Should I Get LASIK?

Millions of people wear contact lenses or eyeglasses on a daily basis. When these corrective lenses are needed all day, every day, problems are bound to arise. For some time, most people can deal with the minor nuisances associated with wearing either type of lens. They learn to look away while opening the oven door so steam does not fog up their eyeglasses. They learn strategies for finding contact lenses that have shifted out of place or fallen on the bathroom counter. Over time, these tiny frustrations can become more pronounced. This is when we see people in our office asking about LASIK.

If you’ve grown tired of relying on contact or eyeglasses, you may be questioning whether you would be a good candidate for LASIK. In our Houston eye clinic, we would like every patient to be as informed as possible so they can make their decision regarding care with the utmost confidence. Here, we discuss a few particulars about LASIK that you should know.

• LASIK patients may be in early adulthood or well past retirement age. More than the actual age of the patient, doctors look at the condition of the eyes, the type and degree of refractive error, and the potential for a positive outcome. One exception to the age detail is that most doctors like to wait until a patient has reached the age of 18 to perform LASIK. This is because vision can still change quite a bit up until this point in life.
• LASIK is performed to address the existing prescription for vision correction. Historically, there has been a perception that a good LASIK candidate is one whose vision prescription hasn’t changed from one year to the next. In reality, most people’s prescription changes somewhat! The goal is to ensure that these are minor and not indicative of other problems.
• LASIK is not indicated for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. During pregnancy, hormonal changes may alter the shape of the cornea. As hormones return to a regulated state, the cornea goes back to its normal shape. This is the better time for LASIK. On this note, if a woman is trying to conceive, she is encouraged to postpone LASIK until after childbirth and breastfeeding.

There are significant benefits to the LASIK procedure. The most obvious is that patients can see better without having to constantly push glasses up on the bridge of their nose or replace missing contact lenses. Find out if LASIK is right for you. Call (713) 668-7337.