If I'm over 40, will I still need glasses after LASIK surgery?
An excellent
question that all patients over 40 should understand!
Most people
think that measuring vision is as simple as the number ratio 20/20 (or 20/40,
20/100. etc.). In reality, though, these numbers only refer to DISTANCE
vision. It is very possible to be 20/20 and still need reading glasses. The
main reason for this is a vision problem entirely separate from myopia,
astigmatism, or hyperopia: Presbyopia. This is the gradual loss of
near vision due to the slow, gradual hardening of the natural lens. EVERYBODY,
if they live long enough, will become presbyopic.
Since
Presbyopia is a problem of the lens of the eye, it is not possible to "cure" it
with a cornea-based treatment such as LASIK. This does not mean your distance
vision after LASIK will likely degrade, but your near vision will definitely do
so.
While it is
possible to "trick" presbyopia with something like Monovision (where one eye
sees better way off and one is made better at near), this is not really a cure
for it.
_Written by J. Trevor Woodhams, M.D. - Chief
of Surgery, Woodhams Eye Clinic