One of the more frequent questions that arise during an eye exam is whether or not a patient is a candidate for the LASIK procedure. Let’s attempt to go through a couple of the pros and cons of the procedure so that we can make an educated decision.

A comprehensive eye examination is needed to determine whether you are a proper candidate. This includes a dry eye assessment, ruling out excessively thin or irregularly shaped corneas, glaucoma and / or retinal disease. Once you have been cleared as a candidate for the procedure, you can weigh the pros and cons to help guide your decision.

PROS:

Safety: LASIK is a safe procedure with negligible risk of blindness in over 20 million procedures over the last 20 years. Recent information suggests less risk of infections with LASIK then with wearing contact lenses. Laser technology is constantly improving, giving more and more accurate customized results.

Clear Vision and Freedom from Contacts and Glasses:  This is the goal of the procedure! Permanent vision correction is able to be achieved in many cases as parameters for the procedure have expanded greatly since its inception. This is the bottom line as you can go about your day not worrying about your glasses or contact lenses anymore!

CONS:

Shelf life:   Clinical experience has shown that you usually get an average of 7 to 10 years of “prescription free” vision after LASIK. At that point you can opt for an “enhancement” laser procedure to knock out the residual prescription keeping you glasses free, or you can choose glasses or contacts for certain distance tasks such as driving, watching a show, etc. Don’t forget that after the age of 40 presbyopia usually sets in, requiring reading glasses for small print or computer work. This is something to consider if you are in your late thirties and having the procedure, talk to your eye surgeon about what you can expect.

Complications:  The most common complication is post lasik dry eye. This can take anywhere from 6 weeks on to resolve itself. Artificial tears and temporary punctal plugs may need to be installed to keep your eyes feeling comfortable after the surgery. Halos and sensitivity to lights are also a common complaint due to inflammation and dry eyes and usually does improve as time goes on.

Patients need to thoroughly consider all the potential positives and negatives associated with the LASIK procedure and discuss it with their doctor to decide whether it is right for them. The ideal candidate would be a young patient with stable nearsightedness, little to no astigmatism and no ocular surface disease. A LASIK center would be preferable simply due to the volume of procedures done there as well as the latest laser technology that is available to the public. If cost is a concern, one could do a financial analysis of LASIK vs glasses and/or contacts over the next 10 years, however it is difficult to put a price on the feeling of clear vision without any help!  As always, consult your eye doctor for more information on the procedure that would be best for your situation.

In a future post, we will hope to describe the latest technologies available with LASIK surgery, including customized LASIK.