Are you a candidate for LASIK?

Are you tired of your eyeglasses or contacts and wish to get rid of them ASAP? If yes, you must have read or heard about LASIK surgeries that help you say goodbye to your vision accessories. Whatever you must have read or heard is true, because LASIK procedures are painless and quick. Moreover, you will be ready to return to work in no time. But the question you must ask yourself is, am I a suitable candidate for LASIK
surgery?

In the following sections, we will discuss the conditions that could be treated with LASIK and the criteria that make you a good candidate for LASIK procedures.

What is LASIK?

LASIK, or Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis, is a surgical procedure that reshapes the cornea (the transparent dome at the front of the eye) to correct vision-related issues. In this procedure, a small flap in the cornea is made. Through this flap, a controlled laser reshapes the cornea, and the flap is folded back into its place. On average, it takes about 15 minutes to operate on one eye. This procedure is almost painless, and the recovery period is pretty quick.

What are the eye conditions LASIK can treat?

LASIK is a refractive error correction procedure that can fix majorly 3 types of vision-related issues:

Myopia (Nearsightedness)

It’s a condition in which the faraway objects appear blurry, but the nearby objects appear clear. This usually happens when the curvature of the cornea is more than usual.

Hyperopia (Farsightedness)

When the distance vision is clear and sharp, but the nearby objects appear blurry, this refractive error is called Hyperopia. When the cornea isn’t curved enough (too flat), this condition affects the vision.

Astigmatism

This condition arises when the cornea’s shape isn’t spherical or regular in all meridians. Due to this condition, the vision is not crisp or sharp.

Am I a good candidate for LASIK surgery?

Now that you know about the LASIK procedure and what vision-related conditions it could fix, it’s time to find out whether your profile ticks all the boxes to be eligible for it.

Age

The age requirement to get LASIK treatment is that you must be above 18 years of age..

Stable Vision

Getting LASIK treatment to fix refractive errors in the eyes is also subject to a stable prescription. If the prescription for your eyesight hasn’t changed for at least six months, then you are clear for LASIK. People with changing vision prescriptions should wait it out till it stabilises.

General Health

Your overall health should be good to get LASIK eye surgery. Patients with auto-immune diseases,, and cataracts might not be eligible for the LASIK procedure. Diabetics are advised to maintain a strict glycaemic control and can be considered for refractive surgery after careful assessment. Certain health issues and their medication could impact the healing of eyes post LASIK. An eye specialist is the best person to check your health condition and suggest whether you should go for LASIK or not.

Corneal shape and thickness

Patients with an unusually thin cornea or corneal scarring are unsuitable candidates for LASIK. At the consultation time, your doctor will check the cornea’s thickness and decide whether you are eligible for LASIK.

Eye Injury

Patients with a history of severe eye infection or eye injury might not qualify for LASIK. Some superficial scars can be tackled however, that is subject to examination during consultation.

Pregnancy

Hormonal changes during pregnancy affect the stability of your eye prescriptions. If you are nursing or pregnant and looking forward to LASIK, you should wait it out.

LASIK procedures are highly successful and painless, and you get done with them in no time. If you are looking forward to getting LASIK treatment for your eyes, go ahead and book a free consultation with our team of eye specialists at Planet LASIK.