LASIK is considered a permanent surgery. While the effects of LASIK surgery are permanent, the effectiveness of the procedure can decrease over time because of the cornea’s physical reshaping. Most patients will experience the results for their entire lifetime, whereas about 2% of patients in the U.S. will need a touch-up.

There are many factors that can impact the longevity of your LASIK effectiveness including the age when the surgery was received, your prescription stability at time of surgery, other underlying eye conditions, and your ability to follow post-operative care requirements.

Is LASIK Permanent? How Long Does LASIK Last?

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.

Table of Contents

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:

Corneal flap creation
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.