Undercorrection (residual myopia)

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Undercorrection (residual myopia)

Undercorrection occurs when an eye remains somewhat nearsighted after refractive surgery. It is seldom considered a serious complication. Distance vision is better (if not perfect), and near vision is still good. Undercorrection is much more common in people with severe nearsightedness than in people who had nearsightedness of less than 3 diopters.

Slight undercorrection may be considered an advantage. A little mild nearsightedness will delay the onset of presbyopia, and it may offset the effect of progressive farsightedness (hyperopia). Also, the amount of undercorrection may decrease after several years because of a phenomenon called the hyperopic shift. Hyperopic shift is the gradual increase in farsightedness that may occur for some years after radial keratotomy (RK) surgery.

Undercorrection may be successfully corrected with a repeat surgery. But repeat operations tend to be less effective and less predictable than the original surgery.

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Author	Robin Parks, MS
Editor	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS
Associate Editor	Michele Cronen
Associate Editor	Pat Truman, MATC
Primary Medical Reviewer	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	Carol L. Karp, MD - Ophthalmology
Last Updated	July 7, 2007

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Last updated:	July 07, 2007
Author:	Robin Parks, MS
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Carol L. Karp, MD - Ophthalmology
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman, MATC

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