Although the goal of LASIK is to improve vision to the point of not being dependent on glasses or contact lenses, or to the point of wearing thinner (weaker) glasses, this result is not guaranteed. Additional procedures, spectacles, or contact lenses may be required to achieve adequate vision.

LASIK does not correct the condition known as presbyopia (aging of the eye) which occurs in people around the age of 40 and usually requires them to wear reading glasses for close-up work. If you presently need reading glasses, you will likely still need reading glasses after this treatment. If you do not need reading glasses, you will probably need them at a later age (40-45). Some patients over 40 who have a low degree of myopia are able to read only by removing their distance glasses, something they did not have to do before the age of forty. This is because presbyopia has set in and they are relying on their natural nearsightedness to read, but they must remove their corrective lenses to do this. If you elect to have surgery to correct your myopia, this "second mechanism" to read up close will be lost and you may need reading glasses, perhaps right after the surgery.

LASIK surgery will not prevent you from developing naturally occurring eye problems such as glaucoma, cataracts, or retinal degeneration or detachment. Decreasing or eliminating your need for corrective eyewear does not eliminate your risk for developing eye problems in the future. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you continue to see Dr. Ruff at regular intervals as you did prior to surgery.