Post-Lasik: Three Years After

It has been three years since I had my Lasik procedure. I had the procedure done on July 24, 2014. I recently went in for a regular eye exam. Since there are still people interested in knowing longer term results of Lasik, and my eye doctor, Dr. Midson at Tigard Optometric, suggested it, here is an update.

Even though I love being able to see distance without glasses, I do need reading glasses. I have noticed that as I get older the reading strength changes. My eyes were beginning to change before I had Lasik, though, so this is not surprising. Also, the Lasik surgeon told me this would happen and made sure I was OK with it before he did the procedure.

The good thing is the eye doctor says my distance vision is “plain-o plain-o”, which means my distance vision is just as good as it was right after the Lasik procedure, so the correction is holding.

Having had three years to reflect on the procedure, it was still the right move for me. I have been asked many times if I would still have Lasik done knowing what I know now. The answer is “Yes, most definitely.” It is nice not needing glasses to drive or watch TV. In fact, my distance vision is better than my husband’s and he occasionally asks me if I can see something he can’t see! However, I now wear glasses to see the computer screen and to read books. (Since I am a computer person this means I still wear glasses on a daily basis.)

If I had a job that required me to look at books, computer screens, and tiny print all day I probably would not have had this procedure done. However, that is my perspective. I went from needing glasses to see far away to needing glasses to see what is up close. This would have happened anyway, most likely, since most people experience eye changes starting in their 40s that require them to get reading glasses.

Daily Observations

• My eyes are still dry. I put drops in when I get up and before I go to bed. (The eye doctor said this is probably due to my age and being a woman. Women can get dry eyes during later life changes.)
• I sometimes still need to use sunglasses during cloudy days, but I attribute that more to the dryness of the eye.
• I still carry a water spritzer bottle to spritz my eyes as needed and keep it by my bed at night as well.
• I still wear glasses but only for reading and computer work.