The FDA has approved LASIK for patients with up to approximately +6,000 diopters of farsightedness, -12 diopters of myopia and 6,000 diopters of astigmatism. However, even within these parameters, there may be situations where your eye doctor feels that LASIK surgery isn't the best option for you. When it comes to the safety and effectiveness of LASIK, there are some cases where the physical structure or health of the eye may prevent it from being a viable refractive surgery option. Beyond the obvious desire for clearer vision, your eyes must be generally healthy in order to undergo laser eye surgery.
The procedure involves using a laser to change the shape of the cornea, which is the transparent front surface of the eye. Experienced laser eye surgeons can use this procedure to correct a wide range of vision problems, from mild to moderate myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. Refractive lens exchange is another type of surgery that involves removing the eye's natural lens and replacing it with an artificial lens. If you have any diseases or disorders that prevent your body from healing, it's important to talk to your doctor about laser eye surgery and discuss it with your LASIK specialist. In addition to the above circumstances that could prevent a patient from undergoing LASIK eye surgery, there are a variety of other factors that could disqualify a person from undergoing the procedure.
The eye doctor will perform a comprehensive eye exam to determine eye health and understand the specific dimensions of the eye. For example, if you have an eye infection, severe dry eyes, or conjunctivitis (conjunctivitis), you won't be able to have the procedure until your eyes have healed. If the LASIK evaluation is done immediately after pregnancy, pending the results of the evaluation, your eye doctor or LASIK specialist may recommend that you let your eyes return to their normal starting position for a few months. That's not entirely true, and you should only consult eye surgeons who carefully determine if you're a suitable candidate for surgery before proceeding. You might be surprised to learn that the level of corneal thickness is another factor in your eligibility for LASIK eye surgery. While age is not the only decisive factor in laser eye surgery, your doctor must consider many factors before performing this type of procedure to ensure you get the best possible outcome.
When you have laser eye surgery, your LASIK surgeon corrects your vision according to the prescription prescribed at that time. PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) is another type of surgery very similar to LASIK but doesn't involve the use of a laser.
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