Are you tired of wearing eye glasses or contact lenses?
If yes, you have likely thought about LASIK and wondered if you could be a good candidate for laser eye surgery. This is an important question because LASIK is an elective procedure, not a medical requirement.
LASIK can really be very successful when executed on the right patients, but it is not for everyone.
The qualifications of a good candidate for LASIK generally include:
- Age: LASIK is FDA-approved for people with at least 18 years of age and older who have achieved ocular maturity.
- 2. Prescriptions within FDA-approved Treatment Parameters: FDA has approved LASIK for people with
- Hyperopia: up to +6.00 diopters
- Astigmatism: up to 6 diopters
- Nearsightedness: up to -12.00 diopters
If your prescription is higher than these limits, you might not be considered an appropriate candidate for surgery. The tools offered to treat vision deficiency during LASIK are not approved for your level of vision loss, and the eye correction you get after surgery might still require you to wear glasses.
- Corneal Shape and Thickness: Itplays an important role in deciding whether you are a proper candidate for LASIK or not. The procedure requires candidates to have a minimum corneal thickness of approximately 0.5 mm.
If your cornea is too thin or if you have significant eye diseases like glaucoma or corneal you are probably not a candidate for LASIK. During your initial consultation, the ophthalmologist will measure the thickness of the cornea to ensure there is enough tissue for the reshaping, in order to achieve the desired amount of correction.
- Eye Health: Candidate should be free of eye diseases such as glaucoma, keratoconus, cataracts, corneal disease and other retinal and optic nerve diseases. LASIK surgery candidates should have stable vision over at least one year and stable eyeglass, and contact lenses prescription for at least 2 to 3 years.
- General Health: LASIK candidates must be in good health. No significant medical or health problems, such as uncontrolled diabetes, autoimmune or collagen vascular disease or should not have any condition that compromises the immune system.
- Dry eye condition: Should not continuously suffer from dry eye.
- Not Pregnant or Nursing: When undergoing the LASIK procedure, candidates should not be pregnant or nursing. Candidates must not be nursing or pregnant when undergoing the LASIK procedure. Hormones may affect the stability of your prescription, so LASIK surgery until three menstrual cycles after nursing has been terminated.
To know if you are a candidate for LASIK, the best way is to consult a highly qualified surgeon and have a complete evaluation of your eyes and vision. Schedule a LASIK consultation today!
