Are you a LASIK candidate?

LASIK surgery addresses the problem of astigmatism by reshaping the cornea to correct the way light hits the back of the eye. Through LASIK surgery the cornea can be reshaped to resemble a more spherical curve. This spherical curve then allows the eye to focus light rays efficiently, which in turn may lead to clearer vision. Glasses and contact lenses can temporarily fix astigmatisms; however, the main fix currently available is LASIK, which will alter the curve of the cornea. LASIK surgery can treat astigmatism even when it is accompanied by myopia or hyperopia.

Astigmatism is a condition that causes blurred or distorted vision. Astigmatism can occur in one or both eyes and can be accompanied by hyperopia or myopia. Patients with astigmatisms may experience eyestrain and headaches without the aid of glasses or contact lenses. This vision strain can be caused by a misshaped curve of the cornea. Instead of the cornea imitating the curved shape of a baseball, it imitates that of a football. This type of curve causes light to hit the eye at multiple points, rather than a single point, sending mixed signals to the brain which then causes images to look distorted. Individuals can inherit astigmatism from their parents. It can also be caused by an injury or ocular disease. Most patients with astigmatism are required to wear glasses or contact lenses in order to correct the problem. In these cases LASIK eye surgery is the only option to correct their vision error and reduce the need for wearing corrective lenses.

LASIK eye surgery is a type of refractive surgery that corrects vision errors. In order for someone to qualify for LASIK eye surgery, a patient must have some refractive error. Many wonder if astigmatism is a refractive error that can be corrected with LASIK eye surgery. This is especially true for those patients with astigmatism that wish to achieve better vision through LASIK eye surgery. Many patients with astigmatisms have experienced positive results from LASIK eye surgery.

Before undergoing LASIK all potential patients will be evaluated and not all will be considered good candidates for LASIK eye surgery. There may be some patients with astigmatism that cannot qualify for LASIK eye surgery. Many patients afflicted with astigmatisms are children and young children are not good candidates for LASIK eye surgery. It is recommended that LASIK patients be over the age of 18 years old, to ensure that their refractive error has stabilized. Having astigmatism will not disqualify someone from being a candidate for LASIK eye surgery.

The outcome of LASIK surgery is directly related to how well you fit the criteria for being a good LASIK candidate. Your LASIK doctor will check for a number of risk factors that may cause possible complications after LASIK eye surgery. Measurement of your pupil size is an important part of your LASIK consultation. When determining if you are a good candidate for LASIK eye surgery, you need to consider the size of your pupils. Your LASIK doctor will measure your pupil size during the initial examination and this will be a contributing factor in determining if you are a good candidate for LASIK eye surgery.

You may wonder why pupil sizes matter when determining your eligibility for LASIK eye surgery. It is important to know your pupil size because patients with large pupils are at an additional risk for complications associated with LASIK eye surgery. Some of these patients can potentially be left with an over correction, poor night vision or blurry vision following LASIK eye surgery. Poor night vision can include seeing starbursts or halos or simply not being able to make out fine details, which is also known as a loss of contrast sensibility. In some extreme cases, these effects can be so debilitating that patients can no longer drive at night. If you are a patient with large pupils, you need to seriously consider any additional risks for complication because these complications can alter your lifestyle and may change your everyday routine. Your doctor has an obligation to warn you about these risks and you have the responsibility of asking your doctor questions that will help to determine what your risks are before you undergo surgery.

Not everyone who has large pupils is automatically excluded from LASIK eye surgery. Some experts feel that other contributing factors in addition to a large pupil size, are the causes of LASIK complications. Patients that need to be checked for large pupils should also be informed of any risks associated with their unique condition. Patients with large pupils may not be considered good candidates for LASIK eye surgery and for their own safety they should respect this decision. Patients with large pupils need to carefully consider LASIK and seek out the opinion of a trusted LASIK eye surgeon before undergoing the procedure.

Does playing sports put an athlete at risk? Athletes may seem like the most obvious candidates for LASIK eye surgery. LASIK would eliminate the need for glasses and contacts, which are difficult to wear when playing contact sports. Glasses and contacts are inconvenient for anyone, but especially for athletes who play sports and don’t want to break their glasses or deal with the irritation that is caused when dirt or sweat interferes with contact lenses. Regardless of the obvious benefits, some people may wonder if athletes are good candidates for the LASIK eye surgery procedure. Can athletic activities disqualify athletes from being eligible for LASIK?

The answers vary depending on what sports they play but overall being an athlete does not necessary disqualify you from being a good candidate for LASIK. Most doctors will warn athletes that they may be at a higher risk for complications or infection after LASIK because contact sports will always put athletes at risk of injury. Athletes will have to plan on recovery time away from their sport. There is at least a two-week time period for recovery and depending on the sport, an athlete could be out of their game a little longer.

Some sports put LASIK patients at a higher risk than others. Athletes who play contact sports such as football, boxing or wrestling, are at a much higher risk for injury. Athletes playing traditional sports like baseball or soccer, are at a lower risk of injury. The main concern after LASIK is damage to the corneal flap as it heals. During LASIK the corneal flap created aides the laser in reshaping the cornea. If the eye is hit soon after surgery before the patient fully recovers, there is a risk of the corneal flap re-opening or becoming damaged and infected.

It’s also quite common for athletes to get sweat or dirt around their face while playing. This can irritate and lead to rubbing of the eyes, which may also cause damage to the cornea and/or the corneal flap. Athletes may also experience REM or rapid eye movement while playing as they focus on the action of the game. REM can cause unnecessary stresses to the eye and may also contribute to an injury or infection of the eye. These are all very good reasons for athletes to follow their LASIK doctor’s instructions and take recovery time very seriously.

Although there are many factors that determine whether or not you are a good candidate for LASIK, in most cases being an athlete will not keep you from having LASIK eye surgery. As long as athletes are willing to put serious time and energy into their recovery period and take the allotted time off of their sport, they should be able to benefit from having LASIK. Many professional athletes have experienced the positive results of LASIK. Tiger Woods, LeBron James and Greg Maddux are just a few of the thousands of professional athletes who have chosen to have LASIK eye surgery. Some coaches and team managers encourage players to consider LASIK as an alternative to glasses and contacts. Even though contacts or glasses may aid an athlete’s vision, they are not the most ideal when an athlete is out there playing their sport.

Click here to read through teh LASIK Candidate Criteria.

LASIK surgery is a common procedure, which does not require the patient to be put under anesthesia or stay in a hospital. Although LASIK eye surgery is a popular outpatient procedure there are some restrictions and not everyone who desires LASIK surgery is a candidate for the procedure. Women who are pregnant or nursing are not candidates for LASIK eye surgery.

There are several reasons why pregnant women or nursing moms are not eligible for LASIK surgery. Beyond considering the health of the baby, having LASIK surgery while pregnant or nursing would not give women the desired results. People chose to have LASIK eye surgery to improve vision and get rid of the need for glasses or contacts. In order to receive the best results from LASIK surgery a patient must have a stable prescription. A stable prescription allows the LASIK eye doctor to perform vision correction to the exact specifications of the patient. Women who are pregnant or nursing may experience a fluctuation in their vision and would most likely be left with an over-correction or an under-correction after LASIK eye surgery.

Hormone changes and corneal pressure due to fluid retention can also affect the vision of a woman who is pregnant or nursing. If they undergo LASIK eye surgery during this time, then the LASIK procedure will be performed based on the specification to the wrong prescription and when hormone changes return to normal these women will need to get their prescription adjusted again. Women tend to experience the best results from LASIK eye surgery if they undergo the procedure at a time when they are not pregnant or nursing. Beyond relying on the stability of a prescription to receive accurate results from LASIK there are other health concerns that could lead to complications during LASIK for women who are pregnant or nursing.

Pregnant women often experience dry eyes. Some women even find it uncomfortable to wear their contacts during their pregnancy. Prior to surgery dry eyes can cause complications. Seeing as dry eyes can be caused by pregnancy it is better to wait and post pone LASIK eye surgery.

LASIK patients are typically given antibiotics and steroid drops prior to the LASIK procedure and during the recovery period following surgery. Women who are pregnant or nursing may unknowingly expose their baby to these drugs if they undergo the LASIK eye surgery procedure.

LASIK surgery is an elective procedure and most patients do not have an immediate need to have LASIK eye surgery. Pregnant and nursing women can and should wait to have the procedure performed at a later time. All eye exams and LASIK related procedures should be done when women are neither pregnant nor nursing. Waiting to have the LASIK eye surgery procedure will help in ensuring the health of the patient and their baby and will also help them to receive the best possible results from their LASIK eye surgery.

A successful outcome for LASIK eye surgery largely depends on the patient being a good candidate for the surgery. If someone is not a good candidate for LASIK eye surgery, there is a greater risk for complications and the candidate may be less likely to experience the positive results of LASIK. The best way to determine if someone is a good candidate for LASIK surgery is to talk to a doctor who specializes in the LASIK procedure. There are a few risk factors that will disqualify someone from having LASIK surgery.

Anyone under the age of 18 years of age will most likely be disqualified from having LASIK eye surgery. In order to be a good candidate for LASIK surgery someone must have a refractive error and a glasses or contact lens prescription that has been stable for at least one year. Typically those younger than 18 years old do not have a stable enough prescription because refractive errors rarely stabilize before adulthood.

Thin corneas are another common factor that may disqualify someone from being a good LASIK candidate. A LASIK doctor can measure corneal thickness and determine if a patient has adequate corneal thickness for LASIK surgery. Performing LASIK on thin corneas could result in complications. In some cases, those with thin corneas may find that PRK is a better option in place of LASIK.

A LASIK doctor will also measure a patient’s pupil size. Large pupils can interfere with LASIK results and will therefore disqualify a patient from having LASIK surgery. A patient with large pupils may experience side-effects after their LASIK eye surgery. These side-effects can include glare, halos, starbursts or even double vision. These effects can be debilitating, preventing patients from driving at night or in bad weather conditions.

Corneal scarring may also disqualify someone from having LASIK surgery. Scarring from an eye injury or previous eye surgery can prevent someone from being a good candidate for LASIK. A LASIK doctor can discover corneal scarring during the Pre-Op eye exam.

Other factors that may affect a patient’s eligibility to successfully undergo LASIK can include cataracts, glaucoma, retinal detachment, dry eyes, keratoconus, ocular herpes, and diabetic retinopathy. Certain medical conditions, such as autoimmune diseases, immunodeficiency states, diabetes and some medications may further interfer with the healing process after LASIK. The presence of any of these conditions can and may disqualify a patient from LASIK surgery.

In addition to the medical conditions listed above, women who are pregnant, nursing or wish to become pregnant should wait to have LASIK surgery. Hormonal changes that are associated with pregnancy, childbirth and nursing can affect visual acuteness and will disqualify someone from being a candidate for LASIK eye surgery.

To receive the best results from LASIK a doctor must determine that a patient is a good candidate prior to the procedure. In some cases, when one or more of the conditions above are present, a doctor is needed to determine that a patient is not a good candidate for LASIK and not allow them to have the surgery. In these cases it is best to listen to the doctor’s recommendation.

Many people who inquire about LASIK eye surgery are sometimes discouraged by the cost. The national average cost of LASIK surgery is $2,107 per eye. Understandably, prospective patients may be concerned when they hear the price of LASIK. Many people will save money over time by getting LASIK, especially those who wear contacts.

When comparing the cost of contacts to the cost of LASIK eye surgery, it is clear that LASIK will save patients money over time. The cost of contact lenses can add up since they need to be replaced more often than eyeglasses. A box of contacts, which usually contains about six lenses, can range from $25 to $80. Disposable contacts need to be replaced, some more frequently than others, requiring patients to purchase a few boxes of contact lenses each year. The cost of contact lenses can vary depending on a patient’s prescription and the type of lenses that they wear.

Toric lenses which correct astigmatism, are more expensive than other contact lenses. Toric lenses can cost up to $80 a box. A supply of Toric lenses for one year will include several boxes. If patients with astigmatism are really looking to save money, they may actually want to turn to LASIK because paying for Toric lenses will cost them hundreds of dollars each year.

Night and Day contact lenses allow patients to sleep in their contacts and typically last for up to 30 days, giving patients the closest experience to eliminating glasses next to LASIK. Longer lasting contacts however are often more expensive and patients who buy Night and Day lenses are spending around $70 a box. Typically they end up spending $140 just to get a box for each eye. Although Night and Day contact lenses may last longer and allow patients to purchase fewer boxes each year, patients still have to spend hundreds of dollars annually and these lenses are not a permanent vision correction solution. In other words, patients will be required to continue buying these lenses for the rest of their life if they want to eliminate wearing glasses. LASIK may eliminate the need for eyeglasses and will not require patients to pay an annual fee potentially saving them money over time.

Between buying eyeglasses and contact lenses and paying the fees for the doctor visits, the cost of vision correction adds up quickly and these temporary lenses are not a permanent fix. Although the cost of LASIK is expensive, most likely it is not picked up by medical insurance. Patients who wear more expensive lenses may end up paying close to $900 each year to buy their contact lens supply and to cover fees for annual doctor visits. At LASIK Benefits USA the price for Traditional LASIK surgery is $955 per eye. Even though the initial cost of LASIK is expensive, it is typically a one-time fee and over time LASIK will save patients money.