LASIK Eye Surgery Candidate

If you have worn glasses or contact lenses for any length of time, you have likely considered LASIK eye surgery. The ease of seeing clearly without wiping off smudges, replacing lenses or making sure you do not accidentally break frames or run out of contact solution, drives more and more people to research whether they are a LASIK eye surgery candidate. 

Determining if you are a LASIK eye surgery candidate will begin with your eye doctor who will provide a comprehensive eye exam. With a detailed history of your vision prescriptions, your doctor will narrow down which vision problems need to be corrected through LASIK eye surgery. The most common conditions include myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. While most patients are deemed safe candidates for the procedure, it is necessary to ensure not only your eye health but overall health for the procedure. Hormonal fluctuations, especially during pregnancy, can affect the outcome of refractive eye surgery. If you are pregnant, it is advised to wait until 6 months post pregnancy to schedule LASIK eye surgery. Certain medications such as retinoic acid and steroids can affect healing time. Diabetes or autoimmune diseases must also be controlled to be a LASIK eye surgery candidate. Many autoimmune conditions can cause dry eye syndrome. Chronic dry eyes may not heal well and pose a higher risk of post-LASIK infection. 

In addition to dry eyes, other eye condition risk factors that may prohibit you from being a LASIK eye surgery candidate include large pupils, too thick or too thin corneas, certain retinal and optic nerve diseases, previous refractive surgery, severe contacts and blepharitis, an inflammation of the eyelids with crusting of the eyelashes. It is important to share with your doctor if you are currently experiencing or have experienced any of the following: herpes simplex or herpes zoster in the eye area, glaucoma, ocular hypertension, keratoconus, eye injury or any eye diseases such as uveitis or iritis that cause inflammation of the eye. 

After assessing the patient’s eye and physical health, stability of vision is the next consideration for a LASIK eye surgery candidate. If you have myopia, your vision may continue to change throughout your teenage years, or even longer, requiring periodic changes in the prescription of your glasses or contact lenses. Therefore, it is required that patients be at least 18 years old at the time of LASIK surgery. Your eye prescription should fall within a certain prescription limit and will require that your prescription has not changed for a minimum of 12 months. 

Your eye health and vision clarity should be entrusted to a board-certified LASIK surgeon. On behalf of our team, Fisher-Swale-Nicholson Eye Center welcomes you to our full-service ophthalmology practice offering the latest in LASIK eye surgery and eye care. To find out if you are a LASIK eye surgery candidate, set up an appointment by calling 815-932-2020 or visiting online at website.