Are You a Candidate for Lasik Surgery?
For many people who are fed up with wearing contact lenses or glasses on a daily basis, LASIK surgery can be a very attractive alternative. LASIK is a procedure that uses an excimer laser to reshape your cornea to eliminate irregularities and help improve retinal focusing.
Laser eye surgery has a very good success rate. The vast majority of LASIK patients have been very happy with the results. However, 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 important to discuss these risks with an experienced laser eye surgeon to determine if you are an ideal candidate for LASIK surgery.
The Ideal LASIK Candidate
LASIK is ideally suited to improve 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 surgeon if you have a very strong prescription.
In general, a good candidate for LASIK:
· Is 21 or older
· Is in good overall health
· Does not have any corneal disease
· Is not pregnant or nursing a child
· Has reasonable expectations for the results 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 system disease: Diseases such as HIV or rheumatoid arthritis, which impact your immune system, may complicate the healing process after surgery. Immune system diseases also increase the likelihood of infection and many other complications following LASIK.
· Dry eyes: Dry eyes are a common complication following LASIK. If you chronically experience dry eyes before your surgery, it will most likely prevent proper healing and magnify this complication once surgery is complete.
· Severe corneal irregularities: If you have very thin or abnormally shaped corneas, it will be difficult 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 fluctuating, 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 elective 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.
Patricia Woloch
http://www.articlesbase.com/vision-articles/are-you-a-candidate-for-lasik-surgery-695490.html