Does LASIK wear off after 10 years??
The short answer is NO! LASIK has been approved by the FDA as a safe and permanent treatment. For some reason, the perception has surfaced that presbyopia (or aging of the lens accommodation mechanism) is equivalent to LASIK “wearing off”. LASIK is excellent for accurately achieving clear vision at one focal point. Generally, the focal point is distance. So after a standard or custom LASIK treatment, the overwhelming majority of patients see 20/20 in the distance. If the patient is les than 45, they can generally see weall at near as well. Between 40 and 50 the lens stiffens and does not focus as well as in youth, requiring reading glasses for near vision. Generally the distance vision is still good. Some doctors overtreat their patients targeting for hyperopia (farsightedness). This will result in the ned for reading glasses at a younger age and the necessity of constantly using the focusing power of the eye rather than the resting optics of the eye alone.