If you want the most successful LASIK procedure in Orange County, apart from having a highly experienced LASIK eye surgeon, you have to meet specific patient criteria to determine whether eye surgery is suitable for you.
LASIK and PRK results are usually always good; however, not everyone is a suitable candidate for vision correction surgery.
Below is a checklist from the best laser eye surgery doctor in Orange County to provide you with a good start to help you determine if LASIK or PRK is appropriate for you.
You Should Have Healthy Eyes
If you suffer from a condition that affects how your eyes respond to surgery or how they heal afterward, you have to wait until that condition is dealt with. Good examples of this are:
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Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
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Severe dry eye syndrome
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Infection
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Any type of eye injury
If you have persistent dry eyes, which means you do not produce sufficient tears to maintain lubricated and healthy eyes, LASIK surgery may worsen this condition. Common symptoms of dry eyes consist of burning or stinging, a gritty sensation in the eye, less tolerance to wind, intermittent blurry vision, and even excessive tears in some instances. If you have some of these symptoms, do not hesitate to discuss them with your laser eye doctor before surgery.
Your LASIK surgeon can conclude if you have dry eyes during your preoperative exam and can usually treat the condition successfully so you can then go ahead with laser eye surgery. Possible treatments include artificial tears, punctal plugs, medicated eye drops, flaxseed or fish oil supplements, or a combination of these methods.
Also, cataracts that interfere with your vision and uncontrolled glaucoma will usually prevent you from being a candidate for LASIK or PRK procedures.
Your Cornea Must Be Thick Enough
Many LASIK refractive procedures in Orange County improve visual acuity by modifying the eye’s front surface (cornea). Carrying out laser eye surgery on a very thin cornea or one that has a surface that is very irregular and askew, such as the case of those who suffer from keratoconus, could jeopardize results and impair your vision.
If the LASIK eye surgery team in Orange County previously informed you that you couldn’t have LASIK since your corneas are very thin, recent breakthroughs may mean you’re now an acceptable candidate for laser vision correction. For instance, your eye surgeon can use a femtosecond laser rather than a microkeratome that can help him or her create a thinner corneal flap and, as a result of that, keep more of the underlying corneal tissue for laser treatment.
Moreover, suppose you’re still not a suitable candidate for LASIK or PRK regardless of the advanced technologies and techniques. In that case, another kind of refractive surgery, such as implantable lenses (phakic IOLs), could be a good alternative.
You Shouldn’t Have Very Big Pupils
If you have naturally large pupils, you could be at a higher risk of side effects such as glares, halos, and starbursts in low light, particularly when driving at night.
Your Prescription Must Be Within A Specific Limit
If you have a very high prescription, whether it’s because of farsightedness, nearsightedness, or astigmatism, your laser eye surgeon may recommend that you do not do the LASIK procedure.
Plus, very high amounts of myopia, for instance, would need the removal of too much corneal tissue and put you at higher risk of vision problems.
If you suffer from a severe refractive error, another type of vision correction surgery may be a better alternative, such as phakic IOL implantable lenses or refractive lens exchange.
You Have To Be Old Enough
Particular procedures require you to be 18 years old, and there are others that need the patient to be 21 years old. Patients who are younger than these ages can be treated as an exception with the vigilance of a LASIK surgeon and with permission from the patient’s parent(s) or guardian.
Typically, an upper age limit to laser eye surgery does not exist. Nevertheless, it is critical to keep in mind that you may still require reading glasses to correct near vision when you reach your forties because of a normal, age-related condition known as presbyopia.
Obviously, your LASIK eye surgeon may also consider you as a candidate for surgical correction of presbyopia such as monovision LASIK, which can improve your near vision without reading glasses or bifocals.
Considering women are at a higher risk for dry eyes after menopause, men have a greater risk for dry eyes later in life. As mentioned above, you should treat a dry eye condition before LASIK surgery.
Your Vision Has To Be Stable
Teenagers and many young adults often experience adjustments in their contact lens prescription and eyeglass prescription from year to year. Refractive errors need to be stable for at least 12 months before undergoing LASIK or other refractive surgery.
Typically, it is nearsightedness that slowly becomes worse, but there may be other changes as well.
This is why younger people are not appropriate candidates until their eyes have settled down into one prescription. Your optometrist can inform you whether your prescription is stable.
You Have To Be In Good Health
Contraindications to laser eye surgery may include uncontrolled degenerative conditions or uncontrolled autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, type 1 diabetes, and AIDS. People infected with HIV who have good immune cell counts may be candidates for LASIK.
Essentially, if your body has any trouble with healing, you will have a higher probability of an unsatisfactory LASIK surgery result. Opinions vary among LASIK surgeons on which diseases are automatic disqualifiers and which ones might be acceptable risks in specific cases.
Additionally, particular medications can intensify risks linked with laser eye surgery. For instance, immunosuppressants may disrupt post-operative healing, and some medications may increase the chance and/or severity of dry eye syndrome.
Ultimately, the only way to know for sure that LASIK is the best eye correction surgery for you is to contact Excel Laser Vision Institute today!
