Can I have laser eye surgery again?

I see a number of patients each year whom had laser eye surgery in the 90s and early 2000s. They come back and ask me "Can I have laser eye surgery again?" And I tell them: "It depends..."

Firstly it depends on why your vision has changed. If it is due to ageing changes of the eye such as cataract, then doing further laser eye surgery will not work or it won't last. In these cases, doing early cataract surgery or lens exchange surgery may be a more appropriate way to fix your vision.

Secondly it depends on what laser you have had previously. If you were -10.00 and had a lot of laser, then there may not be enough remaining corneal thickness to do more laser.

You also may not end up having the same kind of laser eye surgery as you had originally. Most people had LASIK in the 90s and 2000s as this was before the arrival of SMILE laser eye surgery. While it is theoretically possible to do a " second LASIK", most surgeons including myself would recommend a surface laser or ASLA instead as being a safer alternative.

Finally, you may have lost your reading vision as well as your distance this time around because you have, ahem, got older. So you may need to consider blended vision rather than pure distance correction if you want to minimize your need for reading glasses.

So it is definitely a more complex discussion second time around; but I guess that's why you need the advice of a professional :)

* 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.