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Am I a Candidate for LASIK?

Am I a Candidate for LASIK?Man with glasses considering LASIK

Most likely, yes! While most patients are great candidates for LASIK, there are some health factors that may stop you from getting LASIK surgery. Dr. Kraff will determine whether or not you are a good candidate for LASIK based off of your initial consultation. Dr. Kraff will examine your eyes and ask you questions to determine your medical history and any previous eye problems.

Some factors that may make you ineligible for LASIK surgery include:

  • Age: You must be at least 18 years old to have LASIK surgery.
  • Eye Health: Good candidates for LASIK are free of eye diseases such as glaucoma, keratoconus, cataracts and retinal diseases. LASIK may be complicated with these diseases and can significantly increase risk of bad outcomes.
  • General Health: It is important that your body is overall healthy enough for your eyes to heal properly. Health issues such as uncontrolled diabetes and autoimmune disease may compromise your body’s ability to heal and fight off infection, therefore making LASIK surgery inadvisable.
  • Injury: Those who have suffered previous eye injury may not be candidates for LASIK surgery.
  • Pregnant/nursing: Pregnant and nursing women should not have LASIK surgery, as the horomones produced can affect the stability of your prescription.
  • Dry Eye Syndrome: Those suffering from dry eye syndrome should not have LASIK surgery, as this can make healing more complicated and likely make symptoms worse.
  • Unstable Vision: A good candidate for LASIK must have a stable prescription for at least one year prior to surgery.
  • Thin/Unstable Cornea: The cornea must be a certain thickness to be able to withstand LASIK surgery.

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Still curious? Start the conversation today, click here to take our LASIK self-evaluation!

If you are determined not to be a good LASIK candidate, you still have options. There are plenty of procedures that you may qualify for that deliver results similar to that of LASIK surgery. If you are worried that you are not a good candidate for LASIK, and you would like to know all of your options, call our office for your LASIK consultation to find out for sure. Ask Dr. Kraff about Visian ICL, PRK and LASEK as alternatives to LASIK surgery.