Am I a Good Candidate for Refractive Surgery?

Refractive surgery--or LASIK--is not for everyone. In order to determine if you are a good candidate for surgery, you will first want to schedule a complete eye exam. A good candidate qualifies for LASIK eye surgery by meeting certain general requirements. The following guidelines will help you in deciding whether refractive eye surgery is right for you.

Physical Considerations for LASIK Eligibility

1. Your age should be at least 18 years old to ensure eye maturity.

2. Your vision should have remained unchanged for at least a year.

3. Your eyes should be free of infections or dry eye complications, for a year or longer. Herpes of the eye, eye inflammation, dry eyes, and corneal or retinal diseases may disqualify you as an eligible candidate.

4. You must be free of autoimmune disorders. Sjogren’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, Lupus, HIV, and AIDS may interfere with the healing after refractive surgery

5. Patients should not be taking certain medications, including Renova, steroids, or immunosuppressants, all of which may prevent healing after surgery.

6. Your corneas cannot be scarred or abnormal, otherwise the reshaping of the cornea may be affected. Trauma, aging, and certain diseases, can cause both.

7. You should not be pregnant or nursing. Hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy and nursing may affect vision stability.

8. Your pupils should be an appropriate size. Larger pupils may cause patients to experience glare, halos, or starbursts after surgery.

9. Your corneas need to have sufficient thickness. LASIK surgery requires an eye surgeon to make a corneal flap on the transparent front of the eye. Those with thin corneas may not qualify for the surgery and should consider alternative methods.

10. Your eyes cannot have severe refractive errors. If you have severe refractive errors, discuss with your doctor other available options.

Other things you should consider:

1. You should understand the risks. Even though modern LASIK is extremely safe with rare complications, there are still times when unavoidable complications can occur and negatively affect your vision.

2. Your job should not prohibit LASIK surgery. Pilots and certain military employees may be prohibited from getting refractive procedures. Check with your employer to verify there are no restrictions.

3. You should avoid non-contact sports. Routine blows to the face may negatively affect the results from LASIK surgery. Talk with your ophthalmologist about other possible procedures to improve your vision.

Contact our Milwaukee, Wisconsin laser eye surgery center to determine if you are a candidate for refractive surgery.