During your LASIK consultation, you will find out if you are a good LASIK candidate. To be a good candidate, you need to meet several factors.
These criteria are in place to ensure that the surgery is as safe as possible. Not everyone who wants LASIK should get it, which is why you need to qualify for it first. Keep reading for a few of the most important LASIK candidacy factors!
Stable Vision
Your prescription must be constant for at least a year before you can be a good LASIK candidate. Stable vision is a key part of undergoing LASIK.
If your vision isn’t stable, getting LASIK is a waste of time and money. If you get LASIK while you have unstable vision, your vision will continue changing.
This is why you must be at least 18 years old to get LASIK. Growth hormones, while you are young, can cause your vision to continue changing.
Most surgeons recommend waiting to get LASIK until a patient is in their mid-twenties. Your vision is more likely to have stabilized by this point. There is no age limit to how old you can be, meaning you can get LASIK well into your senior years!
Additionally, hormones from pregnancy can cause your vision to change temporarily. You will need to wait for several months after you have finished nursing before you can get LASIK.
If you know you want to have more children, you should wait to have LASIK until after.
Health
It is important for you to be healthy going into LASIK. As safe and noninvasive as LASIK is, it does still have a recovery period that you will need to go through.
If you have conditions like diabetes or HIV/AIDS, LASIK may not be the right fit. These conditions can make it more difficult for your body to recover after a procedure.
Your eyes in particular need to be healthy going into LASIK. If you have chronic dry eye, LASIK can worsen symptoms.
This can cause your eyes to become even drier and more likely to become infected. If you have any previous scarring on your cornea from an injury or keratoconus, LASIK may not be able to help.
If you have thin corneas, you may be eligible for an alternative procedure to LASIK such as PRK.
Mentality
LASIK needs to be a joint effort between you and the doctor to achieve amazing vision outcomes. As a patient, you need to have realistic expectations of the procedure.
This also means you should ask any questions you may have and express any concerns. You must be willing to follow all instructions before, during, and after LASIK.
These are all vital parts to building a foundation of trust between you and your doctor.
If you are nervous about the procedure, try researching the statistics surrounding it. It can help to conquer your fears by learning more about the procedure and the technology behind it.
Don’t take the internet’s word for it. Ask around and talk to your doctor. LASIK is an amazing opportunity to see the world clearly!
Ready to find out if LASIK could be right for you? Schedule a LASIK consultation at Eye Care Specialists in Kingston, PA today!
