Am I A LASIK Candidate?
Everyone wants better eyesight. Who wouldn’t want to improve their vision and say goodbye to glasses and contacts for good? With LASIK, you can!
One thing people may not realize is that you need to qualify for LASIK. How? You need to have a LASIK consultation to determine if you’re a good candidate for LASIK.
LASIK is a very safe procedure, but only for the right people. Here are some of the things the doctor will look for during your consultation.
LASIK Candidacy Criteria
Age
The first thing that will make you a bad candidate for LASIK is being too young. LASIK is only approved for people over the age of 18. Even if you are over 18, that doesn’t always mean you should get LASIK.
Many surgeons have patients wait until their twenties before getting the procedure. This is because eyesight fluctuates as we grow. If someone has vision that is still changing, they should not get LASIK until it has stabilized.
Pregnancy
Growth hormones are not the only hormones that cause vision to fluctuate. Pregnancy can also have an effect because of changing hormones.
Vision typically returns to normal a few months after nursing stops. For the best results, consider getting LASIK once you know you will no longer have any children.
Stable Vision
If your vision is unstable for any other reason, you will need to wait until it is consistent for an entire year. This is to ensure your surgery does not correct your vision while it is changing.
Corrections made in error will cause your eyesight to land into less predictable territory. This can make your vision worse than it already is.
Eye Health
Your eyes will be in a very delicate position after LASIK, as they will be more prone to both injury and infection. If you are already healing from an injury or infection, you should wait to get LASIK.
This includes conditions like dry eye, which should be under control before you can get LASIK.
General Health
Beyond healthy eyes, you need to be in good health before you can get LASIK. If you have conditions like diabetes, HIV/AIDS, or rheumatoid arthritis, you’re probably not a good candidate.
To get LASIK, you need to be able to heal in a reasonable amount of time. These conditions make it harder for your body to heal after LASIK.
Corneal Thickness
The basic concept of LASIK involves reshaping your cornea to improve your eyesight. It stands to reason that your surgeon will need enough corneal matter to work with.
Not everyone has this, so your corneal thickness is something that’s measured during your consultation.
Normal Size Pupils
People who have overly large pupils may be at a higher risk for certain side effects after LASIK. These side effects include glare and starbursts in your vision, particularly at night.
What if I’m Not a Candidate?
If you are not considered to be a good candidate for LASIK due to any of the above reasons, there are other procedures available. You may be a good candidate for one of these instead.
Ready to find out if you are a good candidate for LASIK? Schedule a LASIK consultation at Kovach Eye Institute in Elmhurst, IL now!
