LASIK enhancement for better results

LASIK has been the most popular laser eye surgery for a couple of years. Although the reported satisfactory rate of LASIK receivers reaches as high as 95%, there are still patients who can not achieve crystal-clear, 20/20 vision after only one procedure. Complications and other side effects can affect the refractive outcome. In these instances, a LASIK enhancement is needed to get sharper vision.

Factors that may affect LASIK effect

In detail, there are many factors that affect the LASIK results, e.g. corneal characteristics and health, specific refractive errors, the amount of prescription, the amount and quality of tears, the patient’s age and so on. In fact, younger individuals with slight refractive errors are best candidates for LASIK. In general, LASIK reduces or eliminates the patient’s dependence on eyeglasses or contact lenses. However, it is also important to keep appropriate expectations because there are possibly disappointing results. While some patients only receive slightly better vision from LASIK, a small portion of patients suffer vision decrease. Two common cases are overcorrection and undercorrection. Of course, the worst case is visual loss.

Have a checkup of visual outcome

After a LASIK procedure, the surgeon will monitor the patient’s vision for several weeks. Patients should tell their doctors about any visual discomfort in their daily lives. It is important to keep patient during the visual recovery period because there is possible visual fluctuation. In a worse case, blurred vision may last as long as three months after LASIK, which requires a LASIK enhancement. This kind of blurred eyesight is a typical disappointing outcome, defined as undercorrection. More exactly, inadequate corneal tissues are cut during the surgery. The good news is that this situation is under control and it is feasible to make a remedy.

Details of an enhancement LASIK

Although an enhancement LASIK is almost identical to the original procedure, it is also necessary to conduct a candidate evaluation including the measurement of corneal thickness. A LASIK enhancement only involves minimal corneal reshaping but uses specialized tools for flap lifting. Excimer laser is also needed during the procedure. Follow-up instructions after a LASIK enhancement are the same as that of a primary LASIK. In most cases, only one enhancement is enough. The cost of a LASIK enhancement varies from one surgeon to another.

Different opinions about enhancement LASIK incidence

In general, a high rate of LASIK enhancement signifies disappointing surgical skills of the surgeon. But exception also exists that some surgeons are more conscious of the possible best outcome even for mild visual problems. In rare cases, surgeons having a high enhancement incidence receive good patient satisfaction because of their experience. Another factor influencing the enhancement rate is extra cost, which may discourage a significant portion of patients. All these aspects make it difficult to figure out an exact percentage of enhancement LASIK surgeries.

LASIK and PRK enhancement procedures after other surgeries

In some cases, LASIK enhancement procedures can still improve the outcome of other surgeries such as phakic IOL and Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE). They are aimed to create better surgical effects for related patients. To a large degree, these procedures are making a remedy. Similarly, PRK can also perform as an enhancement after a cataract surgery.