Can You Get LASIK Twice

Can you get LASIK twice on the same eye? Many people considering the procedure ask this question. Usually, LASIK eye surgery is thought about to be an irreversible way to reshape your cornea and therefore remedy your vision. In general, it is acceptable to have repeat laser surgery (LASIK) on the same eye if the condition of the eye can tolerate the surgery. The decision is up to the surgeon who performs the surgery.

Can You Have Laser Eye Surgery Twice?

The brief answer is yes; in most cases, you can have laser eye surgery two times. That’s supplying you have a safe quantity of eye tissue following surgery. But the bright side is you most likely won’t require to, thanks to the high success rates of the treatment.

For most people, the result of laser eye surgery is permanent. Around 95% of patients report being very happy with the results, and experience significantly enhanced eyesight for several years after surgery.

For the remaining 5% of people, nevertheless, the vision correction may come short of the preferred outcome, and these patients in some cases look for laser eye surgery more than once. Such laser eye surgery enhancements or touch-ups are typically free for the first year after treatment.

Luckily, so long as the corneal tissue (on the front of your eye) is thick enough and your eyes are healthy, you can get repeat laser eye treatment, and an eye surgeon will have the ability to advise for you.

Can I have LASIK more than once and how many times?

However there are cases when it is necessary to make an extra correction of previously made treatment and a second stage of laser correction is carried out. Though such situations are rather rare, you should not be afraid of them – usually after the second surgery the expected results are achieved and the laser correction effect is preserved for the rest of your life. Risks are minimal if the thickness of cornea allows performing additional interventions, there are no other contraindications, and modern equipment is used for laser treatment.

How many times can I undergo laser eye correction?

The number of possible interventions on the cornea is determined individually on the basis of its initial thickness. The method for determining this parameter is called pachymetry and is performed using ultrasound. Thinning of cornea is an absolute contraindication for repeated laser correction sessions. Laser application is permitted if the thickness of the cornea membrane is no less than 480-500 micrometers.

Some surgical interventions initially presuppose repeated session and are performed in two stages. It is important to observe the recommended period between two operations and to follow all the recommendations of ophthalmologists during the preoperative period, between sessions, and after the additional intervention.

Indications for repeated laser correction of vision

There are clinical situations when the initial state of a patient’s eyes may compromise the possibility of laser correction in one session. Such cases include high refractive error, high degrees of astigmatism, and concomitant diseases of the visual system that affect refractive capabilities.

If Laser vision correction (LASIK) was performed quite a long time ago when the techniques were imperfect and often led to undesirable consequences. Your vision has deteriorated as a result. In this case it is possible to repeat the surgery.

The main reasons for repeated correction of vision:

  • If the desired refractive effect is not achieved after laser correction and the patient is unhappy with his or her vision, a second correction may be performed.
  • Undercorrection or overcorrection at the stage of primary intervention, due to the individual peculiarities of the structure of the eye;
  • Also with an initially high degree of myopia or hyperopia, and the presence of large astigmatism, the repeated stage cannot be avoided.
  • High degrees of refractive errors which are at the limit of modern excimer laser;
  • Progression of concomitant diseases that constantly affect visual acuity;
  • Inadequate preparation for primary surgery;
  • Patient’s non-compliance with recommendations during rehabilitation period;
  • Medical errors at the stages of diagnosis or treatment;
  • Long-standing surgical interventions using irrelevant techniques and outdated equipment;
  • Radial keratotomy – an obsolete technique performed in the 80’s and 90’s to change the curvature of the cornea by applying notches with a special microsurgical blade;
  • Subjective dissatisfaction with the results of the operation;
  • development of complications after the primary correction – disturbance of twilight vision, preservation of iridescent halos when looking at a source of bright light (halo effect).

Contraindications

Restrictions for additional laser correction include a wider list of conditions than for the primary surgery.

Some of them coincide with the general contraindications for any laser intervention:

  • Pathological irregularities of the cornea relief, in which the formation of its flap is dangerous;
  • Inflammations of the eye structures – conjunctivitis, keratitis, iridocyclitis, etc;
  • cataract;
  • glaucoma;
  • certain pathologies of the retina;
  • Any infectious processes in the acute stage;
  • oncological diseases;
  • chronic pathologies, systemic diseases of any organs in decompensation stage;
  • Pregnancy and lactation.

Before refractive surgery, in order to prevent retinal detachment, laser photocoagulation is performed, if necessary.

The main contraindication to repeated laser eye corrections is extreme thinning of the cornea, and in such cases it is not safe.

LASIK Eye Surgery Period

LASIK eye surgery was authorized in Canada in the early 1990s and in the United States soon thereafter. Therefore, it has actually been around commercially for roughly 25 years. The impacts of LASIK eye surgery are thought about to be irreversible, and because of technology enhancements and increasingly skilled surgeons, the results today are relatively constant.

can you repeat lasik eye surgery

Can You Get LASIK Twice If Necessary?

Can you have lasik more than once if needed? There is no particular answer to this and it depends on your specific case. If the eye is well healed, there is sufficient tissue left, and there is a considerable advantage in doing more surgery, then a repeat LASIK might be performed. Our experience is in raising flaps for retreatments this several years out there is a higher chance of complications such as epithelial ingrowth and you have to discuss this with your doctor. Often a surface or PRK treatment can be carried out, however this is absolutely off label and not an FDA approved treatment (nor is any repeat laser treatement FDA approved).

Some patients only have very small changes in their vision, and a repeat surgery is not always in their best interest. It depends on you and your doctor to evealuate your case individually and make that decision. But right now getting LASIK surgery twice is not popular solution in most cases.

Vision Correction After LASIK Eye Surgery

There might be some cases in which someone needs an additional eye treatment or need to use corrective lenses after LASIK eye surgery.

LASIK eye surgery generally does not remedy the need for checking out glasses. There is a choice of having monovision, which produces the ability to read close-up and far away. Some people test monovision eye surgery by utilizing monovision contact lenses and discover they don’t like this type of vision correction. For these people, checking out glasses may be required in their later years as eyes alter with age.

Simply as you may have had small changes in your glasses prescription gradually, you might have minor changes in your vision with time after laser eye surgery. Because of these natural changes, an individual might need an enhancement, or a touch-up procedure, after LASIK eye surgery. The need for enhancements is triggered by somebody’s prescription slowly changing after his/her procedure. There are some methods to minimize requirements for improvements, such as by picking an extremely proficient surgeon, the current innovation, and going to a provider who picks prospects thoroughly. Even then, an enhancement may be required.

Another circumstance that might need vision correction involves hormonal modifications. Pregnancy can cause hormonal changes in the eyes, for instance, so a woman planning to have children later on might wish to wait to have LASIK eye surgery in order to guarantee she gets her best possible outcomes.

Eye Health After Lasik Eye Surgery

After LASIK eye surgery, annual eye examinations are necessary. While vision correction, such as glasses and contacts, is a main concern of numerous individuals who check out eye doctors routinely, there are additional treatments and tests your eye doctor goes to make sure overall eye health. But, again, in some cases eye doctor can suggest to repeat LASIK surgery after previous one.

Questions and Answers

How often does LASIK need to be redone?

Repeat LASIK surgery after 10 years – when it makes sense? As far as researchers know, they are. The cornea looks unblemished to the experienced eye after a year. Most patients will not require any additional surgery in the decades to come after LASIK. However, 1 to 2 percent of individuals may have a natural drift in their need for glasses and may need a “redo” after 5 to 10 years.

Can LASIK go wrong?

LASIK is surgery, and all surgeries come with risk. Surgical issues from laser vision correction are exceptionally rare. But they do happen. LASIK issues consist of infections along with dislocation of the corneal flap that’s made during the surgery.

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Comments: 9
  1. Ophra

    Hello. I did the surgery again in May 2014. And the first did in 2005. Both surgeries were performed using Lasik. The cost of the surgery was about $ 1,100, I do not remember exactly. Of course it was more painful than the first time, but tolerable. After the first Lasik, my vision became quite good, but deteriorated after 3 years. Since I work as a crane driver decided to try Lasik again. After the second surgery, the vision improved again, although it jumps, but within acceptable limits.

  2. Rashi

    Lasik was first carried out in 1995 in UK and 1996 in India by me and ever since I now understand that in today’s world there are generally three Laser strategies, PRK (stood the test of time because 1980’s), LASIK (presented as an option to treat greater powers, as PRK is not suitable) and now SMILE (kind of advanced Lasik without the Flap). All the three procedures have a similar concept of thinning the main cornea (watch glass like layer in the dark part of the eye). Therefore once LASIK or the other Laser procedures are done it is not a good idea to duplicate Lasik to thin the cornea even more. All the laser procedures have a 5 to 10% possibility of some little powers coming back and these powers can be treated with an ICL, like an irreversible contact lens, rather than duplicating Lasik to thin the cornea. Hope this answer is useful.

  3. Simon Duke

    Can Lasik be performed two times? Answer is yes you can perform lasik surgery two times.

    However the outcome of lasik surgery is permanent with the success rate is high. Around 98% of patients report being very delighted with the outcome and experience significantly improved eyesight for several years after surgery. For the staying 2% of people however, the surgery isn’t so successful and these patients in some cases need laser eye surgery a 2nd time. This is described as laser eye surgery improvement or laser eye surgery touch-up.

    Secondary surgery can be performed right after your preliminary surgery if the result is unacceptable, or later in life if there have actually been substantial changes to your vision gradually. In the 6 months following surgery, your eye doctor will perform check-ups on your eyesight often in order to monitor your recovery and choose if a secondary treatment is proper for you.

  4. Judie99

    Typically, a laser enhancement treatment can be performed after primary LASIK for fixing little specifications powers up to -1.0 D (which regenerated after main LASIK surgery).

    A second proper LASIK surgery is possible but not for everyone.

    The key element here is the residual corneal density after the first LASIK treatment. If your specifications power remedied during first LASIK surgery on was greater end (between -5.0 D to -8.0 D) then possibilities are that there isn’t adequate corneal density delegated duplicate the procedure.

    With a lot of advancements in the field of laser vision correction, today we have Contoura Vision surgery which can be the best alternative for your 2nd LASIK surgery as it gets rid of the least amount of corneal tissues as compared to any other LASIK procedure.

  5. Pasquale

    LASIK is a surgical procedure carried out with the help of different laser devices to remedy an individual’s eyesight. If you have actually just recently gotten a LASIK eye surgery done, or are thinking of requesting a surgical consult and get LASIK eye surgery, then you can quickly discover an ideal laser eye surgeon near you utilizing online search engine result. For the question at hand, LASIK improvement is the only LASIK surgery that can be carried out after having LASIK laser eye surgery. You can not get LASIK eye surgery performed on any of your eyes, once again. According to my surgeon Dr. Sanjay Chaudhary who is among the leading LASIK cosmetic surgeons in the nation, only corrective procedures can be performed or permitted.

  6. Rianna

    I’ve been for LASIK twice more than 10 years earlier. Completely ruined my vision. I could see all right for a couple of months however then my vision weakened greatly.

    Ends up the man who got the treatment authorized had a big stake in the production of these machines. Not sure how much has actually changed … I’m burning to get my vision repaired but discover it intensely hard to know which opthamologists I can trust and which not. Ophthalmology is such a bureaucracy, it appears competence hardly has anything to do with it.

    So I suppose a good rule of thumb is to take a look at their experience and the variety of patients dealt with by them, and overall failure rate. Pity these things aren’t formally tracked … makes you wonder what all these ophthalmological bodies truly do?!

  7. Silvia

    Yes, LASIK can be repeated however NOT for everyone.

    It entirely depends on your recurring corneal density after the first LASIK treatment. If you’re specs power fixed throughout first LASIK surgery on was higher end (between -5.0 D to -8.0 D) then possibilities are that, there isn’t enough corneal density left to repeat the procedure.

    My elder sibling got LASIK surgery performed in 2006. After 8 years, he got -2.0 D power. He constantly had this misconception that LASIK can not be duplicated.

    After I had Contoura Vision surgery, I took him for the pre-op tests and fortunately he was also found fit for Contoura Vision.

    He underwent Contoura Vision 14 months back and he keeps thanking me for recommending him Contoura Vision.

  8. Ray Brown, MD

    How many times do I need lasik surgery?

    Lasik surgery is performed when the doctor determines that there is sufficient vision correction to reduce eyestrain or improve quality of life. Lasik helps eliminate nearsightedness (myopia) and farsightedness (hypermetropia), as well as astigmatism. It may also correct presbyopia, a condition where the eyes lose their ability to focus at close range. If both eyes are corrected, double vision occurs.

    The procedure takes between 30 minutes and 90 minutes depending upon the type and amount of laser treatment. The entire eye area is numbed using drops. A special contact lens is then placed over each eye. A small flap of skin is cut around the eye and lifted, exposing the surface of the cornea. Small incisions are made in the cornea, and the laser beam passes through the cornea into the retina, removing layers of cells. The flap is replaced and sutured closed.

    Recovery time depends on the individual patient. Patients are encouraged to wear sunglasses after surgery to protect their eyes until they heal. After surgery, patients must avoid direct sunlight or bright lights. Vision changes happen immediately after surgery and take several months to fully recover.

    What should I expect after lasik surgery?

    After the surgery, the patient’s eyes feel dry and gritty. Most people don’t notice any pain or discomfort. You may experience blurry vision, sensitivity to light, headaches, redness, tearing, tiredness, and dry eyes. All these symptoms go away as soon as your eyes adjust to the change in vision. Your vision will return to normal about two weeks following surgery.

    Do I need to wait before driving after lasik surgery? Can I drive now?

    You must wait at least 24 hours after surgery before you drive. This gives your eyes enough time to heal.

    Can I work while having lasik surgery?

    Yes, but you may want to limit the number of hours you spend working. Work activities including reading, driving, computer use, and watching TV should be avoided for at least 24 hours after lasik surgery. Talk to your doctor if you’re planning to exercise vigorously or play sports.

    Can I get lasik surgery again?

    Yes, lasik surgery is considered a single-operation procedure. Many doctors recommend getting lasik surgery as often as necessary to maintain good vision.

    Is lasik expensive? How much does lasik cost?

    This varies widely depending on the surgeon, the facility, what kind of procedures are done, and whether additional surgeries are required. Generally speaking, lasik costs $1,000 – $2,500 per eye.

  9. MyEye Book

    Lasik eye surgery is a popular procedure that many people opt for to correct their vision. However, some patients may experience complications after the first lasik procedure. If you’re considering having lasik done again, here are some things to consider before scheduling your second lasik procedure.
    First, if you had any problems with your vision after the lasik procedure, make sure you tell your doctor about them. Your doctor will want to know what happened before he/she performs the second lasik procedure. You don’t want to get surprised by something happening during the lasik procedure.
    Second, if you already had lasik performed, you should wait at least a year before undergoing another lasik procedure. Lasik procedures take several weeks to complete, and it takes time for the healing process to finish. After the lasik procedure is completed, your eyes will continue to heal over the following months.
    Third, if you had lasik done on both eyes, you should wait atleast 6 months before having lasik done on the other eye. Lasik surgery is not reversible, and you do not want to risk damaging your newly repaired cornea.
    Fourth, if you had lasix done on both eyes, it could affect your decision to have lasik done on the second eye. Lasix is a drug prescribed to diabetics to help reduce high blood pressure. Lasix works by relaxing the muscles around the veins and arteries. When you have lasik done on both of your eyes, the effects of lasix will last longer than usual. This means that you may not feel comfortable having lasik done on your second eye.
    Fifth, if you had lasic done on both eyes, make sure you have a good night’s sleep before deciding whether or not to undergo lasik surgery on the second eye. Sleep deprivation can cause headaches, dizziness, and other symptoms. These symptoms may prevent you from being able to perform well during the lasik procedure, and could lead to complications.
    Sixth, if you have had lasik done on either of your eyes, you should wait until they completely heal before having lasik done again. Lasik surgery involves cutting away a portion of the cornea, and then replacing it with a special contact lens. To ensure that your eyes heal properly, you need to allow enough time between lasik surgeries.
    Seventh, if you had lasi done on both eyes, and you decide to have lasik done again, make sure you choose a reputable surgeon who specializes in lasik. A qualified lasik surgeon will be able to determine how much of your cornea needs to be removed, and will be able to remove only the necessary amount.
    8. How to find a good lasik surgeon
    You can find a reputable lasik surgeon by asking friends and family members for recommendations. Ask your friends and family members if they have ever been treated by a particular lasik surgeon, and ask them if they would recommend him/her. If they say yes, then you know that you have found a good lasik surgeon.
    9. What to expect after lasik surgery
    After lasik surgery, you will probably notice changes in your vision. You may have blurry vision for a few days, and you may even experience double vision. You may also have trouble focusing on close objects. Most patients report that these symptoms disappear within a week or two.
    10. Potential side effects of lasik surgery
    The most common side effect of lasik surgery is dry eyes. Other potential side effects include temporary halos around lights and glare. While these side effects are rare, they are still possible. If you experience any of these side effects, inform your lasik surgeon immediately.

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