The short answer is yes, although this is usually only done 5 to 10 years after the initial treatment. However, rest assured that LASIK offers long-term vision correction and very few people require a second session. Repeat surgery can be repeated immediately after the recovery time from the first surgery ends or many years later. In addition, there is no limit to the number of times LASIK surgeries can be repeated.
But this number will depend on the thickness of your cornea and your overall health. If you have more questions about the duration of LASIK or if LASIK is permanent, it's best to schedule a consultation with your local eye doctor. The journal Review of Ophthalmology suggests simulating with glasses what the correction will be like before undergoing a LASIK improvement to align expectations in advance. The Federal Trade Commission also states that you are more likely to need LASIK augmentation surgery if you initially had a significant refractive error (myopia, astigmatism, hyperopia).Your eye doctor will measure the thickness of your cornea to determine if you qualify for LASIK initially and in the case of any enhancement surgery.
The rate of inward epithelial growth is quite low in initial LASIK surgery, but the chances of suffering from this condition increase with the improvement of LASIK. Likewise, when considering having LASIK augmentation surgery, you'll need to make sure that your eyes are stable again. Patients whose refraction (the eye refracts the light that enters it to form an image on the retina) is not stable before LASIK are at greater risk of needing improvements. It's a very persistent myth that LASIK isn't permanent and that it may only last a few years. The American Council on Refractive Surgery reports that your vision changes at a rate of about 1 percent each year, so after about 10 years after LASIK surgery, your vision may be 10 percent different.
Corneal ectasia is a rare condition that can occur after LASIK and causes the cornea to bulge, often because the tissue was too thin. If you need an improvement from LASIK after 10 years, there are other options available. These include lens replacement surgery, corneal implants, and LASIK with monovision, which corrects the distance in one eye and the other when reading. In a recent study, 94% of patients stated that they did not need prescription lenses 5 years after undergoing LASIK surgery. We know that when patients return dissatisfied with their vision about 10 years after a LASIK procedure, presbyopia and cataracts are the main suspects.
