Are you considering undergoing a LASIK treatment for you? Do you know about the process and complications associated with LASK process? Did you know whether you are eligible for undergoing LASIK treatment? Do you know whether LASIK treatment would help you in improving vision? If you do not know the answer of all the above questions then probably you require a comprehensive discussion with your ophthalmologist before opting for Lasik treatment in India.
Not all people are eligible for LASIK surgery. There are various criteria based on which ophthalmologist decide whether LASIK surgery is suitable for a patient and whether it will help in improving vision with no or least complications.
Eligibility Criteria For Lasik Surgery
Following are some of the criteria for judging the eligibility of a patient for undergoing LASIK treatment:
Healthy eyes: The person undergoing LASIK surgery should not have such conditions that result in post-surgical complications. Some conditions also interfere with the outcome of the surgery. These conditions include progressive vision deterioration, keratoconus, ocular infections such as uveitis, keratitis, and herpes simplex, dry eyes indicated by less production of tears, ocular injuries, glaucoma, cataract, and lid disorders. People with large pupil may experience halos, glare and ghost images after surgery.
Healthy person: Apart from the healthy eyes, comprehensive health checkup of the patient is done before LASIK surgery. After LASIK surgery, the eye of the patient should be allowed to heal. The immune system plays a major role during healing.
If the patient has any disease that alters the activity of immune systems such as rheumatoid arthritis, HIV, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, and various other autoimmune disorders, he may not be eligible for undergoing LASIK surgery.
Conditions such as hypertension, severe diabetes, heart problems that require the use of a pacemaker and other vascular diseases also debars a person from opting for LASIK surgery.
Stable Vision: LASIK surgery can only be performed once the person has stable vision for a considerable period. If the person suffers from myopia, there would be a continuous change in the vision throughout the teenage years. Further, various other condition such as getting pregnant, breastfeeding and taking steroids for a prolonged period also cause changes in vision.
Information about the procedure and side effects: You should know about the procedures, side effects, and complications of LASIK surgery. If you do not have the access to such information, feel free to discuss with your ophthalmologist.
You should also make yourself aware of the post-surgical eye care beforehand so that you can manage all your important works before surgery. Various complications that may occur after surgery include dry eyes, under-correction, astigmatism, and changes in vision.
Without contact lenses for a few weeks: Contact lenses changes the corneal structure which prevents the doctor from accurate measurements. This may result in a poor outcome. The doctor will analyze your situation and will advise you regarding the wearing of the contact lens before surgery.
Realistic expectations: Stay away from the unrealistic expectation from surgery. You should keep in mind that although LASIK surgery is highly safe and provide clear vision in most of the cases, these results are measured in optimal conditions. You may require glasses while reading or performing activities in dim light. It is also to be noted that the visual acuity gets reduced with age so you may not feel the same vision after a few years that you were feeling immediately after the surgery.
Age: Age is another important criterion for deciding eligibility for LASIK surgery. Till 18, the vision of people with myopia changes frequently. Thus, the person should at least attain 18 years of age before opting for LASIK surgery.
Although there is no upper age limit for LASIK surgery, the eyes of people above 40 years may have presbyopia, which prevents them from seeing close objects. Although this is not a denial factor for LASIK surgery but may interfere with the outcome.
Hormonal alterations: The vision is not stable because of hormonal changes. Hormonal changes are significantly seen during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Thus, women with these conditions should wait for some time until their vision gets stabilized.
Vision measurement: Before LASIK surgery, the vision measurement of the person should be done. It is recommended that people with vision in the following range are eligible for undergoing LASIK surgery:
- Nearsightedness: up to -12 diopters
- Farsightedness: up to +6 diopters
- Astigmatism: up to 6 diopters
Your doctor will provide you the best advice on whether you are eligible for LASIK surgery and if it will provide the expected results after analyzing your eye health and overall health.
