LASIK is one of the most successful procedures, with an average national satisfaction rate of more than 95%. Dr. Kornmehl’s is higher. Most LASIK patients experience a significant improvement in eyesight, with many achieving 20/20 vision or better. Unfortunately, a small percentage of patients may require a “touch-up” or LASIK enhancement after laser vision correction. This retreatment surgery is available for patients several months after LASIK when their vision stabilizes.
Our board-certified ophthalmologist at Kornmehl Laser Eye Associates offers LASIK enhancement to his Boston patients who desire better results and those with unsatisfactory results from another eye care center. Dr. Ernest W. Kornmehl, MD, FACS, is an internationally renowned eye surgeon known for his expertise in refractive surgery, dry eye management, and corneal diseases. He is an Ivy-league-trained laser eye surgeon and clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Kornmehl can improve your LASIK results with LASIK enhancement if necessary.
Optimal Results
Perfect vision is not guaranteed after LASIK. Though most patients achieve 20/20 or better eyesight, about 1% to 5% may not meet their vision goals after the first procedure. These individuals may see much better than before their eye surgery but didn’t quite reach the results they were hoping for after LASIK recovery.
LASIK technology is precise, and surgical errors are extremely rare, but every eye responds differently to the laser and recovery process. After at least three months of healing (when vision tends to stabilize), Dr. Kornmehl can improve results with LASIK enhancement. However, he prefers to wait one year for patients who had LASIK surgery at another eye care center.
New Vision Changes
One of the criteria for LASIK candidates is a stable prescription, but the eyes may still change with age. Many people see this as LASIK “wearing off,” but the vision improvements after LASIK are permanent due to the reshaping of the cornea. Your eyes may change shape with age or hormone fluctuations, causing newer refractive errors. LASIK can’t stop these changes or problems caused by eye diseases or eye trauma. Another common cause of late regression is poorly managed dry eye. LASIK enhancement can touch up your visual acuity to address these vision changes.
Is LASIK Enhancement a Different Procedure?
Retreatment with LASIK is like the initial procedure, if done within the first year of the original procedure. Dr. Kornmehl will perform a comprehensive eye exam to determine if you are a candidate for LASIK enhancement and take new measurements of your refractive errors. The procedure still uses numbing eye drops and utilizes the same epithelial flap. Dr. Kornmehl uses a special surgical tool to lift the flap and expose the cornea’s surface. The procedure is typically faster because minor correction is necessary to improve vision a second time. The recovery process is similar. After 18 months, surface PRK is recommended.
Dr. Kornmehl created the Kornmehl LASIK system to provide more consistent and predictable LASIK results. His patients travel from across the country and internationally. Contact Kornmehl Laser Eye Associates in Boston, Massachusetts, at (877) 870-2010.