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Lasik Eye Surgery Questions & Answers
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Lasik Eye Surgery: Are You A Good Candidate?
    

Lasik eye correction surgery is fast becoming a popular choice for individuals that have to rely on glasses or contacts everyday. Many people can have Lasik vision correction surgery, but there are some people who should not. There are many factors to consider when looking into Lasik vision correction. Are you a good candidate for Lasik?

To fall into the category of being a good candidate there are a few widely accepted medical criteria for this surgery. The potential patient should be eighteen years of age or older, have a current prescription for eyeglasses or contacts, should be affected by one or more eye conditions and should not have eye disease.

All potential Lasik candidates should be over the age of eighteen and should have a prescription for at least two years. Those who are younger than eighteen can experience too many changes in the eye, which would affect the outcome of the Lasik procedure. Also, candidates should have a stable eyeglass or contact prescription for at least two years prior to surgery. This assures that the eye is not constantly changing, which could also negatively affect the outcome.

Candidates for this procedure should be affected by at least one eye condition. These eye conditions can include vision problems such as myopia-also called nearsightedness, astigmatism-which is blurred vision caused by an irregular shaped cornea, hyperopia- also known as farsightedness or a combination of any of these. In addition, potential patients should have a sufficient corneal thickness so that the Lasik surgeon can create a clean corneal flap of appropriate depth. Pupils should also not dilate more than seven millimeters in the dark. This could indicate night vision problems such as halos or glare.

Another indicator of being a good candidate for Lasik eye correction surgery is that any type of eye disease should not affect the patient. This can include any surgery, whether it relates to the eye or not that can negatively affect the outcome or the healing process of the surgery. Potential patients should have no herpes infection in the eye since Lasik can cause a recurrence. Patients should not suffer from any autoimmune disorders such as Lupus, Hepatitis, or Crohn’s disease.

In addition, the potential patient should not have had any eye infections or eye injury for one year prior to the surgery and there should be no scarring on the cornea. Those who suffer from dry eye syndrome are also not good Lasik surgery candidates. Dry eye can become worse after the Lasik procedure. Lasik candidates will also not be considered if they are pregnant or nursing at the time of the surgery because changes in the hormone levels can cause fluctuations of the tissue in the eye. There are also certain conditions that automatically exclude patients from qualifying for the Lasik procedure. Those suffering from cataracts, advanced glaucoma, corneal disease, corneal thinning disorders or other pre-existing eye diseases are not good candidates.

It is important to remember when considering Lasik surgery that this surgery is performed to help the patient’s vision. It can help cut down on the dependency of using eyeglass or contacts. It may not completely eliminate the need of glasses altogether. While most patients are satisfied with the outcome of their Lasik procedure, there are some patients that may not get the desired outcome. Lasik surgery does not provide perfect vision every time. Most patients who have an adequate outcome experience improved vision and most with low to moderate nearsightedness have 20/40 vision or better after the procedure.

There are risks associated with Lasik vision correction surgery. Potential patients should thoroughly understand the risks associated with Lasik surgery and should have realistic expectations. Those who are not willing to accept these risks should not take part in Lasik surgery. It is recommended that patients not give informed consent for the surgery. It is necessary for the patient to completely understand the procedure and the benefits with the surgeon prior to the procedure. The final outcome and the healing time will vary from person to person. Each patient should fully understand these risks before giving consent.

Anyone who considered having Lasik vision correction surgery should consult their ophthalmologist and understand both the benefits and the risks associated with this surgery. This procedure may be ideal for a healthy person with low to moderate vision problems.

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