Will I Need to Wear Contacts After LASIK?

LASIK is a highly successful refractive surgery, helping thousands of patients eliminate their need for glasses and contacts. In fact, around 95% of people who have had LASIK vision correction surgery are pleased with their results. Of course, LASIK procedures don’t produce perfect vision for everyone. Individual results depend on several factors including the unique way your corneas respond to laser energy and how your eyes heal after surgery.

LASIK and other laser vision correction procedures reshape your eye’s front surface by removing microscopic amounts of tissue from the cornea. Occasionally, this can cause irregularities in the shape of the cornea that can make your vision less distinct after surgery than it was when you wore glasses or contact lenses before the procedure. For patients who have less-than-perfect vision after refractive surgery, most problems are quite mild and usually tolerable.

For some, these irregularities can be corrected with a follow-up laser procedure called an enhancement. But if your cornea is too thin for a second surgery, or other problems rule out an enhancement procedure, contacts after LASIK may be your best solution.

Because LASIK can significantly alter the shape of the cornea, fitting contact lenses on a post-LASIK eye is more challenging than fitting lenses on an untouched cornea. Special gas permeable or hybrid lens designs are usually recommended for people who need contacts after LASIK. 

Special computerized instruments (not needed for a regular contact lens fitting) are usually required to obtain highly accurate, point-to-point measurements of the post-surgery corneal surface to obtain the best possible fit and vision correction. These instruments, called corneal topographers or aberrometers, use the same technology that measures the cornea before LASIK.If you’ve had LASIK and are interested in contacts, contact Tidewater Eye at 757-483-0400 or website to schedule an examination with Our Doctors.