LASIK - What results can I expect?

As with any surgical procedure, LASIK surgery results vary from case to case, but patients undergoing an FDA approved laser eye surgery can enter their surgery with the assurance that the procedures being used have consistently demonstrated both safety and excellent results.
In fact, studies have shown that approximately 90% of patients with a simple aberration attain at least 20/40 vision after a full recovery.  More than 50% of those patients achieve 20/20 vision or better. In other words, a large majority of ideal candidates can expect ideal results. Of course your ability to attain optimal results is determined by several different factors.

First,bthe patients that experience the best results are those that suffer from simple myopia or astigmatism and some mild cases of hyperopia. More extreme aberrations call for more experimental procedures, and the results for these procedures while good are still not as good as the results seen by more traditional LASIK patients.

If you are above the age of 40, your long-term results can be compromised by natural age-related visual impairments. And if you suffer from an autoimmune disease or dry eyes, these conditions can also interfere with the healing process and prevent you from reaching optimal results.

One variable that you CAN control is which surgeon you use. Obviously the skill of the surgeon and the type of surgery performed can go a long way toward improving (or jeopardizing) your results. There are at least four types of excimer lasers currently being used, and each has special advantages that make them preferable when dealing with specific aberrations. If your surgeon doesn't offer the best procedure for you, then find one that does.

A very slim percentage of LASIK patients will experience no improvement in their vision, and an even smaller number of patients will have worse vision. Negative results like these are usually the result of poor screening by the surgeon, of incomplete disclosure of medical conditions by the patient, or of a failed procedure.

If your ophthalmologist determines that you are a suitable candidate for LASIK surgery, then you should expect to see a significant improvement in your vision. Furthermore, you will start to see these improvements within 24 hours of the procedure. Be aware though that full results could take months to be seen. Also, while these occurrences are rare, some patients with extreme conditions or sub-par results may require more than one LASIK surgery to correct their vision.

Patients with positive results can expect to retain their improved vision for a very long time (barring age-related deterioration). In fact, a recent study of 100 myopia cases treated with LASIK surgery showed that patients retained 20/25 vision over ten years after their surgery.