The most common reason people need glasses after LASIK is presbyopia. Presbyopia is the naturally occurring loss of near vision that occurs from the normal aging process in all humans who reach a certain age. Around the age of 40, the natural lens of the eye hardens and is no longer able to zoom in close like it could when it was younger.
For people who wear glasses at this age, bifocals are prescribed for far and near vision. For people who wear contacts, were born with good vision, or who had their vision corrected with LASIK, reading glasses become necessary after age 40. This is not a failure of LASIK, but rather an expected event due to the normal aging process. Many of our patients over 40 understand this limitation and still see the value in LASIK, which is to be able to see most things except for the smaller print up close.
There are now several options to treat not only far vision but also near vision after 40. We encourage you to contact us to find out how technology has advanced. We may be able to help.