Laser Eye Surgery Forum

lasek in over 40's

I am about to have lasek treatment after finding that I have thin corneas. I am worried about the extra recovery time and increased pain that my be felt. What concerns me most is that I currently have almost perfect near vision. The questionaire I need to complete says I WILL need glasses following the surgery for near work such as looking at wristwatch, mobile, menus etc. I do not currently need to do this so does this mean that my near vision will actually be damaged by the surgery to compensate my shortsight? my prescription is -1.75 left and -2.25 right eye. thankyou

Hi Mandy. If you have thin corneas then you have no other option but to have Lasek and it is a very common procedure. There is a longer recovery time and there can be more discomfort following the treatment but once you have seen the improvement in your vision I am sure it will be worth it. With regards to your near vision, the reason you can currently see perfectly without glasses is because you are short sighted. This means that your eyes naturally focus at about 45cm which is perfect for reading etc. Everyone in their 40s who has perfect distance vision will need reading glasses. This is a natural ageing process of the eyes and happens to everyone regardless of whether or not they have had laser eye surgery. By giving yourself perfect distance vision following laser eye surgery you will effectively be the same as every other 40 year old who needs glasses for reading. Did the surgeon not suggest the possibility of monovision? This is a very effective way of ensuring you can see for both distance and near vision. In your case it may be possible to have laser eye surgery on just one of your eyes and leave the other one for reading. This may sound extreme but it works very well for most people. You would need to have a trial of monovision with contact lenses before you went ahead with your surgery. Any further questions please ask on the forum. Good luck!

Thankyou for your response. Monovision was suggested and I trialed it with my lenses, I found it quite strange and disorientating. Would it feel different to this once the actual surgery was done?

Hi Mandy. It would probably feel the same following surgery and this is the reason why they carry out the contact lens trial. How long did you have the monovision trial for? Most people find it feels more natural the longer they have the trial for as the brain learns to adapt. Although a small percentage of people never adapt to it. Did they also try partial monovision to just leave you slightly short sighted in one eye to at least give you some reading?