Is LASIK Right For You?

If you suffer from myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), or astigmatism, there is a good chance LASIK can dramatically improve your vision. Many patients just like you experience post-operative vision of 20/40, 20/20, or better. Typically, corrective lenses are not needed after LASIK.

We generally recommend LASIK patients be 20 years old or older as the refraction, or the ability of the eyes to focus correctly, of younger patients may still be developing and changing. Adults of any age with healthy corneas and prescriptions that have not changed within a year’s time are considered good candidates for LASIK. A few exceptions include women who are pregnant or nursing. They are discouraged from having LASIK performed as these conditions may also cause changes in refraction. Patients with a pacemaker or diabetes are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Due to advances in LASIK technology, many patients who may have been declined as LASIK candidates in the past may qualify for the surgery now. If you are thinking about having the LASIK procedure done to your eyes, use these qualifications as a guideline. As with any medical procedure, however, you should consult with an eye specialist to get his or her personal recommendation.

LASIK does not cure or prevent presbyopia, the inability to see or read items very close up which affects most people beginning around age 40. (Presbyopia is the condition that causes many middle-aged and elderly people to use reading glasses or bifocal lenses.) We are currently working with teams of medical professionals to research procedures that could potentially cure presbyopia.