Who is a Good Candidate for LASIK?

LASIK is a very common laser eye surgery aimed at treating myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism. In LASIK, a laser is used to gently reshape the cornea, allowing the light that enters the eye to be more focused on the retina and providing clearer vision.

With advancements in laser surgical technology, more people than ever can have this procedure safely, experiencing lasting results. Your candidacy for LASIK depends on a few factors, like age, your current health, vision prescription and others.

To know if you qualify for LASIK eye surgery, it’s beneficial to get expert advice. At Tylock-George Laser Eye Care, we will examine your eye health and vision to determine if you qualify. Here are a few factors that will decide whether you qualify for this life-changing procedure.

Your Overall Health

A very large part of assessing whether you’re a good candidate for LASIK or not is an examination of your overall health. Patients who have been diagnosed with keratoconus, glaucoma, cataracts, and certain retinal or optic nerve problems are not good candidates and might benefit more from other procedures.

Good candidates for laser vision correction are free of eye diseases and other health problems. These could include collagen vascular disease, uncontrolled diabetes, or autoimmune disease, as well as any condition which renders the patient immunocompromised.

When you’re being assessed for LASIK, be sure to tell your doctor if you suffer from any of the following:

• Muscle imbalance
• Severe dry eye
• Previous eye surgery or injury
• Lazy eye (strabismus or amblyopia)
• Keloid scarring
• Any number of other medical conditions that may seem unrelated

When it comes to assessing your candidacy for LASIK, make sure you tell the physician handling your evaluation every health issue you’re experiencing. Unrelated conditions like back problems or even claustrophobia can affect your ability to safely receive laser eye surgery.

Your Age and Vision

To be a good candidate for LASIK, your prescription must remain unchanged for two years. While LASIK has been FDA-approved for people over 18 years old, we may recommend waiting until your mid-20s to undergo LASIK.

Around the age of 40, you may begin to develop presbyopia, making things within your arm’s reach blurry. A LASIK procedure will not correct this age-related vision loss, but you may be a fit for monovision surgery. This would allow for your non-dominant eye to be slightly more nearsighted, making up-close vision clearer.

Eye surgeons perform LASIK on patients of all ages if they are in good health. If your vision prescription is stable, talk to the professionals at Tylock-George Laser Eye Care about how LASIK can benefit you.

Your Compliance with Pre- and Post-Surgery Directions

Caring for your eyes before and after laser vision correction is very important for your eye health. You may be asked to refrain from wearing contact lenses anywhere from two to four weeks prior to your LASIK consultation and the actual surgery because of the way they affect the shape of your corneas.

You also shouldn’t wear makeup or any other topical product near your eyes during the surgery. Because you will be slightly sedated during the procedure, you need to arrange for someone to drive you to and from your procedure.

Recovery from laser eye surgery has its own requirements to allow for a healthy healing. You may be required to follow a medication schedule and attend follow-up exams. These exams are crucial for ensuring your eyes heal properly. Annual appointments are needed to ensure that your eyes are still in good condition at various points throughout the recovery from LASIK.

LASIK is Safe and Effective

Like with all surgeries, there is some level of risk involved with LASIK, but it’s one of the safest eye surgeries currently on the market. Even when the perfect candidate gets LASIK, a complication-free surgery can result in less than 20/20 vision, but most of the time, LASIK is safe, effective, quick, and virtually painless.

The Best Laser Eye Surgeons in Dallas

Finding the right LASIK provider can seem like the hardest decision when undergoing LASIK. At Tylock-George Eye Care and Laser Center, we use only the most advanced laser technology available, providing the safest and most comfortable LASIK experience on the market today.

Learn more here or call us at 972-316-9851 to schedule your LASIK consultation with one of our eye care experts.