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Many people are blessed with perfect 20/20 vision—they have no worries and no hassle with seeing life in this world in all its clear, crisp splendor. However, for the rest of us struggling with the daily issues related to corrective lenses—and there’s a bunch of us (we’re a majority on this planet)—we think about our vision. Every. Single. Day. And, at some point, most of us ask ourselves the question: do I qualify for LASIK?
So it isn’t surprising that LASIK is so popular.
If you’ve considered vision correction surgery like LASIK, you’ve probably heard about how fantastic life is with new, better vision. Ask the majority of people who’ve had it; now they experience life much like people born with perfect vision. They are just more grateful for good vision, knowing what life is like not being able to see well.
For those people who are good candidates, LASIK can be truly life-changing. But with every surgery, particularly one that is elective, you really need to think about it, find out if you qualify for LASIK, and decide if it is right for you. No surgery is 100 percent perfect—LASIK is really close with a higher than 98 percent patient satisfaction rate—but there is some risk, and other considerations, such as these:

LASIK is really good—spectacular for most—but it isn’t magic

As with any surgery, there is a recovery process. Most people see better immediately after LASIK, but, particularly in the first few weeks, people can experience dry eyes, glare, and halos. These typically resolve as part of the healing process.

Not everyone is a good candidate for LASIK

If your corneas are too thin or irregular, if you have eye diseases like glaucoma or autoimmune diseases like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, you may not be a candidate for LASIK. There are also medications, like corticosteroids, that can impair the healing process, making vision correction procedures a less-than-ideal choice for you.
Understanding the limits of LASIK will help you make an informed decision about your vision correction choices. Bottom line? If you are curious about LASIK, finding and talking candidly with our highly qualified surgeons at ICARE Eye Hospital, is the best way to find out if you qualify for LASIK and if it is right for you and your vision.

1. How does LASIK work?

LASIK is like sculpting a contact lens onto the surface of your eye. You get vision like a contact lens, often better, without the feeling of a contact and the nuisance of a contact.

2. What vision conditions does LASIK correct?

LASIK treats conditions that require people to wear glasses or contact lenses to see properly. These include myopia (nearsighted), hyperopia (farsighted), and astigmatism

3. Am I a good candidate?

The only way for an individual to find out if they are a candidate for LASIK is to have a thorough eye examination. “LASIK is one of the safest and most rewarding procedures performed today, but requires the patient to be a good candidate for the procedure. A good candidate for LASIK must have a combination of the right physical findings and expectations. During a thorough eye examination, an eye doctor will evaluate the shape, regularity, thickness, and health of the front of the eye, the cornea. The doctor will also measure the degree of nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. The most important part of the LASIK consultation will then be the informed consent that educates the patient of the potential risks and benefits of LASIK.”

4. How many patients have 20/20 vision or better after LASIK surgery?

Most published studies show that between 96-99% of patients achieve 20/20 vision or better with a single laser procedure.

5. How long does LASIK surgery last?

Forever. The correction will outlast you. Now, that isn’t to say that vision can’t change as you age – it sometimes does. LASIK corrects the eye but doesn’t freeze it in place.

6. What is the difference between LASIK and SMILE?

LASIK and SMILE are laser eye procedures designed to remove the imperfections in the cornea that lead to common vision disorders like nearsightedness and astigmatism.  While they accomplish the same goal, the procedures approach it differently. LASIK uses a femtosecond laser to expose the inner layer of the cornea where an excimer laser permanently reshapes the cornea to improve vision. SMILE uses a laser to create a disc within the inner layers of the cornea and remove the disc through a very small incision in the cornea. By removing the disc, the cornea is reshaped to improve vision.

7. What is the difference between LASIK and PRK?

LASIK and PRK are similar in that both are performed with the same excimer laser and have almost identical visual results. LASIK employs a keratome or Femto laser to make a flap in the cornea that is elevated, and the excimer laser is used to correct the vision. The flap is then put back in place and there is minimal discomfort with vision being greatly improved by the next day. In PRK there is no flap, and the skin or epithelium of the cornea is removed, the excimer laser treats the vision, and a contact lens is placed on the eye for 3-5 days to allow the epithelium to heal back. In PRK there can be more discomfort and the vision takes longer to return. PRK is the preferred treatment in thinner, more irregular corneas.

8. Can LASIK get rid of my reading glasses?

Somewhere in the mid-40’s, we start losing our near vision.  There are a number of ways to correct for this including monovision.  Monovision means one eye (dominant) is set for distance and your other eye (non-dominant) is set for near vision. This can be done with LASIK laser vision correction treatment. Many people tolerate this well to augment their near vision. The best way to test for this is to have your eye doctor do a trial in the exam room or with temporary contact lenses. If you are a candidate for this, you would be able to see up close and at distance with laser vision correction.