Are You Eligible for Lasik Eye Surgery?

Lasik eye surgery is a popular medical operation that aims to improve a person's vision in order for them to rely less on contact lens or glasses. To date, over 6 million Americans have undergone the procedure and thousands a week are signing up to have it done.

However, like all medical operations there are risks involved and not everyone will be eligible to have the operation done based on their personal risk factors.

According to most Lasik eye surgeons, the main factors in determining whether a person is a good candidate for Lasik eye surgery include:

- Healthy eyes: if you have a condition that will affect how your eyes respond to surgery or heal after, then your surgeon may refuse to operate on you. Such condition include chronic dry eyes, conjunctivitis or some form of injury. If you have large pupils then you will be at a eye risk of glare, ghost images or halos appearing in your vision post-surgery. Some conditions that could affect how your eyes heal post-surgery include autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. Medication such as steroids or retinoic acid could also affect your healing capacity. Eye specific disorders like glaucoma, cataracts and keratoconus may rule you out for Lasik.

- Unstable vision: technically, this is refer to as refractive instability. Basically, your surgeon will want to ensure that your eye sight has not become worst in recent times and typically it is in someone's 20's that their vision begins to stabilize. Hormone fluctuations from diabetes, pregnancy, breastfeeding or certain medication can also effect your vision.

- Age: at the present time, people who wish to undergo Lasik surgery must be aged over 18 years.

- Certain types of myopia can require large amounts of corneal tissue to be removed and the surgeon may believe that this is way too much in for your circumstances.

There may be other factors that influence your eligibility to undergo a Lasik procedure. A fully qualified Lasik surgeon will be able to answer any questions that you have about your own risk factors and about the surgery itself. A sign of a good surgeon is someone who investigates your medical history fully, takes the time to answer any questions or concerns you have, and explains to you fully the risk involved with Lasik.

When searching for a good Lasik eye surgeon, you should be on the look out for one who has solid reputation with both medical peers and former patients. By arming yourself with some information on your personal circumstances and the risks of Lasik surgery, you will be able to ask the appropriate questions to screen for those surgeons who you believe will be able to deliver you the best outcome.