Lasik Surgery

Not everyone is an ideal candidate for LASIK laser eye surgery.  Below is a list of criteria that may indicate that you

are a good candidate for the procedure.

•    Your vision must fall within certain correction parameters.  Further, you must not have had a significant change to your glasses or contact lens prescription in the last twelve months
•    Obviously, to be a candidate for LASIK laser eye surgery, you must have a vision correction problem.  LASIK can treat those who have the following prescriptions:

a)    Myopia:  Up to -12.00 diopters
b)    Hyperopia:  Up to +5.00 diopters
c)    Astigmatism:  Up to -9.00 diopters

•    Your cornea must have a thickness that measures at least 500 microns, depending on how much correction is required.  To be considered safe, the LASIK laser eye surgery must leave the patient with a minimum of 250 microns of thickness behind the flap.  270 to 280 microns is ideal.
•    You must have a pupil diameter of no more than 6.5 mm.
•    In most cases, you must be at least 19 years of age.
•    You must be in good overall health, and the health of your eyes must be good. Prior to agreeing to perform LASIK laser eye surgery on you, your doctor will perform a thorough pre-op eye exam to determine the health of your eyes.

Some conditions may preclude you from being a good candidate for LASIK laser eye surgery.  These include:

•    Certain diseases such as auto-immune diseases like lupus, vascular disease or certain kinds of uncontrolled diabetes
•    If you are pregnant or attempting to conceive, or if  you are nursing a child
•    Eye diseases such as severe glaucoma, cataracts, ocular herpes simplex, strabismus, kerataconus, infection, amblyopia, or inflammation of the eyes.  Severe eye dryness or scarring may also make LASIK laser eye surgery ill advised.
•    If you are taking certain drugs such as those for immune-system abnormalities

LASIK laser eye surgery is an elective surgery, meaning your doctor cannot require you to have it.  To determine whether you are a good candidate for the procedure, see your ophthalmologist.