While many individuals are considered good candidates for LASIK, there are some who may not be eligible for this procedure. Individuals that are not considered good candidates may have to be offered other types of LASIK alternatives such as EpiLASIK or may need to treat a certain condition such as dry eye before undergoing LASIK.

The Ideal LASIK Candidate

The ideal candidate includes those who:

Are over 18 years of age and have had a stable glasses or contact lens prescription for at least two years. A small jump in number due to change of place of testing is still acceptable by the doctor after he has examined you.

Have sufficient corneal thickness (the cornea is the trans-parent front part of the eye). A LASIK patient should have a cornea that is thick enough to allow the laser to treat the entire number safely. With the latest laser that we are using, the smaller refractive errors [numbers] have advantage of having good corneal thickness after the laser and higher numbers which other centers cannot treat, can be treated by us.

Are affected by one of the common types of vision problems or refractive error – myopia (nearsightedness), astigmatism (blurred vision caused by an irregular shaped cornea), hyperopia (farsightedness), or a combination thereof (e.g., myopia with astigmatism). Our laser is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as safe and effective for use in LASIK, for a high treatment range of refractive error.

Do not suffer from any disease, vision-related or otherwise, that may reduce the effectiveness of the surgery or the patient’s ability to heal properly and quickly.

Candidates should thoroughly discuss the procedure with their physicians and understand that for most people, the goal of refractive surgery should be the reduction of dependency on glasses and contact lenses, not their complete elimination.

The ‘Less Than Ideal’

Sometimes, factors exist that prevent a candidate from being ideal for LASIK surgery. In many cases, we may still be able to perform the procedure safely, given that the candidate and our doctor have adequately discussed the benefits and risks, and set realistic expectations for the results. We have many patients who have had successful outcomes with LASIK despite such conditions.

Candidates in this category include those who:

Have a history of dry eyes, as they may find that the condition worsens following surgery. We treat such candidates first.

Are being treated with medications such as steroids or immunosuppressants, which can prevent healing, or are suffering from diseases that slow healing, such as autoimmune disorders.

Have scarring of the cornea.

More often, factors exist that may keep an individual from being a candidate immediately, but do not preclude the individual from being a candidate entirely. Candidates in this category include those who:

Are pregnant or nursing.

Have a history of ocular herpes within one year prior to having the surgery. Once a year has passed from initial diagnosis of the disease, surgery can be considered.

The Non-LASIK Candidate

Certain conditions and circumstances completely disqualify individuals from being candidates for LASIK surgery. Non-candidates include individuals who:

Have diseases such as cataracts, advanced glaucoma, corneal diseases, corneal thinning disorders (keratoconus or pellucid marginal degeneration), or certain other pre-existing eye diseases that affect or threaten vision.

Do not give informed consent. It is absolutely necessary that candidates adequately discuss the procedure and its benefits and risks with their surgeon, and provide the appropriate consent prior to undergoing the surgery.

Have unrealistic expectations. It is critical for candidates to understand that laser eye surgery, as all surgical procedures, involves some risk. In addition, both the final outcome of surgery and the rate of healing vary from person to person and even from eye to eye in each individual.