Posted by: Updegraff Laser Vision in News

So you’ve had LASIK surgery, and now you have crisp, clear vision. And because you’re now free from glasses and contacts, there’s no reason to return to your eye doctor, right?

Not necessarily. A new study, published in the journal Ophthalmology and reported by Reuters, links nearsightedness to glaucoma. According to the study, people with higher levels of myopia, or nearsightedness, may also have a higher risk of developing glaucoma.

Glaucoma causes damage to the optic nerve, which results in gradual vision loss. It’s one of the leading causes of blindness, and even though treatments for glaucoma exist, they aren’t able to improve or restore sight that has already been lost. Because of this, it’s important to try to catch glaucoma as early as possible – which is why having regular eye exams is so important.

Unfortunately, even though LASIK surgery can eliminate the need for contacts and glasses, it doesn’t reduce this heightened risk of glaucoma. That’s why it’s still important to continue to attend your regular eye exams after having LASIK.

Our patients tell us all the time how wonderful life is after LASIK. They’re elated even at the little things – how they can wake up and see everything in the room, or go swimming without worrying about their contacts.

We want each of our patients to continue to feel such excitement and happiness about their vision – that’s why we recommend you continue to have regular eye exams, even after you’re seeing clearly.