Is LASIK Right for You?
LASIK is the most popular form of laser eye surgery thanks to its fast results and relatively quick recovery time. During the procedure, your eye doctor creates a flap in your cornea and uses a laser to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism by reshaping the underlying tissue. If you’re thinking about having LASIK, consider these five criteria to determine if you’re a good candidate.
1. Mild to Moderate Vision Problems
People who suffer from very high levels of refractive error tend not to benefit as much from LASIK. The surgery is meant to correct vision problems within the mild to moderate range. The higher your prescription, the less predictable the results of the surgery. However, other types of surgical correction are available if you find that your vision is too poor to qualify for LASIK.
2. Good Eye Health
Good eye health is extremely important when it comes to LASIK. Since LASIK involves cutting a corneal flap, your corneas must be strong enough to support the procedure without tearing or other complications. Those with thin corneas, or a condition called keratoconus that makes the cornea weak, can’t have LASIK.
Other conditions that can exclude you from being a candidate for the surgery are: dry eye syndrome and having large pupils. Your eye doctor may also tell you to put off having LASIK if you’re suffering from a temporary eye infection or injury.
3. Stable Vision
If your vision is constantly fluctuating, having a LASIK procedure isn’t likely to do much good. Unless it’s been at least a year since your last change in prescription, the effects of the surgery could wind up being only temporary. Although it’s possible to have the procedure repeated, it makes more sense to wait until your vision stabilizes, so that you only need to undergo one round of corrective surgery.
4. Right Age Range
Due to the fact that the eyes are still developing and vision is still changing during the earlier years of life, most eye doctors prefer patients to be at least 18 to 21 years old before having LASIK. In general, no age is “too old” to have LASIK as long as your eyes are healthy, but reading glasses may still be necessary at a certain point to enjoy optimal vision.
5. Risk Level
Like all surgery, LASIK carries potential risks for everyone. Some people develop halos, glare, dry eyes or infection and inflammation of the corneal flap. Participating in high-impact sports or having a physically demanding job increases the risk of dislocating the flap.
Is LASIK right for you? Only your eye doctor can tell you for sure. An eye exam can confirm that your eyes are in the right condition for the surgery.
CorrectVision Laser Institute is one of Florida’s most advanced vision correction practices with extensive experience in LASIK. Our goal is to open your eyes to the world of great vision by offering unparalleled expertise and the most advanced technology available. Contact us today for a consultation with one of our South Florida eye specialists, located in Hollywood, Weston and Pembroke Pines!