Are You a Candidate for Lasik Surgery?

For many people who are fed up with wearing friend lenses or glasses on a daily basis, LASIK surgery can be a very striking alternative. LASIK is a procedure that uses an excimer laser to reshape your cornea to eliminate irregularities and help increase retinal focusing.

Laser eye surgery has a very excellent success rate. The vast majority of LASIK patients have been very pleased with the consequences. But, as with all surgery, the benefits come with their share of risks. Depending on your situation, these risks may or may not be worth the reward for you. It is vital to discuss these risks with an experienced laser eye general practitioner to determine if you are an ideal candidate for LASIK surgery.

The Ideal LASIK Candidate

LASIK is ideally suited to increase moderate refractive errors such as:

· Nearsightedness

· Farsightedness

· Astigmatism

If your refractive errors are very severe (if you have a strong prescription), the surgery may not be as effective. You might want to discuss alternative refractive surgery procedures with your LASIK general practitioner if you have a very strong prescription.

In general, a excellent candidate for LASIK:

· Is 21 or older

· Is in excellent overall shape

· Does not have any corneal disease

· Is not pregnant or nursing a child

· Has evenhanded expectations for the consequences and understands the risks involved

Factors that Hurt your Candidacy for LASIK

There are several factors that may make laser eye surgery a less-than-ideal option for you. The risks associated with LASIK increase if you have:

· An immune logic disease: Diseases such as HIV or rheumatoid arthritis, which impact your immune logic, may complicate the healing process after surgery. Immune logic diseases also increase the likelihood of infection and many additional complications subsequent LASIK.

· Dry eyes: Dry eyes are a common complication subsequent LASIK. If you chronically experience dry eyes before your surgery, it will most likely prevent proper healing and magnify this complication once surgery is perfect.

· Severe corneal irregularities: If you have very thin or abnormally shaped corneas, it will be hard for your ophthalmologist to perform the surgery. There will also be a greater risk of overcorrections or undercorrections in your surgery.

· Unstable vision: Your vision must be stable for at least two years in order to qualify for LASIK surgery. If your vision is currently unpredictable, you should not have the surgery.

· Large pupils: Large pupils can lead to serious complications with night vision after LASIK, such as glare, halos, and star bursts.

The Cost Factor

One final factor to consider is cost. While LASIK has come down in price over the years, it is still an expensive procedure. Since this is considered discretionary surgery, most insurance companies will not reimburse you. You may want to make sure that LASIK fits into your budget before choosing to go ahead with the surgery.

The Absolute Course of Lasik Eye Surgery: Crux of the Matter of Lasik Surgery