LASIK Candidacy
THERE ARE 4 BASIC CATEGORIES OF CANDIDATES:
- Ideal LASIK candidate
- Temporary less than ideal LASIK candidate
- Less than ideal LASIK candidate
- Not a LASIK candidate
Seibel Vision Surgery keeps stringent standards for LASIK in order to ensure your Personal Best Vision.
IDEAL LASIK CANDIDATE
There are certain factors that are vital to your being an ideal LASIK candidate:
- Age of at least 21 years
- Vision that has stabilized with a consistent glasses or contact lens prescription for at least 2 years
- Cornea of sufficient thickness and appropriate curvature – to allow the creation of a clean corneal flap of appropriate depth for LASIK.
- At least 1 of the common types of vision problems:
- Myopia (nearsightedness)
- Hyperopia (farsightedness)
- Astigmatism (irregular shaped eye)
- Free of any disease, vision-related or otherwise, that may reduce the effectiveness of surgery or the ability to heal properly and quickly
- Adequately informed about the benefits and risks of LASIK
MAY BE IDEAL LASIK CANDIDATE AT A LATER DATE
Sometimes factors exist that may keep you from being a candidate immediately, but do not preclude your being a candidate entirely:
- Eyes that are not fully mature, which usually means less than 21 years of age
- Vision that has not stabilized with a consistent glasses or contact lens prescription for at least 1 year.
- Pregnancy or nursing
- History of ocular herpes within a year prior
- Refractive errors too severe for treatment with current technology*
*Current FDA-approval defines appropriate candidates as those with myopia up to -12 diopters, astigmatism up to 6 diopters and hyperopia up to +6 diopters.
LESS THAN IDEAL LASIK CANDIDATE
Sometimes factors exist that might preclude you from being an ideal for LASIK surgery:
- History of dry eyes
- Medications such as steroids or immunosuppressants, which can slow or prevent healing
- Diseases that slow healing, such as autoimmune disorders
- Scarring of the cornea
NOT A LASIK CANDIDATE
There are certain conditions and circumstances that exclude individuals from being candidates for LASIK surgery:
- Conditions such as cataracts, amblyopia, strabismus, advanced glaucoma, corneal diseases, corneal thinning disorders (keratoconus or pellucid marginal degeneration), or certain other pre-existing eye diseases that affect or threaten vision
- Collagen vascular diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, or significant problems with wound healing.
- Refusal to give informed consent
- Not having realistic expectations
Dr. Seibel will then discuss the results of your evaluation with you. Upon your decision to proceed, we will schedule your pre-operative eye exam.
Next step: Your pre-operative eye exam.