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LASIK Won’t Rob You of Near Vision—Time Will!
Thursday, December 1, 2011 by Tom Spetalnick
If you’re like most patients, you want to know everything that’s going to change about your vision after LASIK. The average age of a Woolfson LASIK patient is approximately 38 years-old, and if you’re like the typical patient, you’re looking for correction of nearsightedness—in other words, your distance vision is blurry and you wish to escape contacts and glasses. But you also have to prepare yourself for the effect that LASIK will have on your near vision. Most people are a little surprised, and sometimes even disappointed, upon being told that they’re going to need reading glasses following LASIK.
Does LASIK cause your near vision to change sooner? No, LASIK is an alternative to glasses and contacts. But if you’re a nearsighted patient who’s approaching 40, it may be hard for you to imagine having difficulty with your near vision, since near vision has always been what you do best.
You, like everyone, will eventually develop an eye disorder call Presbyopia (which literally translates to “old eyes”). If you’re over 40, it’s probably already happening. The lens and muscle system within your eyes is simply programmed to break down over time—like an auto focus camera that wears out.
Once that occurs, glasses are needed for near vision whether you’re wearing contacts or you have LASIK. We spend a lot of time explaining this concept to patients, because there’s nothing more disappointing than a vision-related surprise.
During your LASIK evaluation, we can help you recognize that near vision fades, with or without LASIK, and we can even show you what your intended result will look like. That way, you can move forward with realistic expectations about what Woolfson LASIK can do for you.
What if you just can’t live with having eye surgery that still leaves you wearing glasses for near? It turns out we can provide alternative that WILL give you everything—monovision LASIK or multifocal lens implants. But those are topics for another day.
Tagged Posted in blog Comments: 2 Comments
On Saturday, November 12th, 2011 many members of the Woolfson Eye Institute staff participated in a 5k walk/fun run to raise funds for lifesaving lung cancer research!
Does this also affect near-sightedness in younger people? Will a 20 year old, for example, also require reading glasses after getting LASIK?
Hi Lee,
The very gradual loss of ability to adjust the focus of the eyes begins early in life, but we’re born with a huge excess of ability. We expect a 20 year-old to have excellent distance and near vision until somewhere between 40 and 45 years-old, at which time occasional readers are typically needed. By 50, we expect the same patient to need readers for computer and closer. LASIK patients usually maintain good vision far away until they need cataract surgery many years later (usually around 70 years-old).
Thanks,
Tom