Is LASIK Losing Popularity?

Let’s face it: it’s now very clear that LASIK is not all it once promised to be. Here at Rebuild Your Vision, we’ve never been big supporters of this procedure. It’s needlessly invasive and not always effective. Plus, more and more patients are finding that, while their procedure corrected their vision for a while, it unfortunately didn’t last. Even eyes that have been treated with LASIK can regress as they age. That can be especially discouraging since LASIK often costs quite a lot of money, depending on your insurance coverage. With all this new information getting out, is LASIK finally losing popularity?

At the height of its popularity between 2000 and 2007, LASIK was the first choice for a lot of patients with vision problems. Now, however, the answer to that question seems to be yes. As social media has become more and more popular, LASIK patients have been able to share their personal negative experiences with the procedure. At the heart of many of their complaints? Complications.

Is LASIK Dead?

There is no doubt that we are witnessing the crumble of the LASIK surgery empire. According to Market Scope, a leading market researcher in the field of eye care, the number of people who get LASIK dropped by 50 percent between 2007 and 2015. In less than 10 years, this supposedly revolutionary corrective surgery experienced a massive decline in popularity, and this trend has only continued into the 2020s.

Eye care experts don’t have a concrete reason for the declining procedure numbers. Ten years ago, many providers blamed the economy, stating that potential patients still hadn’t recovered from the recession. However, the price of LASIK has dropped 20 percent in the last decade. So, rising costs are not to blame for the decline in popularity.

Some other ophthalmologists claim that the fading popularity has more to do with a generation gap. The discussion around whether LASIK is losing popularity often overlooks the role generational behavior plays in healthcare choices. Many millennials and Gen Zers avoid going to the doctor unless something is wrong, and most are too young to experience major vision changes yet anyway.

Of course, there is one more reason that could explain why LASIK is facing a downturn in popularity. Unfortunately, no LASIK surgeon will admit to the fact that complications are far more common and dangerous than they’ve led us to believe. However, the truth behind the curtain would make any prospective patient think twice about undergoing corrective eye surgery.

Is LASIK Safe?

While proponents of LASIK will tout the procedure’s incredible vision-restoring benefits, what they often won’t tell you is just how risky this procedure is. While not everyone will experience complications from LASIK, it is dangerous enough that you need to be wary of what you are getting into when you sign up for LASIK. It’s best to be informed about why LASIK is losing popularity so that you can decide whether the procedure is safe for you.

Websites like LASIK Complications should be a go-to source for people considering LASIK. On their site, you’ll find all you could possibly need to know about LASIK and the related PRK surgery. You’ll also find the latest news regarding LASIK. And, if you have your own story to tell, LASIK Complications has a Facebook page that allows those who have undergone the surgery a chance to talk about their complications and disappointment with the surgery.

But this Facebook group isn’t just a place to vent about LASIK and other related forms of corrective surgery. It is also a great way to offer support to those who have been deeply affected by LASIK or to receive support if you have undergone the surgery and have experienced poor results.

Though experts have differing opinions as to why LASIK’s popularity is fading, it’s clear that word of mouth definitely had something to do with it. Like any product on the market, word of mouth can make or break it. In this case, word-of-mouth marketing is not a good strategy for LASIK.

LASIK Complications

LASIK surgery comes with an array of risks and complications. However, the same can be said about any surgery. The one big difference here is that your eyes are both the most sensitive and one of the least replaceable organs in the body. You can’t get a transplant like you can a heart or a kidney.

Before considering LASIK surgery, think of all the activities you do that require sight and make a list. Done? Ok, now think about whether you could make do without those activities. In choosing LASIK, you risk losing or impairing your sight to the point where you can no longer partake in the things you love. And, even more importantly, some of us would even lose our jobs if we lost our ability to see. This would be financially catastrophic for most people.

Here are some of the most common LASIK complications and long-term LASIK side effects:

• Loss of vision: This type of vision loss cannot be corrected with glasses, contacts, or surgery.
• Vision side effects: These side effects can include seeing halos, loss of night vision, and inability to see in low contrast and low light.
• Dry eyes: Dry eyes caused by LASIK are not your typical dry eyes. This dry eye can be so severe that it will cause blurred vision and more discomfort than normal. Sometimes this condition can be permanent and would need to be treated with prescription drugs.
• A regression/return to previous vision: in some unlucky cases, the vision condition that the patient sought to repair returned over time. This happens most often with farsighted patients.

An extreme surgery is sure to yield extreme risks. This is what LASIK does. It is no surprise that people are now making wiser choices when it comes to their eyes.

LASIK Alternatives

Depending on your vision condition and what exactly you are looking to correct, there are several safer alternatives to surgery. Many doctors may suggest other types of laser eye surgery as another option, but we’re here to offer you some non-surgical alternatives. Of course, make sure you consult with your doctor as well, and make sure your doctor is someone who is ready to discuss why LASIK is losing popularity and who will take your concerns seriously.

An increasingly popular non-surgical alternative is contact lens therapy, or orthokeratology. This technology is fairly new, and it works similarly to how orthodontists use braces to correct your teeth. Instead of metal brackets, patients wear a certain type of contact that works to change the shape of the cornea, thus correcting refractive errors. This safer alternative to LASIK is ideal for those with hyperopia, myopia, and astigmatism.

The best part about these therapeutic contact lenses is that, unlike braces, they only need to be worn at night. While you sleep, the lenses gently reshape the cornea, giving you clearer vision during the day without too much of an interruption into your daily life.

So, is LASIK losing popularity? The resounding answer to this question is ‘yes,’ and, as we’ve seen, for good reason. Luckily, we can now push for more natural, non-invasive, and non-surgical alternatives to LASIK. Everyone deserves to live a life of the highest quality. No one should have to risk their sight to fix it.