If you’re tired of wearing glasses or contacts, consider your options for vision correction procedures. Although LASIK is the most well-known and popular of these procedures, it’s not the only one.
If you’ve been told you don’t qualify for LASIK, it doesn’t have to mean the end of your vision correction dreams. The good news is there are several other safe and effective ways to achieve clear vision.
Keep reading to discover your vision correction options if you’re not a LASIK candidate!
Why Am I Not a Good LASIK Candidate?
There are several reasons why you may not be a suitable LASIK candidate. One is that your corneas may not be thick enough, making LASIK unsafe.
If your corneas are too thin or uneven, LASIK could worsen your vision instead of improving it. Having certain eye conditions can also affect LASIK outcomes.
For example, the healing process after LASIK may be more difficult if you have a severe case of dry eyes that hasn’t been treated. Your prescription is another factor that can impact your LASIK results.
LASIK works best if you’re mild to moderately nearsighted, farsighted, or have astigmatism. If your prescription is too strong or unstable and still changing, you may not get the results you want from LASIK.
You Can Still Correct Your Vision
Even if you find out you’re not a good LASIK candidate, you don’t need to feel discouraged. LASIK has many alternatives, such as the EVO ICL, PRK, and refractive lens exchange.
These procedures can give you the visual results you want, even if you have a stronger prescription. Millions of patients have achieved the visual freedom they want and no longer have to rely on glasses and contact lenses, even though they didn’t qualify for LASIK.
Each procedure has certain advantages. For example, the EVO ICL can treat a broader range of prescriptions than LASIK.
PRK may be better for people with thin or irregularly shaped corneas or dry eyes. Refractive lens exchange is often used to correct presbyopia.
However, it can also be an excellent alternative to LASIK for younger patients with stronger prescriptions. The best part about these procedures is they are all incredibly safe when performed by an experienced eye surgeon.
Complications are rare, and most patients love their crisp, clear vision! But how do these procedures work?
What is the EVO ICL?
The EVO ICL is an additive lens used to correct astigmatism and nearsightedness in qualified patients. EVO ICL is a small lens placed inside your eye, behind your iris.
It works with your natural lens to bend incoming light correctly so it focuses properly on your retina. This allows you to see clearly at all distances.
Having the EVO ICL placed in your eye is minimally invasive and painless. It only takes about 30 minutes to complete for each eye. You’ll receive numbing eye drops before your surgeon makes a small incision in your eye to gain access and put the additive lens in.
Most people see improvements in their vision just a few hours after the procedure. If you experience any discomfort, this should dissipate after a day or two.
One of the things patients love most about the EVO ICL is that it can correct a broader range of nearsightedness and astigmatism, including what LASIK is capable of. EVO ICL is also the only reversible and removable procedure, which gives patients much-needed peace of mind.
If you change your mind, you can remove the EVO ICL, and your vision will revert. EVO ICL also does not require removing tissue from your cornea like LASIK.
What is PRK?
PRK is a laser vision correction procedure that produces results that are virtually identical to LASIK. It was also developed before LASIK.
However, the procedure also uses lasers to reshape the cornea and correct refractive errors so light focuses accurately on the retina. The critical difference between PRK and LASIK is that PRK completely removes the epithelium.
The epithelium is the thin outer layer of the cornea. It grows back after PRK during the healing process. In contrast, LASIK creates a flap in the epithelium and lifts it out of the way to be reshaped.
Then, the flap is placed back down, acting as a bandage and allowing for a faster recovery than PRK. Your ophthalmologist at Herschel LASIK and Cataract Institute may recommend PRK instead of LASIK if your corneas are too thin to handle a flap from LASIK.
PRK can also correct higher levels of nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism compared to LASIK. Patients have a longer recovery time with PRK and a higher risk of discomfort and sensitivity to light during recovery.
What is Refractive Lens Exchange?
Refractive lens exchange (RLE) is a procedure that replaces the eye’s natural lens with an intraocular lens (IOL). It is almost identical to cataract surgery.
However, you do not have to have cataracts during refractive lens exchange. Your natural lens is still clear rather than cloudy when replaced with an IOL.
Refractive lens exchange is usually used to correct an age-related eye condition called presbyopia. Presbyopia occurs when the natural lens loses its flexibility, making it more challenging to see up close.
However, refractive lens exchange is also an excellent choice if you have a stronger prescription that LASIK cannot treat but still want to improve your vision.
During refractive lens exchange, your surgeon will create a small incision in your cornea. Then, they will break up, remove your natural lens, and insert your IOL through the incision.
They will position your IOL and ensure it’s where it should be. After this, refractive lens exchange is over and usually only takes 30 minutes per eye.
Recovery from refractive lens exchange takes longer than procedures like EVO ICL and PRK. Your eyes need time to get used to the new IOLs.
However, you can return to your routine after about a week, and your vision should completely stabilize after several weeks. You can look forward to crisp vision; depending on the IOL, you may have clear vision at all distances.
The best thing about refractive lens exchange is that it means you’ll never have to worry about developing cataracts later in life.
Achieving Visual Freedom Doesn’t Have to Mean Having LASIK
If you’ve been told you don’t qualify for LASIK, you still have options to achieve the vision you want. Procedures like EVO ICL, PRK, and refractive lens exchange are all safe, proven procedures that can help you achieve visual freedom.
Are you ready for better vision? Request an appointment at Herschel LASIK and Cataract Institute in Orlando, FL, today to find out if one of these procedures could be right for you!
