MYTH #4: Having LASIK Can Make Your Myopia Worse

LASIK is a procedure that reshapes the cornea and, in doing so, provides fantastic uncorrected visual acuity. There are, though, some patients who may note a change in their vision at some point after their procedure. Did their LASIK actually “wear off”? No, this is not the case.  As long as the person was a good candidate to begin with, and their measurements were precise, studies show that their cornea is likely very similar a few years after the procedure as it was just a few days after. Why then did their vision change? Instead of the LASIK “wearing off” it is more likely that another eye issue has developed. In a 5 year study of 779 eyes of 409 patients undergoing treatment of myopia (nearsightedness) and astigmatism, 90% of all patients achieved refractive stability within 1 D and 97% achieved refractive stability within 2 diopter. This means they achieved their goal and maintained their vision for the great majority of the time. There were only 10 patients in that large study who had a greater than 2 line vision change within 5 years of initial treatment, and these patient had all developed other eye issues; age related cataracts, dry eyes and macular degeneration. 

In summary, as long as someone is a good LASIK candidate;  pre-operative selection criteria is respected, and measurements are precise, the outcomes of LASIK are very stable long term.