Considering eye surgery? This article will help you determine
if Lasik treatment is suitable for you.
Are You a LASIK Candidate?
By
Shawn Powell
Most patients who are able to successfully wear glasses and
contacts and are able to see with corrective lenses will be a candidate for
LASIK. However, there are several conditions that can prohibit you from having
LASIK surgery and risks that may cause you to have a poor result.
First, begin with what type of vision can be corrected with
LASIK surgery. A person who needs glasses or contacts has a “refractive error”.
There are four types of refractive error myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and
presbyopia. A person who has perfect eyesight and lacks a refractive error is
called “emmetropic”.
In an eye without a refractive error, light rays enter through the cornea and
focus directly on the retina at the back of the eye.
In the myopic eye, the cornea is often steep and light rays focus in front of
the retina, causing distant objects to appear blurred.
In the hyperopic eye, the cornea is not steep enough and light rays focus
behind the retina.
With astigmatism, the cornea has an irregular shape, which scatters light
rays and causes both close-up and distant objects to appear blurred.
Presbyopia is a condition where a person progressively loses their lens
elasticity and ability to accommodate (focus up close). This condition affects
the ability to read at close ranges. The necessary corrective lenses are called
reading glasses. Even people who have had perfect vision all of their lives will
develop presbyopia in their mid-forties. The excimer laser has no effect on your
focusing muscles. The excimer laser cannot help patients who are experiencing
the effects of presbyopia, however, there are new techniques being developed for
this condition. Ask your doctor if you are a candidate for these new procedures.
Some of the contraindications, or conditions, for which the surgery should be
avoided:
Keratoconus – genetically cone-shaped cornea.
Pregnancy or lactation
Progressive myopia – vision should be stable at least one year prior to
having lasik surgery.
Keloid formers or people with autoimmune or immunodeficient diseases.
Presence of cataracts.
You must be 18 years or older to have lasik surgery, under present FDA
guidelines.
There are other conditions, which may affect the results of your surgery.
Should you suspect you have any of these conditions, consult your doctor.
Corneal scars from previous injuries or surgeries (i.e. radial keratotomy)
Diabetes can cause abnormal healing; however, many diabetics have had laser
vision surgery with results comparable to those of non-diabetics.
Use of medications. There are medicines that can cause corneal scarring,
infiltrates, and some interfere with healing. Consult your doctor, he/she can
tell you if you should discontinue medications prior to your procedure and
resume shortly after surgery.
Large pupils 8mm or greater, this can cause significant night glare. Before
undergoing an eye examination for refractive surgery, you must be out of your
contact lenses. Contact lenses alter the shape of your cornea and can affect the
measurements necessary for having LASIK surgery. Patients wearing soft contact
lenses should be out of their lenses for three to seven days. Soft-toric,
Gas–permeable, and hard contact lens wearers, in contrast, take at least two to
three weeks to stabilize the cornea. Talk to your doctor about your specific
lenses and cornea shape.
With LASIK, is it important to have an adequate amount of tissue for removal
for full correction. Excessive tissue removal can result in severe corneal
instability in patients with thin corneas or those with normal thickness corneas
with disproportionately high prescriptions. It may be best to under-treat and be
left with some residual myopia rather than be fully treated with a small optical
zone. It is important to understand the limitations of these procedures based
upon your own prescription and eye characteristics.
Laser correction of certain visual problems is the most technologically
advanced method available today for reducing your dependence on glasses and
contact lenses. The outpatient procedure can correct nearsightedness,
farsightedness, and astigmatism by gently reshaping the cornea of your eye with
a cool, ultraviolet beam of laser light. It is estimated that over one million
laser procedures have been performed in 52 countries around the world. In fact,
vision correction by laser is expected to become the most common procedure
performed worldwide within the next five years.
Vision correction using the excimer laser can also dramatically improve your
quality of life. From the simple pleasure of being able to see the alarm clock
in the morning, to playing sports, and pursuing career-related opportunities,
many patients are able to enjoy life with improved self-confidence and renewed
enthusiasm.
A refractive procedure attempts to re-shape the cornea to allow light rays to
focus directly on the retina. Myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism all relate to
the shape of the surface of the cornea and are therefore correctable with Laser
Vision Correction - LASIK.
The reasons a person may not be a candidate to have LASIK vary greatly;
however, most doctors offer a complimentary consultation to determine your
candidacy for LASIK. Your doctor is the best person to determine if you are a
good candidate Laser Vision Correction – LASIK.
by Shawn Powell - Austin, Texas
Shawn Powell is the Director of Marketing and Advertising for the Howerton
Eye & Laser Center. Ernest E. Howerton, M.D. has been serving the Austin
community for over 20 years. Having the procedure performed on him, Dr. Howerton
understands the importance of the surgeon seeing the patient at every visit. He
believes this practice is paramount to patient care and recovery.
The Howerton Eye & Laser
Center performs LASIK on site, with state-of-the-art equipment and an
affordable, all-inclusive fee structure.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/ | 
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