Laser Vision Correction
How effective is laser vision correction? It is impossible to predict precisely how well any specific person will see after excimer laser vision correction, but most patients will no longer need glasses or contact lenses for distance vision. After the initial laser eye correction surgery, about 95 percent of patients will have 20/40 or better vision without glasses; 20/40 vision is good enough to pass the driver’s license vision test without glasses.
After laser vision correction, about 75 percent of patients will have 20/20 or better vision without glasses; 20/20 is considered “perfect” vision. Only about 5 percent of patients continue to need glasses all the time for distance vision after excimer laser eye correction surgery, and about 15 percent will use distance glasses occasionally, such as for driving.
For patients with mild nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism, the percentages of improved vision after laser vision correction surgery are even better. Patients with severe focusing errors will have lower percentages of 20/20 or 20/40 vision. The general rule is:
A higher percentage of accurate results will be obtained in people who require less treatment.
Even those patients who still use glasses for distance vision after the laser vision surgery procedure will see better without glasses and use thinner lenses than they did before. If needed, the results can often be further improved with a repeat excimer laser procedure.
These results are very impressive, but it is impossible to tell you exactly what your results will be. No guarantees can be made about the outcome of excimer laser eye correction surgery in any individual case, because each person responds in a slightly different way. If you will be satisfied only with “perfect” 20/20 vision without glasses after excimer laser vision correction surgery, then please do not have the surgery. Avoid any doctor or clinic that promises you a specific result, because that simply is not possible.
The quality of vision after excimer corrective laser eye surgery treatment may be superior or inferior to vision with contact lenses or glasses. Patients often have less glare than they had with contact lenses, and of course the inconvenience and discomfort of contact lenses is eliminated. Side vision isn’t blocked, as it is with glasses, and there is no longer the problem of dirty, wet, or scratched glasses. However, while glasses and contact lenses can almost always provide 20/20 vision, this is not always possible with excimer laser vision correction treatment.
