Posted by: Eye Health Northwest in LASIK on September 4, 2024
Are you tired of relying on visual aids to see clearly? Do you want to enjoy crystal-clear vision without glasses or contacts? You may be a good candidate for LASIK.
Whether you have recently gotten glasses for the first time or you have been wearing glasses for years, you may understand the frustrations with visual aids. Glasses can get smudged and dirty, making it harder to see.
Contacts can get dry and uncomfortable and may come with unexpected expenses. LASIK is a laser vision correction procedure that can improve your vision, potentially reducing or eliminating the need for glasses.
Keep reading to learn more about whether you will have to wear glasses after LASIK.
What is LASIK?
LASIK is a laser vision correction procedure that can correct common refractive errors such as farsightedness, nearsightedness, and astigmatism, leaving you with clearer, sharper vision. Refractive errors occur when your cornea is misshapen, or the eye is too long or too short.
To correct this, your LASIK surgeon will use specialized lasers to reshape your cornea. This process changes how light passes through the cornea and focuses on the retina, improving visual acuity.
Will I Need Glasses After LASIK?
LASIK has the potential to completely eliminate your need for glasses or contacts. About 90% of LASIK patients have vision between 20/20 and 20/40 without glasses or contact lenses after the procedure.
Although LASIK can make your vision crisper and clearer, it cannot correct or prevent age-related conditions like cataracts or presbyopia. These conditions may require you to use visual aids, even if you have gotten LASIK.
The procedure has a 96% satisfaction rate, with patients citing greater visual freedom than ever before.
What Can I Expect During LASIK?
LASIK is an outpatient procedure that your LASIK surgeon at EyeHealth Northwest will conduct at the EyeHealth Laser Center. They will give you eye drops to numb the surface of your eyes so you don’t feel any discomfort during the procedure.
Your surgeon will begin the procedure using a femtosecond laser to create a small flap on the surface of the cornea. Then, your LASIK surgeon will fold open the flap to access your cornea so they can carefully reshape the tissue with an excimer laser.
After making changes to the cornea, they will close the flap, which will act as a natural bandage for the eye and heal without the need for stitches. The entire procedure will take around 30 minutes.
What Can I Expect After LASIK?
After LASIK, you will need to have someone drive you home. Your LASIK surgeon will provide at-home care instructions and ask you to return for a follow-up appointment the next day.
At your first appointment, your eye doctor will assess your vision and how your eyes are healing. They will let you know when you are cleared to resume activities like working and driving and schedule any further follow-up appointments with you.
Most people notice almost instant improvements in their vision after the procedure. Your vision will likely continue to gradually improve in the days and weeks following LASIK as your eyes finish healing.
Most patients reach their best possible vision about 3-6 months after LASIK. You may discover you need visual aids for certain activities as you grow older, but the vast majority of patients achieve complete visual freedom from glasses and contacts.
After LASIK, you can enjoy high-definition vision for decades without worrying about visual aids while doing the activities you love. You can look forward to traveling, going to concerts, and movie nights with friends with a clear mind and even clearer vision.
Are you ready to learn more about achieving clear vision with LASIK? Schedule a LASIK consultation at EyeHealth Northwest in Portland, OR, today!
