Refractive Surgery

Refractive Surgery - Are You a Good Candidate for Lasik Refractive Surgery ?

If you have to wear glasses or contact lenses all day you may have thought about having your poor eyesight corrected by Lasik Refractive Surgery. It is a fact that Lasik and other types of laser eye refractive surgery have become very popular. Due to technical advancements more and more people with poor vision are becoming eligible for Lasik vision correction surgery, but regrettably there are also many who are not suitable candidates. There are some critical issues that need to be considered before embarking on Lasik vision correction. Are you a good candidate for Lasik Refractive Surgery ?

Age - You should be at least 18 years old with a prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses that has not changed for at least two years prior to refractive surgery. For some laser techniques the minimum age is 21.

Pregnancy - you will not be considered eligible for Lasik refractive surgery if you are pregnant or nursing at the time of the planned surgery because changes in hormone levels can cause fluctuations of the eye tissue.

Medications - Specific prescription drugs adversely affect the healing process. Drugs like Accutane or oral prednisone.

Myopia – if your prescription is for myopia you should delay Lasik until your refraction has stabilized, as myopia may continue to increase in some patients until their mid- to late 20s. Myopia is the result of light rays focused in front of the retina as opposed to focusing on the retina itself. This causes nearsightedness. Some of the symptoms of nearsightedness are blurred eye strain, distant vision and squinting. You may also have difficulty seeing at night.

History of Eye Infections – you should not have had any eye infections or eye injury within 12 months immediately prior to the date of refractive surgery. There should also be no scarring on the cornea.

Dry Eye Syndrome –if you suffer from dry eye syndrome this condition may become worse after the Lasik refractive surgery procedure.

Good Health - you should be enjoying good health if you are considering Lasik eye surgery. Prospective patients should not have any infection of herpes in the eye because Lasik can cause a recurrence. Also, you should not be suffering from auto-immune disorders such as Lupus, Crohn’s disease or Hepatitis. Lasik refractive surgery may not be recommended for patients with diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, glaucoma or cataracts.

Monovision - have you considered ‘monovision’ ? This procedure involves correcting one eye for distance vision and the other eye for near vision. Presbyopia - is the condition where the eye demonstrates a progressively diminished ability to focus on near objects. Presbyopia is like wrinkles and grey hair, it is a condition caused by the natural progress of aging. Lasik cannot correct Presbyopia but monovision may prove to be a suitable compromise.

If you don’t experience any problems wearing eyeglasses or contact lenses do you really need to embark on refractive surgery to your eyes. It is important to have realistic expectations.

Anyone who is considering Lasik Refractive Surgery should first consult their ophthalmologist and appreciate both the anticipated benefits and the inherent risks involved with this type of surgery. This procedure may be ideal for a healthy person with low to moderate vision problems.

More information.....

Site Menu

□ Corrective Eye Surgery

□ Cataract Eye Surgery

□ Lasik Eye Surgery

□ Refractive Surgery

□ Cosmetic Eye Surgery

□ After Lasik Eye Surgery

□ Eye Surgery

□ Laser Eye Surgery

□ Vitrectomy Eye Surgery

□ Custom Lasik

Other Items

□ Medical Disclaimer

□ Privacy Policy

□ Copyright

□ Other Reference

□ Contact Us

□ Site Map