To get LASIK, you will need to undergo a variety of tests to show that you are a qualified candidate. Part of the reason for these tests is to make sure LASIK is safe for you to undergo.
There are a lot of factors that go into LASIK candidacy but healthy eyes are extremely important. If your eyes aren’t healthy, can you still get LASIK? Read more to find out!
Treat Your Dry Eye Before LASIK
When you have dry eye, your eyes drive you crazy. They are dry, irritated, or just plain uncomfortable. So you may think that with dry eye, you can’t undergo LASIK. The short answer is your dry eye needs to be under control before you can get LASIK.
This is possible if your dry eye is under treatment. This can include artificial tears, eye drops, or in office procedures. Once your dry eye is comfortably under control, you can undergo LASIK.
Why shouldn’t you get LASIK with actively dry eyes? LASIK may have a quick recovery, but your eyes may become irritated after the procedure.
One of the most common symptoms after LASIK is itchy eyes. Itchy, irritated eyes, while you have dry eye, is an easy way to damage your eyes after LASIK. If you have had dry eye before, LASIK can also cause your dry eye symptoms to flare up again.
Getting Rid of Dry Eye
Sometimes treating dry eye means changing up your environment or adding necessary moisture. You can increase the amount of moisture in your home by buying humidifiers. This is a small price to pay for less irritated eyes!
Another way you can help with your dry eyes is frequent dusting. Keep in mind that you should use a damp towel when dusting, rather than a dry duster.
You can take it a step further by having an air filter installed in your home. This can drastically reduce the amount of pollen and dust floating around.
You may need to change a few habits if your dry eye is not clearing up. Smoking is a big contributor to dry eye disease. Quitting will not only help with dry eye but will lower your risk for other diseases.
Reducing screen time or taking frequent breaks if you need to be at your computer can help. While using screens, we can forget to blink for long stretches of time.
Finally, external treatment can be beneficial to many people. This includes medication that helps stimulate tear production. If medication for increasing tear production doesn’t work, there are punctal plugs.
Punctal plugs get inserted into the eyes’ drainage systems. This forces your tears to stay on the surface of the eyes for longer. You can also try meibomian gland therapy to unclog the oil-producing glands in your eyelids. Expressing these glands helps increase good tear production.
It’s not over for your dreams of LASIK if you have chronic dry eye symptoms. Contact Eye Care Specialists in Dallas, PA and schedule an appointment today!
