LASIK Myths vs Facts

Myth vs Fact

Myth 1: "Anyone with glasses can have LASIK."

Fact: Candidacy depends on corneal thickness and shape, prescription stability, dry eye, eye health, age and lifestyle. A meaningful proportion of people who seek LASIK are advised against it — which is exactly how safe practice should work.

Myth 2: "Eligibility is decided only by my power."

Fact: Two people with the same spectacle power can get opposite recommendations because their corneas differ. Topography, tomography and pachymetry weigh as heavily as the number itself.

Myth 3: "Every laser vision procedure is the same."

Fact: LASIK creates a flap, PRK treats the surface, SMILE removes a lenticule through a small incision, and ICL places a lens inside the eye without touching the cornea. They differ in recovery, suitability and risk profile. Compare the procedures.

Myth 4: "Corneal thickness does not matter if the laser is advanced."

Fact: No laser changes how much tissue a correction removes. Residual thickness is a hard safety boundary, not a marketing variable.

Myth 5: "LASIK wears off after a few years."

Fact: The reshaping is permanent. What changes is the eye itself — ageing can shift focus (and always brings presbyopia), which is different from the treatment "wearing off".

Myth 6: "LASIK can make you go blind."

Fact: Serious vision-threatening complications are very rare in properly screened eyes — but not zero, which is why screening, sterile technique and follow-up matter, and why "risk-free surgery" claims should themselves raise suspicion.

Myth 7: "If I have thin corneas, I can never be free of glasses."

Fact: Thin corneas may rule out LASIK while leaving PRK or ICL as good options for suitable eyes.

Information on this page is for general education and does not replace an examination, diagnosis or personalised medical advice from a qualified eye-care professional.

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