Are Reading Glasses Necessary?

One claim about refractive surgery is that you’ll never need glasses or contact lenses again. This claim is false for most people. The truth is that for a variety of reasons, you still may need corrective lenses or reading glasses after RK and PRK. Like any surgical procedure, refractive surgery is not 100 percent predictable. RK and PRK surgery may result in overcorrection, which renders you farsighted, or undercorrection, which leaves you nearsighted. And almost everyone who undergoes RK or PRK surgery eventually will need reading glasses.

What’s more, studies have shown that a number of patients who undergo RK surgery to treat their nearsightedness may become farsighted and need corrective lenses for close vision because of a hyperopic shift, a gradual but continuing shift toward farsightedness. Some doctors deliberately undercorrect, leaving patients with residual nearsightedness after RK surgery to compensate for any slow drift toward farsightedness. In recent years, RK equipment and techniques have developed and surgical results have improved. Nevertheless, studies assessing RK surgery continue to document an ongoing need for corrective lenses or reading glasses after surgery for a significant number of patients.

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