According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the average number of LASIK procedures performed in the U.S. amounts to more or less 600,000 per year. This type of eye surgery is used to correct a variety of vision problems including nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. It is a pricey procedure for most people, and thus it’s only natural to want to know if the results are permanent and lifelong.
The good news is that LASIK eye surgery results are exactly that. To perform this procedure, your eye surgeon will use high precision laser to alter the shape of your corneas, and the change is irreversible. However, due to certain factors such as aging, the effects of this permanent procedure may change over time. So the answer to the question, ‘Can you have LASIK surgery twice?’ is yes, but it’s not that cut-and-dry.
There are a number of circumstances when a patient may require a second surgery. Your Orange County LASIK surgery provider considers that each case is unique when dealing with something as important as eyesight, and that the utmost care must be taken to ensure that patients are good candidates for treatment.
Generally, the possibility of a second procedure depends on how much of the cornea was removed during the first surgery, and the amount of tissue remaining in the eye. Your surgeon will need to assess your actual conditions before giving you a final answer. As with any type of surgery, there are certain risks involved in LASIK, although very small. Nevertheless, your surgeon will assess all factors to keep risks to a minimum.
Some of the risks associated with LASIK include glare, halos, blurred vision, and distortion. Normally, such symptoms will disappear after a few days or weeks when the surgery has completely healed. Persistent symptoms can be a sign that the initial surgery was not completely effective. If a second treatment is required, your surgeon will reassess your corneas and determine the additional corrections that need to be made to improve your eyesight.
To minimize risks and the possibility of a second treatment, have your LASIK eye surgery done at a facility with world class surgeons and a low repeat procedure rate, such as Excel Laser Vision Institute in Los Angeles.
