LASIK Eye Surgery - Are You a Good Candidate?
Both the medical community and potential patients must maintain a careful and conservative definition of what a "good LASIK candidate" is, in order to ensure the long-term success of the procedure.
Regardless of its current popularity, laser eye surgery will become a victim of its own fame if people unlikely to get good results are allowed to undergo the procedure based purely on their desire for improved vision.
Make sure the decision you make is right for you, and that statistics for a terrific outcome are in your favor before you undergo any kind of refractive surgery.
General Requirements Some prerequisites for LASIK involve your general health and physical condition.
You should be at least 18 years of age and in generally good health, particularly free of eye diseases such as cataracts.
Certain health problems, such as uncontrolled diabetes or autoimmune diseases (like lupus or HIV), compromise your health and thus compromise your chances of a good surgical outcome.
Patients should not be pregnant or nursing at the time of surgery because pregnancy hormones can cause fluctuations in your vision prescription.
Ocular Requirements If you have dry eye syndrome, you are not a good LASIK candidate, as the procedure can make the symptoms of this disease considerably worse.
Your vision must be stable, with little or no change in your prescription for at least the previous year.
During that same year, you should not have had any eye infections or injuries.
You must have no history of herpes infection in the eye, as the surgery may bring about a recurrence of herpes.
You must have no scarring on your corneas, so glaucoma patients may not make good candidates.
If you have asymmetric corneas, keratoconus, really bad vision, or corneas that are too thin, you are not a good candidate.
Also, the procedure is generally best to treat nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
It can not (yet) deal well with presbyopia, the natural vision issues that come with aging.
There are specialized LASIK surgeries that are intended to deal with presbyopia, but these options are not for everyone.
Depending on your age, be sure to discuss presbyopia with your surgeon , in terms of its current or future implications for your vision.
Knowledge Requirements You must understand the risks involved with any surgery and with this procedure in particular, in order to have realistic expectations regarding your possible outcomes.
Any good laser eye surgeon will require that you not only meet the general prerequisites of a good surgical candidate but that you also have an eye examination with an ophthalmologist to confirm your candidacy.
He or she will also examine whether you have dry eyes disease or the early signs of it, talk and explain about the risks, benefits, and alternatives to LASIK surgery, and define other issues that may qualify or disqualify you as a good candidate.
Other Options If your procedure of choice turns out not to be right for you, surgeons will likely offer other procedures that can treat your refractive errors.
Given the ongoing and rapid advances in laser eye surgery technology, many people are now good LASIK candidates who previously did not qualify.
Depending on the reasons that you don't currently qualify, you may find that in a few years, the technology has caught up with your issues.
These days, patients for whom the procedure wasn't appropriate a few years ago find that they are now ideal for the latest Wavefront Custom LASIK procedures.
Alternatively, many nearsighted or farsighted patients who are not good LASIK candidates can receive the same visual benefits by undergoing the LASEK procedure instead.
Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) is another alternative.
If you feel that you can't afford laser eye surgery, are unwilling to risk a surgical procedure, or have unusual vision needs, a non-surgical option such as continuous wear contacts may be right for you.
Conclusion Only an eye surgeon who has examined you in person can tell you for certain whether you're a good LASIK candidate.
Be sure to arrange a pre-operative consultation with an ophthalmologist or refractive surgeon in order to undergo a thorough exam and determine whether the surgery is right for you.
These consultations are very often free of charge, and they're critical to helping you make the right decision with your visual future.
Regardless of its current popularity, laser eye surgery will become a victim of its own fame if people unlikely to get good results are allowed to undergo the procedure based purely on their desire for improved vision.
Make sure the decision you make is right for you, and that statistics for a terrific outcome are in your favor before you undergo any kind of refractive surgery.
General Requirements Some prerequisites for LASIK involve your general health and physical condition.
You should be at least 18 years of age and in generally good health, particularly free of eye diseases such as cataracts.
Certain health problems, such as uncontrolled diabetes or autoimmune diseases (like lupus or HIV), compromise your health and thus compromise your chances of a good surgical outcome.
Patients should not be pregnant or nursing at the time of surgery because pregnancy hormones can cause fluctuations in your vision prescription.
Ocular Requirements If you have dry eye syndrome, you are not a good LASIK candidate, as the procedure can make the symptoms of this disease considerably worse.
Your vision must be stable, with little or no change in your prescription for at least the previous year.
During that same year, you should not have had any eye infections or injuries.
You must have no history of herpes infection in the eye, as the surgery may bring about a recurrence of herpes.
You must have no scarring on your corneas, so glaucoma patients may not make good candidates.
If you have asymmetric corneas, keratoconus, really bad vision, or corneas that are too thin, you are not a good candidate.
Also, the procedure is generally best to treat nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
It can not (yet) deal well with presbyopia, the natural vision issues that come with aging.
There are specialized LASIK surgeries that are intended to deal with presbyopia, but these options are not for everyone.
Depending on your age, be sure to discuss presbyopia with your surgeon , in terms of its current or future implications for your vision.
Knowledge Requirements You must understand the risks involved with any surgery and with this procedure in particular, in order to have realistic expectations regarding your possible outcomes.
Any good laser eye surgeon will require that you not only meet the general prerequisites of a good surgical candidate but that you also have an eye examination with an ophthalmologist to confirm your candidacy.
He or she will also examine whether you have dry eyes disease or the early signs of it, talk and explain about the risks, benefits, and alternatives to LASIK surgery, and define other issues that may qualify or disqualify you as a good candidate.
Other Options If your procedure of choice turns out not to be right for you, surgeons will likely offer other procedures that can treat your refractive errors.
Given the ongoing and rapid advances in laser eye surgery technology, many people are now good LASIK candidates who previously did not qualify.
Depending on the reasons that you don't currently qualify, you may find that in a few years, the technology has caught up with your issues.
These days, patients for whom the procedure wasn't appropriate a few years ago find that they are now ideal for the latest Wavefront Custom LASIK procedures.
Alternatively, many nearsighted or farsighted patients who are not good LASIK candidates can receive the same visual benefits by undergoing the LASEK procedure instead.
Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) is another alternative.
If you feel that you can't afford laser eye surgery, are unwilling to risk a surgical procedure, or have unusual vision needs, a non-surgical option such as continuous wear contacts may be right for you.
Conclusion Only an eye surgeon who has examined you in person can tell you for certain whether you're a good LASIK candidate.
Be sure to arrange a pre-operative consultation with an ophthalmologist or refractive surgeon in order to undergo a thorough exam and determine whether the surgery is right for you.
These consultations are very often free of charge, and they're critical to helping you make the right decision with your visual future.