LASIK is a vision correction procedure that can dramatically improve your vision and quality of life. With LASIK, you can rediscover the joy of crisp, clear, unaided vision.
To ensure the procedure remains highly effective and safe, you need to meet certain requirements. Keep reading to learn more about the eight signs of being a qualified LASIK candidate!
1. You’re Tired of Wearing Contact Lenses or Glasses
While glasses and contacts enable you to see clearly, they come with many challenges. Glasses fog up all the time, whether you’re indoors or outdoors.
They’re prone to scratches, can break or get lost easily, and may keep sliding down your nose, getting in the way of many activities. If you wear contacts, they can be a constant source of irritation and dry eyes.
Additionally, you’ll have to maintain a strict hygiene routine every day to prevent infection. LASIK can liberate you from prescription lenses.
No more irritation from contact lenses or wiping smudges off your glasses. With LASIK, you’ll wake up with clear vision every day and see the world in high-definition without reaching for your glasses or inserting your contacts first.
LASIK can be customized to your individual visual needs. It can correct farsightedness, nearsightedness, and astigmatism, permanently and considerably improving your vision.
Whether you’re working out, driving, watching TV, reading, dancing, camping, or traveling, LASIK will enhance every area of your life, providing crystal-clear vision no matter what you’re doing.
2. You’re at Least 18 Years
The FDA has approved LASIK for those who are eighteen years and older. That’s because the eyes of adolescents are still growing and developing, so their prescriptions keep changing. Getting LASIK before you’re eighteen or older won’t be worth it because your vision hasn’t stabilized.
Your eyes will likely continue changing after your procedure, so you’ll have to depend on prescription lenses again. Conversely, undergoing LASIK surgery when you’re 18 or older ensures the best possible results. You’ll enjoy the visual freedom LASIK offers for many years to come.
3. Your Prescription is Stable
Even as an adult, your prescription could still change. If your prescription keeps changing, you may need to wait until it stabilizes before having LASIK.
Your prescription should remain the same for at least a year to qualify for LASIK. A stable prescription ensures the procedure is effective.
During LASIK, the surgeon corrects your refractive error based on your prescription at that time. If you undergo LASIK and your prescription continues fluctuating, the results will be suboptimal.
This means that you’ll still need to rely on corrective lenses to see clearly or undergo another LASIK procedure if you wish to be glasses or contact-free.
4. Your Prescription Isn’t Too High
LASIK can treat astigmatism, nearsightedness, and farsightedness. However, these refractive errors must fall within a specific range. Refractive errors are measured in diopters.
During your LASIK consultation, the ophthalmologist will measure your refractive error to determine if it’s within LASIK limits. If it’s too high, LASIK won’t be able to fully correct your vision.
When that’s the case, your eye doctor may recommend a LASIK alternative, such as EVO ICL, that can provide you with a vision that’s just as clear.
5. You’re in Good Overall Health
You should be in good overall health to get LASIK. As with any surgery, LASIK carries the risk of infection.
Certain health conditions can prevent proper healing after surgery and may make you ineligible for LASIK. They include:
- Diabetes
- HIV/AIDS
- Chronic pain disorders like fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, and migraine
- Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, lupus, or multiple sclerosis
6. You Have Healthy Eyes
Apart from being in good health, your eyes should also be healthy. Eye conditions such as keratitis, uveitis, keratoconus, cataracts, and glaucoma can impact the success of LASIK and prevent you from being an ideal candidate.
7. No Severe Dry Eye
Dry eye is a chronic condition that occurs when your tears evaporate too fast or your eyes don’t produce sufficient tears. If you have severe dry eye, you may not be a good candidate for LASIK.
During LASIK, the corneal nerves are altered, leading to a slower tear response time. As a result, dry eye is a common side-effect of LASIK. For many LASIK patients, dry eye is only temporary.
But if you have pre-existing severe dry eye, LASIK can exacerbate it.
Sometimes, dry eye can be treated, enabling you to have LASIK once it’s under control.
In other cases, LASIK may not suit you due to the high risk of aggravating your dry eye. If your ophthalmologist recommends against having LASIK, there could be other better-suited vision correction procedures for you, like refractive lens exchange.
8. Your Corneas Are Thick Enough
For LASIK to be safe and effective, your corneas need to be thick enough. During the procedure, your LASIK surgeon reshapes your cornea to correct your vision.
If your corneas are too thin, there might not be enough tissue to work with safely. During your LASIK consultation, your eye doctor will measure your corneal thickness to determine if they are adequately thick.
Don’t worry if your corneas are thinner – there are other vision correction options that might work for you. Remember, corneal thickness is just one factor in determining if you’re a good LASIK candidate.
Your eye doctor will consider many aspects of your eye health before recommending the procedure.
Enjoy Clear Vision without Boundaries
At Evergreen Eye Center, we customize each LASIK treatment using the most advanced technology to deliver unparalleled vision correction even to patients who previously did not qualify for LASIK. After a thorough consultation, we can determine if LASIK is a perfect fit for you.
Are you ready to permanently improve your vision? Schedule your LASIK consultation today to determine if LASIK is right for you.
