How Will I Know I’m A Good LASIK Candidate?

LASIK can be life-changing. For so many people, LASIK means freedom from glasses and contacts.

But how do you know if you’re someone who can get LASIK? How do you know if LASIK is safe for you?

Here’s the good news: most people are good candidates for LASIK. Over 80% of people who go in for a LASIK evaluation qualify for the procedure.

How do you know if you’re one of them? The only way to know for sure is to go in for a LASIK consultation.

But there are some things you can check for yourself to get a better idea of if you’re a candidate. Keep reading to learn if you could be a good LASIK candidate!

You Are at Least 18

To have LASIK, you need to be at least 18 years old. Most of you, including your body, will finish maturing by this time.

But your eyes may still change even after 18. You’re more likely to have prescription changes until you’re at least 21.

You want to make sure your eyesight has stopped changing before you get LASIK. There’s no point in getting LASIK if your eyes are still changing.

If your prescription changes after having LASIK surgery, it makes the procedure less effective. For the best possible results, wait to have LASIK until your mid to late twenties.

Your Prescription is Stable

Even if you’re over 21, your prescription can still keep changing. You want to have no prescription changes for at least two years before you have LASIK.

This ensures that your procedure will be as effective as possible. Having stable eyes that haven’t changed in at least 2 years is a good way to guarantee this.

You are in Good Health

To have any eye surgery, you should be in good health. This means you should have no pre-existing conditions that could complicate recovery.

Having diabetes or an autoimmune disease may make it difficult for your eyes to heal after LASIK. Having pre-existing eye conditions can also make surgery dangerous.

Some conditions may not interfere with surgery, and these can be discussed during your evaluation. But as a general rule, if you’re completely healthy, there should be no trouble.

You don’t need to be in perfect health to have LASIK, but you should be pretty healthy.

Your Prescription is Within Acceptable Limits

LASIK can correct your vision even if you have a very strong prescription. But it’s most effective in correcting nearsightedness.

It can have some limits when correcting farsightedness and astigmatism. LASIK can correct up to -12.00 diopters of nearsightedness, +6 diopters of farsightedness, and 6 diopters of astigmatism.

If your prescription falls outside of those limits, LASIK is likely not for you. Don’t worry though, because there are other refractive procedures you may qualify for instead!

You Don’t Have Dry Eye Syndrome

Dry eye is a condition some people don’t even know they have. Even if you don’t experience symptoms, you may be predisposed to dry eye syndrome.

Eye surgery can trigger symptoms and make recovery difficult. Part of the screening process for LASIK includes evaluating tear production and tear quality.

But even if your tears are found to be lacking, your surgeon can recommend treatments to manage potential dry eye. If treated effectively, you may be able to have LASIK surgery after it’s under control.

Think that LASIK may be the vision correction procedure for you? Find out for sure by scheduling a LASIK consultation at Berg Feinfield Vision Correction in Burbank, CA!

If you’re frustrated by glasses or contacts, isn’t it time to find something better?