LASIK is one of the most effective treatments available for nearsightedness, with roughly 99% of patients achieving driving-legal vision (20/40 or better) without glasses or contacts afterward. Patient satisfaction rates consistently land between 95% and 99% in clinical studies, making it one of the highest-rated elective procedures in medicine. That said, how well it works for you depends on the severity of your prescription, your corneal thickness, and a few other individual factors worth understanding before you commit.
How LASIK Corrects Nearsightedness
Nearsightedness happens when your eyeball is slightly too long or your cornea curves too steeply, causing light to focus in front of the retina instead of directly on it. Everything far away looks blurry, while close-up objects stay sharp.
LASIK fixes this by permanently reshaping the cornea. The surgeon creates a thin hinged flap on the surface of the cornea, folds it back, and uses a laser to remove microscopic amounts of tissue from the deeper layers underneath. For nearsighted patients, the laser flattens the central cornea just enough to shift the focal point back onto the retina. The flap is then laid back in place, where it heals naturally without stitches. The entire procedure takes about 15 minutes for both eyes.
Success Rates and Visual Outcomes
The numbers behind LASIK for nearsightedness are strong. A meta-analysis of FDA-approved LASIK devices found that 97% of patients achieved 20/40 vision or better without correction, and 62% hit 20/20. More recent individual studies report even higher results, with 99% of eyes reaching 20/40 or better. These outcomes are why LASIK has remained the dominant refractive surgery for over two decades.
The average cost sits around $2,250 per eye, or about $4,500 total. That price typically reflects the use of modern diagnostic equipment and all-laser (bladeless) techniques. Advertised prices significantly lower than that often involve older technology or don’t include pre- and post-operative care.
Who Qualifies and Who Doesn’t
LASIK can correct nearsightedness up to about -14 diopters based on FDA-approved laser capabilities, but most surgeons draw a practical line around -9 diopters. Beyond that, the amount of corneal tissue that needs to be removed starts to compromise the long-term structural integrity of the eye. If your cornea is unusually thick, a surgeon may feel comfortable going slightly higher, but safety is the limiting factor.
Beyond your prescription strength, several other requirements apply. You need to be at least 18 years old, though many surgeons prefer patients to be in their mid-20s when the prescription has fully stabilized. Your glasses or contacts prescription should not have changed in the past year. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, uncontrolled diabetes, and certain medications that cause vision fluctuations can all make you a poor candidate, at least temporarily. A thorough pre-operative screening will evaluate your corneal thickness, pupil size, and overall eye health to determine whether you’re a good fit.
What Recovery Looks Like
LASIK has the fastest visual recovery of any laser vision correction procedure. Most people notice dramatically improved vision within hours, and many return to normal activities within a day or two. Contrast sensitivity and fine visual quality continue improving over the first week to month.
The most common side effect during recovery is dry eye. An FDA quality-of-life study found that up to 28% of people who had no dry eye symptoms before surgery reported them at three months post-op. For most, the dryness resolves within several months with the help of artificial tears. Other temporary effects can include halos or glare around lights at night, particularly during the first few weeks.
How Long the Results Last
LASIK results are permanent in the sense that the reshaped cornea doesn’t grow back to its original shape. However, some degree of regression is normal over time. A 10-year follow-up study of patients treated for nearsightedness up to -10 diopters found an average regression of about -0.12 diopters per year, a very small shift that slows down as the years pass. About 21% of patients in that study underwent a retreatment (sometimes called an enhancement) over the decade, whether for regression, initial over- or under-correction, or a combination.
It’s also worth noting that LASIK doesn’t prevent age-related vision changes. Most people in their mid-40s start needing reading glasses regardless of whether they’ve had LASIK, because the lens inside the eye gradually loses its ability to focus up close. LASIK corrects the cornea, not the lens, so this is a separate process.
Serious Complications Are Rare
The risk of a vision-threatening complication from LASIK is very low. Corneal ectasia, a condition where the cornea progressively thins and bulges after surgery, occurs in an estimated 0.2% of cases. It’s more likely when pre-operative screening misses warning signs like thin corneas or early signs of a condition called keratoconus. Pregnancy and severe eye infections after surgery have also been linked to late-onset ectasia in a small number of cases. Choosing an experienced surgeon who uses thorough screening protocols is the most important thing you can do to minimize this risk.
How LASIK Compares to SMILE and PRK
LASIK isn’t the only laser option for nearsightedness. Two alternatives, SMILE and PRK, use different approaches with their own tradeoffs.
- SMILE skips the corneal flap entirely. Instead, the laser creates a small disc of tissue (called a lenticule) inside the cornea, which the surgeon removes through a tiny incision. Because it leaves the outer corneal layers mostly intact, SMILE offers better biomechanical stability, making it a stronger option for people with active lifestyles or thinner corneas. The tradeoff is slower recovery: visual sharpness takes about a week to catch up to where LASIK patients are on day one. By one month, outcomes between the two are comparable.
- PRK removes the outer layer of the cornea completely rather than creating a flap, then reshapes the tissue underneath. It has the slowest recovery of the three (several days of discomfort and weeks to reach full clarity) but may be recommended for people whose corneas are too thin for LASIK. Long-term visual results are similar.
All three procedures produce excellent outcomes for nearsightedness. LASIK remains the most popular because of its combination of fast recovery and proven results, but the best choice depends on your anatomy and lifestyle. A refractive surgeon can help you weigh the options after a comprehensive eye exam.