Are You The Right Candidate For Laser Eye Surgery?

Is laser eye surgery right for you? Are you the right candidate for this type of procedure? If you're considering eye surgery to correct your vision, take a look at what you need to know about this procedure and the patients who are the best candidates for LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis). 

Do You Want to Get Rid of Glasses or Contacts?

Your vision requires correction. You've spent years wearing glasses or contact lenses. But now you're ready to make a change. Even though modern glasses and contacts are much more comfortable than they once were, some eye patients prefer a more permanent method of vision correction. Whether you don't like the way glasses make you look, you find contacts hard to handle, or you don't have time to care for your lenses, a LASIK procedure eliminates these vision-related issues. 

Are You Athletic or Active?

Glasses can slip down your sweaty nose when you go for a jog, or you may be worried you'll break the lenses during a pick-up game of basketball. While contacts are an easy alternative that many athletic people enjoy, they may interfere with some activities. 

Contacts can increase the risks of eye infections or eye irritations for swimmers—especially if you swim in a natural body of water, such as a lake. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Acanthamoeba (an ameba found in lakes, tap water, and well water) can cause a painful eye infection. 

You should remove your contacts when swimming (or engaging in other athletic activities). However, this strategy would leave you with blurry vision. LASIK removes the risks of wearing contacts while swimming or glasses during athletic activities, and it gives you the ability to see at a 20/20 level or better.

If you participate in a full-contact sport, such as boxing, talk to the surgeon about the pros and cons of LASIK. The doctor can explain the effect a blow to the face will have on your eyes after the procedure. 

Are Your Eyes Healthy?

Now that you know more about why some patients choose LASIK, it's time to take the next step and determine if your eyes are healthy enough for this procedure. Eye surgeons can help vision patients to learn more about their vision and decide whether LASIK is the right option. 

Some eye conditions or diseases may make you ineligible for the procedure or make it more likely you'll have complications and a poor outcome. In general, patients with eye diseases that cause progressive visual deterioration and corneal thinning should reconsider this procedure.

Along with thinning of the cornea, patients with persistent eye infections, keratitis (inflammation), serious eye injuries, cataracts, or glaucoma may want to choose a non-LASIK option or discuss the risks and benefits with their surgeon.

Keep these tips in mind when looking for a laser eye surgery clinic near you. 

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