Are You Right For LASIK?

To find out whether you are right for LASIK, you need to schedule a LASIK consultation at New England Vision. During your consultation, you will go through vision tests and your medical history.

This is to determine if you meet the following standards to ensure that LASIK will be safe for you. Keep reading to find out some of the most common factors that go into LASIK candidacy!

Your Age

The first thing you should know about LASIK candidacy is that it is only FDA approved for people over the age of 18. Even if you are 18, that doesn’t mean you won’t have to wait until you are older to receive LASIK.

The age limit is to prevent people from getting LASIK while their eyes are changing due to hormones. Your vision may still be unstable well into your twenties.

To get LASIK, you will need to wait until your vision has been stable for at least a year. This is one of the most basic LASIK candidacy factors.

Pregnancy

Like your age, pregnancy can affect your vision because of your hormones. You will need to wait at least three months after giving birth to get LASIK.

If you plan on nursing, you’ll need to wait several months after to get LASIK as well. It can take a significant amount of time before hormones return to their normal state.

If your vision is unstable for any reason, then LASIK could end up actually being a detriment to your vision. Getting LASIK while your vision is unstable would be a waste of your time and money.

You would just have to have it corrected again after your vision stabilized. It’s much smarter to wait to have LASIK once your vision and prescription are stable.

This means your prescription needs to be unchanged for at least a year before LASIK.

Your Health Status

You need to be in good health to get LASIK. This includes both your eyes and yourself. You don’t need to be in perfect health, but you shouldn’t suffer from any auto-immune disorders.

These can make it more difficult to heal after a procedure like LASIK.

Your eyes should be free from infection, as LASIK could cause it to worsen. If you have a condition like dry eye, it must be under control before getting LASIK.

This can affect your recovery by removing an important barrier to infection. LASIK can also worsen the symptoms of dry eye temporarily.

This is because nerves in the cornea are severed, leading to reduced response time. You may want to consider another procedure if you have corneal scarring or other issues.

LASIK is a procedure that reshapes part of the cornea to correct refractive errors. You also need to be free from any diseases that inhibit your body’s ability to heal.

This includes diabetes and HIV/AIDS, Sjogren’s syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis. Certain medications can also affect your body’s ability to heal, particularly immunosuppressants.

Your Prescription

LASIK can help a wide range of prescriptions, but it’s not right for everyone. LASIK is less predictable and may become risky if you have a stronger prescription.

This is more likely if you suffer from extreme myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism. In this case, you may be a candidate for refractive lens exchange.

Think that you may be ready for LASIK? Schedule a LASIK consultation at New England Vision in Burlington, VT and find out today!