After undergoing myopia surgery, can my vision reach 1.0?

The purpose of having myopia surgery is to be able to see clearly without glasses in the future. Therefore, how much vision can be achieved after myopia surgery? Will you feel that the world is completely new immediately after the surgery? These are questions that many myopia patients are concerned about.

On May 23, the People's Daily Health Client, People's Daily Health Times, Aier Eye School of Central South University, and Aier Eye Research Institute jointly released the "White Paper on Myopia Surgery in China". The "White Paper" selected people who underwent myopia surgery at Aier Eye Hospital in China from 2018 to 2020. The report was formed by analyzing the valid data of 520,000 patients and 1.02 million myopia surgeries in 206 cities in 29 provinces in my country, ranging in age from 18 to 79 years old.

So, what is the vision condition of these 520,000 patients after surgery?

After myopia surgery, to what extent can the vision be corrected?

We often say that before undergoing myopia surgery, about 20 detailed preoperative examinations are needed. Among these preoperative examinations, the expected corrected distance vision is included. Through this examination, we can roughly know the corrected vision of the myopic patient after surgery. Myopia surgery can only be performed if the expected corrected distance vision can reach a certain standard. If it is too low, myopia surgery is not recommended.

The White Paper analyzes the average postoperative visual acuity of different surgical procedures. The data show that the actual corrected visual acuity of most patients undergoing myopia surgery can reach the predicted corrected distance visual acuity during the preoperative examination. The average visual acuity of ICL lens implantation is 1.05 one year after surgery, the average visual acuity of LASIK one year after surgery is 1.12, and the average visual acuity of SMILE one year after surgery is 1.12.

How long does it take to achieve the expected corrected vision after myopia surgery?

In fact, the time spent lying on the operating table during myopia surgery is very short. Most of the time, the surgery can be completed in more than ten minutes or even a few minutes. However, myopia surgery is not like going to the market. Most people cannot get off the operating table one second and enjoy the high-definition world the next second. The eyes need a recovery process after the surgery.

According to the white paper data, generally speaking, vision improves significantly one day after surgery. 80.88% of myopia surgery patients have postoperative naked eye distance vision ≥ the expected corrected distance vision. Vision further improves one week after surgery, and the average vision reaches 1.1 one year after surgery.

Is vision stable after surgery?

Myopia surgery only corrects the degree of myopia that already exists at the time of the surgery. Therefore, except for special circumstances, myopia surgery can only be performed when the vision is already stable. This is just like the clothes we bought when we were young, which would not fit us soon because we grew taller, but this situation rarely happens when we grow up.

The same is true for myopia surgery. Generally speaking, if the vision is stable, and you follow the doctor's instructions for regular checkups, medication, and develop scientific eye habits after the surgery, good vision can be maintained for a long time.

The data in the "White Paper" also show that the refractive power of each surgical procedure is relatively stable after surgery.

Reference: "White Paper on Myopia Surgery in China"