The entire procedure takes less than 15 minutes. A surgeon removes a thin, hinged flap of tissue on the surface of the eye and reshapes the underlying cornea with a laser, then lays the hinged flap back on the eye, where it reattaches without the need for stitches. I use drops every half hour, and my vision fluctuates throughout the day.
Age can also be a factor.
Ophthalmologists insist that there is no upper age limit for the procedure, but people over 50 have special concerns. It cannot, however, remedy presbyopia. Presbyopia is the loss of focusing ability that accompanies age and makes reading difficult. This is when one eye is lasered for distance viewing and the other for close viewing. With monovision, both eyes still see objects near and far, but the brain suppresses the image that isn't as clear.