Laser Vision Correction Has Come a Long Way
If you have poor eyesight and you don’t want to fuss with glasses or contacts for the rest of your life, today’s medical technology offers a solution...
The right eye doctor can help you do away with visual aids and correct the eye itself, through laser eye surgery. Laser surgery is a procedure in which the surgeon uses a laser to gently reshape your eye’s cornea, so the eye can focus correctly and vision becomes clear.
The goal of LASIK is to correct your eyes to 20/20. However, in most states, you only need 20/40 vision to be licensed to drive a motor vehicle without glasses.
LASIK can correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. If you know what visual condition you have, click on it now. Or, read on to find out more about LASIK and if this procedure is for you.
LASIK: Realistic Expectations
Your doctor will aim for vision of 20/20 or better, this way you can perform most daily activities without glasses or contacts. However, you may still need to wear reading glasses. Most patients will achieve better vision without glasses or contacts after the procedure, but it does not guarantee perfect vision.
Approximately 56% of all patients achieve results of 20/20 or better and over 90% achieve 20/40 or better. Those with moderate to high myopia have a lesser chance of achieving that result.
While visual acuity (20/20, 20/40, etc.) is a useful clinical test of vision, it is not the only measure of vision. Patients should not confuse achieving 20/20 with final satisfaction with the procedure. It’s important to note that several studies have reported both the final visual acuity (20/20, etc.) and patient satisfaction. While they report a range of 80-95% achieving 20/40 or better vision, 90-97% were highly satisfied and would have LASIK laser eye surgery again.
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