Who Qualifies for LASIK Surgery
The possibility of complications or imperfect vision after LASIK vision
correction can be greatly reduced if you simply find out if you are a good
prospect for the surgery. Not everyone who wants LASIK vision correction
is necessarily a good candidate to have the surgery. You should consider a
few things before you settle on LASIK:
• If you don’t like to take a chance every now and then, you
probably shouldn’t have LASIK vision correction. There are
possibilities of complications as a result of LASIK that you
should research before having the procedure done.
• If having LASIK vision correction could affect your career or is
not covered by your insurance you should think of another
alternative. The cost of LASIK is getting cheaper, but is still
quite expensive and you’ll want to make sure it isn’t prohibited
by your employer.
• You must be an adult with refractive stability to be accepted
for LASIK vision correction. Refractive instability is
determined by patients who are 20 or younger with fluctuating
hormones due to such things as diabetes or someone who is
pregnant or breastfeeding or taking medications that cause
fluctuation in vision.
• If you regularly engage in contact sports or suffer from a
condition or disease may affect wound healing you should
consider an alternative to LASIK vision correction.
There are a number of other situations you should discuss with your doctor
prior to LASIK vision correction. If you have herpes or shingles involving
the eye area you should disclose that information. Also, any glaucoma,
ocular hypertension, eye diseases, eye injuries, previous eye surgeries, or
keratoconus should be discussed.
You should also ask your doctor to screen you for the following conditions
prior to LASIK vision correction:
• Blepharitis
• Large pupils
• Thin corneas
• Previous refractive surgeries
• Dry eyes
Once you have researched all of these conditions or discussed them with a
LASIK surgeon you can determine if you are a candidate for LASIK vision
correction.