Contrary to common belief, most people with a refractive error make good LASIK candidates. In fact, over 85% of people who seek out LASIK end up qualifying for the procedure.
Chances are high that you’re a good candidate for LASIK surgery, too. But how can you tell for sure?
The only way to know for certain if LASIK is safe for you and likely to be effective is by getting a LASIK consultation. But you can assess yourself for most qualifying factors before you get a consultation by asking yourself these questions:
Are You at Least 21?
When you’re still growing, your body continues to go through changes. These changes include your eyes and the way they’re shaped, which in turn affects your prescription.
Until you stop growing, your prescription is more likely to change significantly. While most people consider themselves grown when they’re 18, you actually continue to grow for a few years after that. So many eye doctors recommend being at least 21 before getting LASIK.
Is Your Prescription Stable?
Even if you’re over 21, your eyesight may still be changing. If your prescription has changed in the last few years, you should wait until it becomes stable before having LASIK.
LASIK surgeons recommend that you have a stable prescription for at least a year before getting LASIK. Some surgeons even prefer you to have a stable prescription for two years. The longer you haven’t had any prescription changes, the better!
Are You in Good Health?
If you’re in generally good health with no significant illnesses, you should qualify for LASIK. Diabetes and autoimmune conditions may make any surgery, even a minor one like LASIK, unsafe.
But if you have a pre-existing condition, you may still be able to get LASIK. Your primary care doctor and LASIK surgeon can help you determine if you’d be able to heal from LASIK if you have one of these conditions.
Do You Have Any Eye Conditions?
Even if you’re in good health, you also should have good eye health to have LASIK. If you have a history of dry eye, for example, you may also have difficulties recovering from LASIK.
But you may still be able to have the procedure if you first get proper treatment for any existing eye conditions.
Is Your Prescription within Certain Limits?
LASIK can correct your vision to a large degree, but it has limits. It can correct up to -11.00 diopters of nearsightedness, +5.00 diopters of farsightedness, and 5.00 diopters of astigmatism.
If your prescription falls outside of this range, LASIK is not the right procedure for you.
Are You Ready for a Consultation?
If you’ve answered the rest of these questions and believe you’d make a good LASIK candidate, the next step is a LASIK consultation. They’ll be able to confirm your prescription and health as well as look into other qualifying factors you can’t determine on your own.
For example, your cornea needs to be thick enough to allow having it reshaped during LASIK. Your pupils also shouldn’t be too big as large pupils may cause night vision problems in LASIK patients.
During your consultation, your eye doctor will measure your cornea and pupils to make sure they’re within the right size limits.
But if you qualify for LASIK in every other way, it’s likely you’ll be a good candidate! So why wait any longer? Schedule your LASIK consultation at South Texas Eye Institute in San Antonio, TX, today!
