LASIK Enhancement: When Additional Surgery Might Be Necessary
When you decide to move forward with LASIK vision correction surgery, it’s a given that you would expect and hope the procedure will be successful. The good news is that the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery reports that 96 percent of patients end up with 20/20 vision or better. But even with such high odds of satisfaction, there is still a possibility that LASIK might not give you the results you expect. If this is the case, there is a procedure called LASIK enhancement that could help you fix it. Here’s a quick look at what this entails, and when you might be a candidate for it.
What is LASIK Enhancement?
If you’ve had LASIK laser eye surgery, it’s common to experience a little bit of blurriness in your vision in the days or weeks after. But if you’re still dealing with blurry sight three months after your surgery, this is a signal you could need LASIK enhancement. This second round of LASIK is painless and takes place in a matter of seconds typically, since the corneal flap has already been made. The surgeon then only needs to lift the flap and perform the reshaping, rather than make another incision.
A study in 2016 found that 4.5 percent of LASIK recipients in 2005 needed LASIK enhancement surgery, while less than 0.2 percent of patients required this secondary procedure in 2012. This shows that the more advanced laser surgery technology becomes, and the more practiced surgeons are, the less LASIK enhancement is needed.
Who is a Candidate for LASIK Enhancement?
There are numerous factors that could influence whether or not you could be more likely to require a second procedure after your initial LASIK surgery. Depending on the health of your corneas, the nature of your eyesight (nearsighted, farsighted and/or have astigmatism), the severity of your prescription, your risk of dry eyes, and your age, the success of your first LASIK surgery could be impacted. If it turns out that you’re one of the few who isn’t satisfied with the results of LASIK, your eye doctor will then perform an evaluation to see if your corneal thickness lends itself to a second procedure. If it does, your ophthalmologist will then discuss the details of this surgery with you.
Many patients wonder about the cost of LASIK enhancement. Costs do vary and Horizon Eye will perform a LASIK enhancement at no charge within one year of your first LASIK surgery. If you’ve had your surgery completed elsewhere you can still call and request a consultation. We want to do everything in our power to make sure your eyesight is everything you hoped it would be after LASIK.
To learn more about LASIK, LASIK enhancement or our eye exams, contact us today.