How long does laser eye surgery last?

"How long will my laser eye surgery last?" This is a really common question from my patients. A better question might be "What's going to happen to my eyes as I get older?"....let me explain.

Generally laser eye surgery such as LASIK and surface laser wears off or regresses in a only small minority though the risk increases the higher your prescription before laser. What is more likely to change your vision is the natural changes that occur to your eye with age.

For example, if you are in your 20s, and doing intensive close up work such as studying for your chartered accounting exams or you use your phone way too much, then you might continue to become more short sighted despite laser eye surgery. Or in your mid 40s, everyone starts to lose reading vision due to the natural stiffening of the internal eye lens.

Or in your late 50s and 60s, you start to get cataract and that changes your vision.

So what I tell my patients is that while I can correct their short sightedness or long sightedness or astigmatism with laser eye surgery, unfortunately ....I can't stop them getting older. And they reply: "And why not???" :)

* Information on this blog is general in nature and should not be taken as professional medical advice or as a substitute for a consultation with a medical professional.