Tired of wearing glasses and contact lenses? An easy solution, if you’re a candidate, is to consider getting LASIK!
The first step in the LASIK process is to have a LASIK consultation. This is how your eye doctor will determine if you are a LASIK candidate.
Not everyone will be a candidate. Certain eye conditions such as dry eye syndrome and glaucoma can rule out your candidacy.
Your corneas must also be thick enough, as LASIK reshapes your corneas.
Keep reading to learn more about LASIK candidacy!
Current Prescription
One of the first things considered in LASIK candidacy is your prescription and how current it is. To undergo LASIK, your vision needs to be stable.
That means your prescription cannot change. It also has to fall within a set range, meaning that it cannot be too high or too low.
Disease and Condition Free
Another factor that goes into LASIK candidacy is that your eyes must be free of diseases and eye conditions that can hinder your vision. This includes dry eye syndrome, glaucoma, cataracts, or any condition that affects your cornea, retina, or optic nerve.
You also need to be free of eye conditions like lazy eye and muscular imbalance. If you have dry eye syndrome, you need to have it managed and under control, before you can have LASIK.
Glaucoma and cataracts can also make it hard to operate on your eyes due to pressure building up and cloudy lenses. If you have either of these, another procedure may be a better fit instead.
Eye conditions like amblyopia (lazy eye) and strabismus (muscle imbalance) can make it risky to perform LASIK on your eyes. This is because your eyes may move around during the procedure.
Cornea Thickness
LASIK requires that your cornea be at least .45-.5 mm thick. LASIK works because it involves permanently reshaping your cornea.
Refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism occur because of an irregularly shaped cornea. During LASIK, the surgeon will create an incision in your eye.
A laser will then reshape your cornea. It becomes unsafe to have LASIK if your corneas are too thin. Removing even a small amount of corneal tissue could lead to serious complications.
Good Health
To be a LASIK candidate, you must also be in good health. This is important as certain health conditions can make it harder to heal after having LASIK.
Having conditions like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or multiple sclerosis can rule out your LASIK candidacy.
You also cannot have unmanaged diabetes or diabetic retinopathy.
Pregnancy
If you’re currently pregnant or nursing, you need to wait to have LASIK. During pregnancy, there are many changes that occur, and your eyes are no exception to this.
They may change significantly due to the hormones in your body and make your vision unstable. Wait to have LASIK until you’ve finished nursing for at least three months.
This will give your eyes enough time to stabilize and go back to normal. The best thing you can do is wait to have the procedure until you know you are done having children.
These are only some of the factors that go into LASIK candidacy. The only way to know for sure if LASIK is right for you is to schedule a LASIK consultation.
Ready to find out if LASIK and a lifetime of clear vision could be waiting for you? Schedule your LASIK consultation at Stahl Eyecare Experts in Hauppauge, NY today!
