5 Questions to Ask Before Your LASIK Procedure

LASIK is a life-changing treatment. Therefore, you must have many questions in mind when you are considering this procedure. Here are the answers to the 5 most common questions asked.

What is LASIK surgery?

LASIK eye surgery has the potential to dramatically improve your life. A LASIK surgery procedure is designed to reduce or eliminate the need for glasses or contact lenses.

The eye problems it can correct are nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) and astigmatism. To correct your vision problem, an excimer laser is used to gently reshape the cornea with computer-controlled precision.

Is LASIK surgery the right choice for me?

LASIK surgery has great potential to change your life. However, you must determine if you are the right candidate for laser vision correction.

First of all, you must be at least 18 years old. You must have healthy eyes and a stable eye prescription for the past year. Those with certain medical conditions, including autoimmune diseases, such as Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or multiple sclerosis, are not advised to undergo LASIK. If you have diabetes, it must be under good control, well managed and you must not have diabetic retinopathy.

Some medical conditions entail taking medications that can slow or prevent healing. You should inform your surgeon about all the medications you are taking and have taken in the last 12 months.

Also, if you are currently pregnant and considering LASIK, you should wait until you are no longer pregnant and breast feeding.

Your suitability for LASIK depends on a comprehensive vision exam by a LASIK eye doctor. The objectives are to determine your visual needs and if LASIK is a good fit for you.

LASIK candidates should have good eye health, including:

• Your eye prescription should fall within certain limits.
• You should have no current or recurring infections.
• You should not have any eye diseases, such as severe cataracts, corneal disease, keratoconus, uncontrolled glaucoma, and certain retinal and optic nerve diseases.
• You should have no residual or active eye conditions, such as optic neuritis, some cases of amblyopia (lazy eye), ocular herpes, and strabismus (muscle imbalance).

Will I have 20/20 vision after my LASIK surgery?

Although there is a lot of data on the outcomes of surgeries available, there is no guarantee that you will achieve 20/20 vision after you undergo the LASIK procedure. Perfect vision is not guaranteed, so you should not have the expectation to achieve it.

Nonetheless, the majority of people who have had laser vision correction are able to drive, play sports and watch TV without glasses.

Is LASIK procedure painful?

If you are wondering what the procedure will be like, here is a general step-by-step description:

1. Before the surgery, anaesthetic drops are given to fully numb the eye prior to the LASIK eye surgery.
3. During the procedure, you might feel a slight pressure around your eye, but not pain.

Your eye may feel a bit irritated for a few hours after your laser eye surgery, but most patients feel much better after taking a short nap. You will be prescribed eye drops to provide comfort and healing in the recovery period.

How long will vision correction last?

After laser vision correction, the distance vision correction is quite permanent. However, as you age, there will be related changes happening, irrespective of whether or not you had LASIK surgery. Looking through the list, do you think you are a suitable candidate for laser vision correction? If yes, that’s fantastic! However, you still have to come down to our clinic for a full evaluation to determine your suitability.