Am I a good candidate for LASIK?

It’s no wonder that LASIK is a very popular surgery—LASIK has a very high chance of success, usually produces excellent results, and has helped millions upon millions of people improve their eyesight and, consequently, their quality of life. However, not everyone is eligible for laser eye surgery like LASIK. If you want to find out if you’re a good candidate for LASIK, the best thing to do is schedule an appointment with Dr. Dougherty. He can tell you for certain whether LASIK is a good option for you or if there are other options that you may not have considered.

Many factors determine whether you can get LASIK or not.

There are some general factors that can affect your eligibility for LASIK surgery and tell you right off the bat if you’re a possible candidate. While these factors are important, only a qualified, experienced laser eye surgeon can tell you for sure if your eyes can have LASIK performed on them.

• Due to the nature of the LASIK procedure, the thickness of your eyes’ corneas is a key factor for determining eligibility. A cornea must be a certain minimum thickness to be worked on. Otherwise, the surgery simply cannot be performed.
• The health of your eye can be a determining factor in eligibility. Your surgeon will consider your retina health and eye pressure during your eligibility examination. If you have keratoconus—a disease that weakens the strength of your cornea—you may not be a candidate. Discuss any previous eye issues with your surgeon, including things like amblyopia, or lazy eye.
• Similarly, your overall health is considered. If you have certain autoimmune diseases, diabetes, or other diseases, you may not be a candidate. As hormones can affect your eyeglass prescription, if you’re a mother who is nursing or pregnant you may not be a candidate.
• Accurate measurements of a stable prescription are vital to the success of LASIK. Contacts can affect the shape of your eye. Because of this, candidates are asked not to wear contacts for a certain length of time prior to consultation. Discuss with your surgeon how long you have been wearing contacts, how often you wear them, and when the last time you wore them was.
• If your prescription changes drastically or continually worsens as time goes by, you may not be a candidate.
• LASIK may not be right for you if you have a career or serious investment in contact sports like boxing, football, wrestling, martial arts, and so on. However, there may be other options available to you.
• It is a myth that dry eye precludes you from being a LASIK candidate. However, if dryness is found to be a significant concern, there may be more appropriate vision correction options available to you.

This is by no means a comprehensive list and none of these automatically disqualifies you from LASIK surgery for life. Having an open, honest discussion and full examination with a qualified surgeon is the only way to determine if your eyes are eligible for LASIK.

If you’re interested in finding out about your laser eye surgery options, Dougherty Laser Vision is an excellent choice. Dr. Dougherty has performed tens of thousands of surgeries and has helped to develop some of the most advanced techniques used in the field today. Contact us for a free consultation today. Dr. Dougherty will tell you with 100% certainty if your eyes are ready for LASIK.

Ready to Schedule an Eye Exam?

If you’re unsure if you’re eligible for laser eye surgery, take our LASIK self test to find out more. One of our experienced LASIK surgeons from Dougherty Laser Vision will ffer guidance about which procedure will be best for you. Take the first steps and schedule a LASIK consultation at Dougherty Laser Vision today!