If you are ready to be free of cumbersome prescription visual aids or time-consuming contact lens maintenance, correcting your vision with LASIK can help you gain visual independence! LASIK has high rates of success and patient satisfaction, making it many people’s top choice for achieving crisp, clear vision.
LASIK is a quick procedure performed at the Batra Vision Medical Group office. Your LASIK surgeon will create a small incision to reach the cornea during the procedure.
After reaching the cornea, they will reshape it using lasers. With quick recovery times, most patients report improved vision within a few days!
Unfortunately, not everyone is a good candidate for LASIK surgery. Are you wondering if you could be a good LASIK candidate? Keep reading to find out what a good LASIK candidate looks like and if it could be you!
You are At Least 18 Years Old
LASIK candidates should be at least 18 years old. Hormonal changes during puberty can affect your eyes and vision, but these changes generally stabilize by the time you reach adulthood. Having stable vision ensures that the procedure will be successful.
If you are over 40, LASIK may not be your best vision-correcting option. This is because individuals over 40 are more prone to dry eye, which can lead to post-surgery complications and compromise treatment outcomes. You may also be a better candidate for a procedure like RLE. Talk to your eye doctor if they tell you you don’t qualify for LASIK.
You Have a Consistent Prescription
LASIK is most effective if you have a prescription that’s remained consistent and stable for a year or more. Patients with noticeable changes to their vision who have LASIK may find that LASIK does not correct their vision permanently.
The best way to stay knowledgeable about the stability of your prescription is to schedule annual eye exams. These eye exams ensure that your eye surgeon has an accurate record of any changes to your eyesight.
Your Eye Prescription is Within a Certain Range
LASIK may not be the best way to correct your vision if you have pronounced near- or far-sightedness or astigmatism. Performing LASIK surgery on individuals with stronger-than-average prescriptions can result in vision problems like reduced night vision and visual halos around light sources.
Having a prescription too strong for LASIK doesn’t mean you can’t correct your vision and achieve visual freedom. You may find alternative procedures like refractive lens exchange (RLE) or photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) procedures are possible alternatives to LASIK.
Your Eyes Are Healthy
Your eyes must be healthy to be a successful LASIK candidate. LASIK will not be a good fit if you suffer from an eye condition like conjunctivitis or other eye infection. You also should not have glaucoma or cataracts if you’re considering LASIK.
If your vision is affected by glaucoma and cataracts, it can’t be corrected with LASIK. These conditions require specific treatments like prescription eye drops to reduce eye pressure caused by glaucoma or cataract surgery to allow you to see clearly after having cataracts removed.
You Don’t Have Dry Eye Syndrome that’s Untreated
Individuals with untreated dry eye syndrome can experience severe post-LASIK surgery complications, including longer recovery and painfully itchy eyes. These complications can affect the healing process and lead to accidental damage to your eyes.
While dry eye syndrome won’t immediately make you a bad LASIK candidate, you need to treat the eye condition. Over-the-counter or specially prescribed eye drops can ensure your eyes stay adequately moist.
Your Corneas are Thick Enough
An ideal LASIK candidate needs to have thick enough corneas to create a corneal flap during LASIK. If your corneas are too thin, LASIK surgery may cause damage to your vision.
Before performing LASIK surgery, we will comprehensively examine your eyes. During this exam, we check for corneal thickness to ensure that your corneas meet the requirements for LASIK.
You are in Good Health
While LASIK is a non-invasive procedure, a good LASIK candidate should be healthy. Being healthy before having LASIK helps your eyes heal faster after the procedure and lowers your risk for post-surgery complications.
Certain chronic health conditions can make you a bad candidate for LASIK. These conditions include diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and other autoimmune diseases. These autoimmune conditions can cause vision-threatening complications after eye procedures like LASIK.
You have Realistic Expectations About What to Expect from LASIK
A good candidate for LASIK will have realistic expectations about their outcome after LASIK. Studies have shown that patients who are realistic about treatment outcomes are more likely to be satisfied with the results.
LASIK has impressive treatment statistics, with 90% of patients reporting improved vision and 97% of patients reporting visual improvement to at least 20/40. If you are considering LASIK, our eye surgeons can help you fully understand what outcome you can expect post-surgery.
If you are ready for the freedom offered by improved vision that’s crisper, sharper, and better than you ever achieved with glasses or contacts, it’s time to consider LASIK! At Batra Vision Medical Group, we have performed over 10,000 LASIK surgeries, making us one of the leading providers of LASIK treatment.
Our experienced and knowledgeable team can ensure LASIK surgery is the best way to achieve your vision goals! If you are ready for clear vision without needing vision-correcting aids, request an appointment at Batra Vision Medical Group today in San Leandro, CA! Isn’t it time to achieve the vision of your dreams?
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