This page is for patients who want to understand whether LASIK results deteriorate over time, how to distinguish true regression from natural ageing, and why Blue Fin Vision® does not perform hyperopic laser surgery.
The Permanent Correction and the Ageing Eye
LASIK permanently removes corneal tissue to reshape the refractive surface. That reshaping is stable, the corneal stroma does not regenerate. What changes over time is not the laser correction but the eye itself. Patients who notice their vision changing years after LASIK are almost always experiencing natural ageing rather than regression of the laser effect.¹ Understanding the difference matters for managing expectations accurately.
True Regression vs Natural Ageing
- True regression: what is happening, prescription partially returning; affects distance vision; occurs months to a few years post-LASIK; correctable by enhancement (LASIK or PRK); related to LASIK.
- Natural ageing (presbyopia): lens losing accommodation; affects near vision; mid-40s onwards; correctable by reading glasses or RLE; not related to LASIK.
- Cataract: natural lens opacifying; affects all distances; typically 60s–70s; correctable by cataract surgery; not related to LASIK.⁴
Regression Rates in Myopic LASIK
True regression, the myopic prescription returning toward its pre-operative level, is uncommon in myopic LASIK. Published ten-year data shows greater than 95% stability for moderate myopia.² High myopia (above -6D) carries a slightly higher regression risk, which is why Blue Fin Vision®’s enhancement policy covers residual refractive error for patients on the premium pathway. Regression of more than 0.5D at two years or more post-LASIK is the threshold for considering enhancement.
Why Blue Fin Vision® Does Not Perform Hyperopic Laser Surgery
Hyperopic LASIK regression rates are significantly higher than myopic LASIK. Published series demonstrate regression of 30–50% of the initial correction at five to ten years in many hyperopic cases.³ The mechanism is the steeper central cornea created by hyperopic ablation, which tends to return toward its original shape over time. Patients who are 20/20 at six months may be +1.5D or +2.0D at five years. Correcting a prescription today at the cost of a reliable result in five years is not in the patient’s interest. At Blue Fin Vision®, hyperopic patients are directed toward ICL or refractive lens exchange, procedures without this regression mechanism.
Who This Is Not For
This page is not for patients experiencing significant or rapid visual change after LASIK, that warrants an in-person review rather than self-reassurance from a webpage. If vision is changing faster than presbyopia would explain, or at a younger age than expected, seek formal assessment.
Clinical Takeaway
LASIK regression is uncommon for myopia, greater than 95% stability at ten years in published series. Presbyopia from the mid-40s is normal ageing, not laser failure. Hyperopic LASIK has significantly higher regression rates, the reason Blue Fin Vision® does not perform it. ICL and RLE are the alternatives for hyperopic patients, without the regression mechanism.
References
- Packer M. Meta-analysis and review: effectiveness, safety, and central port design of the intraocular collamer lens. Clin Ophthalmol. 2016;10:1059–1077.
- Alfonso JF, Baamonde B, Fernandez-Vega L, Fernandes P, Gonzalez-Meijome J, Montes-Mico R. Posterior chamber collagen copolymer phakic intraocular lenses to correct myopia: five-year follow-up. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2011;37(5):873–880.
- Pesando PM, Ghiringhello MP, Di Meglio G, Fanton G. Posterior chamber phakic intraocular lens (ICL) for hyperopia: ten-year follow-up. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2007;33(9):1579–1584.
- Trindade F, Pereira F. Cataract formation after posterior chamber phakic intraocular lens implantation. J Cataract Refract Surg. 1998;24(12):1661–1663.
