Can You Have LASIK Twice?

asked 3 years ago by anon
Latest answer by Mark Golden, MD
Question viewed 19,007 times

I had LASIK eight years ago and have now begun to lose the clarity of my vision again. Can I do another LASIK surgery?

6 answers to Can You Have LASIK Twice?

Repeat LASIK

IF your distance vision has began to become blurry, a second procedure may be possible. This is routinely done if the patients cornea is healthy and there is enough tissue left (we remove a very small amount of tissue every time we do LASIK). The surgeon may also choose to do a different type of refractive procedure for your enhancement. This will depend on the status of your cornea and technology available to the surgeon. If your distance vision is still fine but your near has began to... more

Steven Dell, MD
Austin Ophthalmologist

LASIK Touchups

It is possible to have your laser procedure touched up(we call this an enhancement) years later if necessary. Although the results of your initial LASIK procedure will be permanent, there is a chance that your vision can change a slight bit, or that laser technology might allow us to do other things with your vision later on. If this is a possibility you would need to have a full examination again to be sure your cornea is thick enough and all of the other parameters are suitable, but... more

Anthony J. Kameen, MD
Baltimore Ophthalmologist

www.kameen.com

Repeat LASIK is sometimes possible even years later

There is no certain answer to this and it depends on your particular case. If the eye is well healed, there is adequate tissue left, and there is a significant benefit in doing more surgery, then a repeat LASIK may be performed. Our experience is in lifting flaps for retreatments this many years out there is a higher chance of complications such as epithelial ingrowth and you need to discuss this with your doctor. Sometimes a surface or PRK treatment can be performed, but this is... more

Jon Dishler, MD
Denver Ophthalmologist

Re-treatment for LASIK

The short answer is yes, it is very likely you could undergo a re-treatment or enhancement procedure. You must, however, be carefully screened by your surgeon to ensure that there is enough remaining corneal thickness to safely correct your residual nearsightedness or farsightedness. Whether it is your first or second surgery, in order to decrease the chance of needing a re-treatment, you and your surgeon should be sure that your prescription has remained stable for at least a year or... more

Christopher Starr, MD
New York Ophthalmologist

LASIK Enhancement

Most people that have LASIK are able to have a second or enhancement procedure. For at least the first year, assuming that there is a safe amount of cornea left, that would involve lifting the flap. If an enhancement is needed further out, the treatment may be safer with surface ablation.

Mark Golden, MD
Chicago Ophthalmologist

Enhancing LASIK

You can usually have LASIK done again, provided your cornea is thick enough, so you don't go too deep into your cornea, which would not be safe i used to enhance LASIK flaps by relifting, or recutting when it was all scarred down so i couldn't get the flap back up again (which is probably your case because it was 8 yrs ago) the reason this is not ideal is the risk of epithelial ingrowth is 10x higher after an enhancement, because the flap edges are all raggety and not smooth,... more

Emil Chynn, MD
New York Ophthalmologist

www.ParkAvenueLasek.com

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