Will I Be Able to Say “Goodbye” to Glasses After Laser Eye Surgery?

According to a 2020 survey, 77% of women and 68% of men in the UK wear glasses or contact lenses some or all of the time. With such a high prevalence, it is no wonder so many people are wondering if there could be a better alternative. After all, most people will be familiar with the many downsides of glasses and contact lenses.

Laser Eye Surgery may be more popular than ever (it is now the most commonly performed elective procedure in the world), but how likely are you to be able to ditch the external visual aids?

Laser Eye Surgery aims to correct your vision to the same standard, or better, than your best-corrected vision with glasses or contact lenses. But can you be sure that you won’t need glasses or contact lenses after Laser Eye Surgery?

Well, the short answer is “no”. Unfortunately, there is no 100% guarantee that you won’t need glasses for some tasks after your treatment. However, the good news is that the vast majority of patients can ditch their visual aids.

Let’s look at some of the reasons you may still need your glasses or choose to wear glasses after your treatment.

Less than Optimum Correction

At London Vision Clinic, around 98% of our myopic patients and 93% of our hyperopic patients achieve 20/20 vision or better after Laser Eye Surgery. However, there remains a chance that your vision will not reach optimum levels.

This occurs when there is an under- or over-correction during your procedure. While some patients may choose to wear glasses to correct for this, most will opt for an enhancement procedure.

Patients with very high prescriptions may be more likely to require an enhancement procedure after their initial treatment. Figures show that enhancement rates are lower in patients with lower prescriptions. Still, it is estimated that 10-20% of patients would benefit from an enhancement procedure following their Laser Eye Surgery treatment.

At London Vision Clinic, we offer enhancement procedures free of charge to patients who could benefit from them.

You May Still Require Reading Glasses

Understandably, individuals considering Laser Eye Surgery usually want to know how long the results will last. Well, the changes made to the shape of the eye during Laser Eye Surgery are permanent. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you will never need glasses again – even if your surgeon achieves the best possible outcome.

As much as we might wish it wasn’t the case, our bodies continue to change as we get older – and this applies to our eyes, too. Just like our hair, skin, and other organs, our eyes deteriorate over time. This can have a significant effect on our vision – particularly our near/reading vision.

This process, known as presbyopia, occurs when the focusing power of the eyes begins to weaken.

Presbyopia After Laser Eye Surgery

Unfortunately, having Laser Eye Surgery cannot prevent the natural effects of presbyopia. Depending on what age you underwent the treatment, you may well have enjoyed 10, 20, or even 30 years of clear, glasses-free vision; however, it remains likely that you will eventually require reading glasses for close-up tasks.

The good news is that this doesn’t necessarily mean you will be stuck with reading glasses for the rest of your life. Thanks to the development of the revolutionary PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision treatment, millions of people have been able to ditch their pesky reading glasses.

This innovative treatment reshapes the cornea to prioritise distance vision in one eye and near vision in the other eye, creating a “blend zone”. Your brain combines these images to create a clear picture across all fields of vision.

Contact Lenses and Laser Eye Surgery

Glasses are not the only external visual aid. Since their introduction, contact lenses have become a popular option thanks to their discretion and convenience. But like glasses, they also have their fair share of drawbacks. So, will you be able to ditch the contact lenses after Laser Eye Surgery?

First of all, it is important to consider that patients who usually wear contact lenses will have to stop wearing them in the weeks running up to their Laser Eye Surgery consultation and treatment. While it may be unnoticeable to the wearer, contact lenses can actually change the shape of the cornea. By stopping wearing them, you give your eyes the chance to settle back into their natural shape, making for a more effective treatment.

However, Laser Eye Surgery also changes the shape of the cornea. This can mean that applying contact lenses after your treatment can be more difficult. Some patients may require special gas-permeable or hybrid contact lenses following Laser Eye Surgery. But the good news is that the vast majority of patients simply won’t require contact lenses at all!

If you’d like to learn more about your potential outcomes following Laser Eye Surgery, get in touch with one of our friendly clinic coordinators or Book a Consultation today.