Can LASIK Surgery Improve My Night Vision?

Custom LASIK surgery helps night visionPeople who experience night vision problems, including the more extreme nyctalopia (or night blindness), have a hard time seeing in settings with dim light, and often see halos around lights at night. Driving at night and navigating a dimly lit room are more challenging for people who have this vision impairment.

What are the causes of poor night vision? Can LASIK surgery help?

Frequent Causes of Poor Night Vision

Night vision problems are most often caused by eye conditions, such as:

  • uncorrected myopia (nearsightedness)
  • glaucoma medications
  • cataracts
  • retinitis pigmentosa (an eye disease caused by damage to the retina)
  • presbyopia (natural declining vision caused by age)

Night Vision: Traditional vs. Custom LASIK Surgery

Traditional LASIK surgery is used to correct “lower-order” aberrations of the eye, such as myopia, hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism. This surgery is an effective treatment for these conditions but does not address the more complex refractive errors referred to as “higher-order” aberrations, and in some cases may actually lead to night vision problems. In most cases these problems are temporary.

Custom, or wavefront, LASIK surgery corrects low-order aberrations and also higher-order aberrations. Some of these high-order aberrations, like low-contrast sensitivity (which makes an object difficult to see against a low-contrast background) and large pupils, adversely affect night vision. There is some evidence to suggest that custom LASIK may improve night vision in certain cases, and that it is preferable to traditional LASIK for people with night vision problems.

Along with standard LASIK surgery, Dr. Joseph Leong-Sit also performs Custom LASIK surgery at Eye Q Premium Laser.

What to Expect in a Custom LASIK Procedure

Dr. Leong-Sit has performed over 15,000 vision correction procedures over the course of his 16 years in practice. He knows how important it is to treat each patient as an individual, educating them on what to expect for their procedure.

The Custom LASIK procedure is quick and painless. It starts with the use of an imaging system to generate a map of your eye shape and topography. Next, a laser is used to create a corneal flap, which is then lifted in order to access corneal tissue. Once the corneal tissue has been exposed, a laser is used to delicately and precisely reshape the curvature of the cornea in order to correct the refractive error. Once the cornea is successfully reshaped, the surgeon will then carefully place the corneal flap in its original position, where it will re-seal itself to the eye naturally. The healing process includes little to no discomfort, with the patient typically noticing vision improvement within 24 to 48 hours of surgery.

Still have questions about Custom LASIK? Call Dr. Joseph Leong-Sit at Eye Q Premium Laser for a free consultation.