What happens if laser surgery does not correct my vision fully?
A residual prescription is one of the more common outcomes, and it may be small enough to leave alone, correctable with glasses, or eligible for further treatment once the eye has stabilised.
- Subject
- Risks & safety
- Topic
- Complications
- Kind of question
- What is…
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
In more detail
The decision to retreat is made from fresh measurements taken after stability, and some residuals are deliberately left because the remaining thickness or the residual shape makes another procedure a poor idea.
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Where this answer sits
It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under Risks, safety & side effects in Complications . The subject page carries the answers either side of it, and the hub is searchable.
This information is for educational purposes and does not replace an examination by a qualified eye-care professional.
General answers cannot tell you what is happening in your own eyes. Only an examination by a qualified ophthalmologist can do that.
Sources & further reading
We prefer primary sources. Where a claim comes from a manufacturer, a single study or a regulator, it is labelled as such below.
- Laser In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK)
The equivalent clinical reference chapter for LASIK, used so that comparisons describe both procedures symmetrically.
Used for How LASIK creates and manages a corneal flap; LASIK complication categories.
Link checked 22 September 2026