping patients see clearly when focusing on certain things. By using precise and controlled movements, the corneal tissue of the eye is removed using a laser, which permanently reshapes the cornea. This results in clearer vision.

How Does LASIK Work?

There are three stages of LASIK, including preparation, surgery, and post-operative care:

Stage 1: Preparation

Before scheduling a procedure, it’s important to find a reputable surgeon who has years of experience performing LASIK surgery. Your surgeon should consult you about the treatment and its associated risks, including the potential need to make lifestyle changes including wearing contacts, makeup, and perfumes. Lastly, you should invite someone to attend your appointment so that they drive you home after your procedure.

Stage 2: Laser Surgery

There are two steps during LASIK surgery:

1. Corneal flap creation
2. Reshaping cornea with excimer laser

Through these two steps, the corneal tissue is removed to permanently reshape the cornea. With the laser’s precise mechanics, the procedure can take less than 20 minutes. However, depending on the severity of your eyes’ refractive error, more time may be required. 

The procedure generally requires ten minutes of operating room time, during which the laser is used for less than a minute on each eye. However, the actual duration of the procedure may vary according to the type and amount of correction needed.

Post Operative Care:

After receiving LASIK surgery, it is important to keep your eyes safe from any external forces that can impact the effectiveness of your treatment including: 

• Wearing sunglasses
• Avoiding swimming
• Not smoking
• Not wearing make-up the first week after surgery
• Limiting the amount of time spent reading

How Long Does LASIK Surgery Take? 

Though the actual procedure may take only 10 minutes for each eye, the overall surgery can last for 20 minutes. Most patients frequently finish their procedure within 30 minutes or less. 

With a speedy recovery time, your eyes begin to heal immediately after the procedure is finished. Nevertheless, to reach full recovery, it may take four to six weeks to see full results. 

How Long Does Lasik Eye Surgery Last? Is Lasik Permanent?

If you’re wondering “How long does LASIK last?”, the good news is that it’s permanent. Though LASIK is considered a permanent surgery (because of the cornea’s physical reshaping), the effectiveness of the procedure can decrease after a while. Most patients will experience the results for their entire lifetime, whereas about 2% of patients in the U.S. will need a touch-up.

Factors Affecting Longevity

Some eligible patients may wonder “Does LASIK wear off?”, and the answer is that there are many factors that can impact the longevity of your LASIK effectiveness including:

• Age when the surgery was received
• Prescription stability at time of surgery
• Underlying eye conditions
• Ability to follow post-operative care requirements
• Lifestyle factors
• Environmental factors

With 99% of patients achieving 20/40 vision after LASIK surgery, the procedure has a high patient satisfaction rate of 96%. 

Vision Conditions Corrected by LASIK

Because LASIK improves how light rays affect the retina, eye conditions with refractive errors caused by eye shape issues are most likely to see benefits. Refractive errors can occur when a patient’s cornea limits light bending, leading to blurry vision. LASIK eye surgery most commonly fixes the following eye conditions:

Myopia (Nearsightedness)

Occurs when your cornea is overly curbed or your eyeball is extra long, making it hard to see far-away objects. 

Hyperopia (Farsightedness)

Occurs when your cornea is overly flat or your eyeball is too short, making it hard to see close-up objects. 

Astigmatism

When your vision is blurry whether something is far away or near because of an irregularly shaped cornea.

Eligibility for LASIK Surgery

If you’re wondering “How old do you have to be for LASIK?”, we have all the answers. To be eligible for LASIK eye surgery, a patient needs to meet all eligibility requirements to meet safety regulations including:

• Patients need to be 18 years of age or older
• Have generally good eye health and overall health
• Have had a stable eye prescription for at least one year
• Understand the risks and complications associated with the procedure. 

To ensure patients are equipped to handle all stages of the procedure, they must be fully evaluated by an ophthalmologist to limit risk and unexpected situations from occurring. 

LASIK Enhancement Surgery

Though over 90% of patients achieve 20/20 vision, the long-lasting effects can diminish over time. Some patients may find that they need LASIK enhancement flap lift surgery to keep the quality of eyesight they gained during their initial procedure. Oftentimes, enhancement surgery is the preferred choice if you need a tune-up within 3-6 months of your first treatment. 

There are a couple of factors that can impact a patient needing enhancement surgery including:

• The initial severity of your refractive error
• A more severe case of nearsightedness or farsightedness
• A more severe case of astigmatism

Ready to Experience the Benefits of LASIK?

If you’re considering investing in LASIK eye surgery, it’s important to find a qualified eye surgeon with years of experience in the field. 

At Speciality Eye Institute, we are committed to ensuring each of our patient’s vision problems are treated with the utmost level of care. For more information about our LASIK and LASIK enhancement flap lift surgery, reach out to our team. 

Our board-certified ophthalmologists and eye doctors are the first-choice providers for residents in Mid-Michigan and Northwest Ohio.

Schedule a Consultation

Eye Irritation From Mascara and Makeup Use

Here’s a question we get asked pretty frequently: Is my eye irritation from makeup use? As eye doctors, it’s something important to consider for any of our patients that use eye makeup and mascara products.

In short, it’s unlikely that you’ll experience vision problems from using eye makeup – but it is possible. Let’s outline the basics.

How Can Eye Makeup Hurt My Eyes?

Since everyone’s eye needs and makeup use routines are different, there’s a lot to be aware of. It boils down to being careful, being clean, and being safe. When it comes to your eyes, you only get one pair, so make sure you take care of them if you use eye makeup!

Below are the top things our eye doctors think you should be careful about.

Irritation and Infection From Contacts

If you wear contacts, your mascara or eye makeup can get into your contacts and ruin the integrity of the lens. This can cause an infection. Make sure you put your contacts in before applying mascara or eye makeup. Be extra aware of the sterility of your hands and lenses.

Scratched Cornea During Application

It’s serious and it’s all too common – scratching the corneas happens when people are not careful when applying mascara. Scratching a cornea can lead to dangerous infections, so make sure to be careful when applying mascara or makeup.

Try to avoid applying eye makeup or mascara in the car – that’s one of the most common places where people will scratch a cornea.

Avoid using mascara that uses fibers to thicken and lengthen the lashes. The fibers may fall into the eye, scratching the cornea.

Tips & Insights: The Benefits of Receiving LASIK Eye Surgery

Allergic Reactions to Eye Makeup

If you’re sensitive to certain materials or are known to have allergic reactions, you should always test makeup before putting it on to avoid eye irritation. Some brands will label their makeup as hypoallergenic or ophthalmologist-approved. If you’re having allergic reactions in your eyes to makeup, you should talk to an eye specialist about your options.

Sleeping in Mascara

Some makeups have non-toxic components, like glitter, that could cause irritation, especially if it gets into your eyes while you’re sleeping.

We cannot stress this enough – remove your makeup at the end of the night before you sleep. Try not to fall asleep with any makeup on – especially anything near your eyes.

Eye Irritation From Expired Makeup

A lot of people tend to ignore the expiration dates on their makeup and mascara – but the reason that they’re in place is that makeup tends to have preservatives in it to keep bacteria from building up inside of it. The preservatives do not work after the expiration date. Do not keep expired makeup. The eye irritation is not worth it!

Can Mascara Cause Pink Eye?

If you share your makeup with others or don’t clean your makeup brushes, bacteria can grow. This can cause a bacterial infection, such as conjunctivitis, more commonly known as pink eye.

Make sure not to share your makeup, especially with people who have been around others with bacterial infections.

Also, make sure to properly conceal your makeup when you’re done using it. If you’re using dry makeup, you may be able to sanitize it with alcohol wipes. Be aware that some makeup may dissolve in alcohol.

Caring For Your Vision With Specialty Eye Institute

Our team of ophthalmologists and doctors is committed to preserving and maintaining your vision. Our doctors offer a variety of vision care treatments such as cataract surgery, blepharoplasty treatments, corneal transplants, presbyopia treatments, and LASIK eye surgery. Give our team a call by phone at (877) 852-8463 or book an appointment online to receive support. Our staff will help you choose surgery or treatment that aligns with your issues.

Tips & Insights: Available Cataract Surgery & Treatment Options

What Is A Chalazion?

A chalazion is a benign bump inside the eyelid. These cyst-like nodules form around the meibomian oil glands and lead to red swollen eyelids. Unlike a stye, it’s farther back on the eyelid, and is generally painless, though it may be unsightly. Chalazion treatment can be done at home so most of the time, there is no need to see an eye doctor.

What Causes Chalazion?

A chalazion forms when one of the small oil glands in the eyelid becomes blocked. These glands (meibomian glands) play a role in keeping the eyes lubricated. When a gland is obstructed, it traps oil and starts to swell. Over time, the fluid drains, irritating the surrounding eyelid skin. This irritation can result in a firm lump filled with oil and fluid on the eyelid.

Monitoring Chalazion

While anyone can get a chalazion, they tend to be more common in 30-50 year-olds and people with rosacea and blepharitis.

While many chalazia drain on their own, it’s important to monitor them and see your eye care provider. They can swell and even cause vision problems including temporary astigmatism or blurry vision.

Chalazion Self-Care and When To See A Doctor

Most Chalazions drain by themselves, so unless they start to pain you, you probably don’t need to seek treatment. However, you can get blurry vision and inflammation from them. If you wear contacts, it could be very painful to correct your vision. You may need to see an eye doctor to clear a chalazion faster.

Treatments for a chalazion include:

• Warm compresses
• Antibiotics
• Steroid shots
• Surgery

Schedule An Appointment With Specialty Eye Institute

If you’re experiencing blurry vision or inflammation, schedule an appointment with one of our eye doctors. We’ll make sure that you get the treatment that you need for relief from a chalazion.