Do you wear glasses or contact lenses to see? Are you tired of depending on these visual aids?
LASIK is the most popular elective medical procedure you can undergo. Why? Part of it has to do with its reputation as a safe and effective vision correction procedure.
Millions of people who have had LASIK have reduced their dependence on glasses and contact lenses. If you want to achieve visual freedom, LASIK is one of the best ways to do it!
But have you ever wondered what refractive errors LASIK can correct? LASIK can correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, but the procedure only works on qualified candidates.
A lot goes into being a good LASIK candidate, including corneal thickness, age, prescription strength, and other factors. Keep reading to learn more about the refractive errors LASIK can correct and if you could be a good LASIK candidate!
Nearsightedness
Nearsightedness is a refractive error that makes things far from you look blurry and out of focus, while things right before you are clear and easy to see. It occurs when the cornea is too steep or the eye is elongated.
When this happens, light focuses in front of the retina rather than directly on it. When you have LASIK to correct nearsightedness, it removes a small and precise amount of tissue from the cornea. Removing this tissue flattens the cornea to correct its focus, redirecting light onto the retina. The result? You’ll see better and more clearly than with visual aids!
Farsightedness
Farsightedness is a refractive error that causes blurry vision when you look at things in front of you. The items you see at a distance may be clearer.
The refractive error occurs when the cornea is too flat, or the eye is shorter than it should be. As a result, light focuses behind the retina, distorting your vision.
When you have LASIK to correct farsightedness, the cornea is steepened. Making the cornea steeper adjusts your focus and allows light to fall directly on the retina, improving your vision.
Astigmatism
Astigmatism is a refractive error that affects the cornea’s curvature or the lens of the eye. You’ll experience blurry or distorted vision at various distances when this happens.
You may also have astigmatism with other refractive errors. Astigmatism occurs when the cornea is an irregular shape. Instead of being round like a baseball or soccer ball, it more closely resembles a football.
LASIK corrects astigmatism by reshaping the cornea and making it more uniform. Doing this improves how light can focus on the retina, making vision clearer.
How Does LASIK Work?
Part of what makes LASIK so successful is that it reshapes the cornea to correct refractive errors. But to do this involves two crucial steps: creating a flap in the cornea and then reshaping the cornea with lasers.
First, a femtosecond laser creates a thin flap in the outer corneal layer. The flap is hinged or may have side cuts for the most accessible entry.
Your surgeon then lifts the flap to access the underlying cornea. They will then use an excimer laser to remove a precise amount of predetermined tissue from the cornea. Removing the tissue reshapes the cornea and its curvature to correct your vision.
After reshaping the cornea, your surgeon will place the flap back down and reposition it. The flap does not need stitches and will heal on its own.
Who is a Good LASIK Candidate?
Although there’s no doubt that LASIK is an incredible procedure, that doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone. You must be a good candidate for the vision correction procedure to undergo it.
Several factors are taken into account to ensure a LASIK procedure is successful and safe, especially regarding refractive errors and prescription strength.
Stable Prescription
If you want LASIK, one of the most important factors is having a stable prescription. The vision correction procedure is only effective if you have a prescription that’s remained unchanged for a year or more.
If your prescription is still changing, you’ll need to wait to have LASIK until your vision is stable and stays that way.
Prescription Strength
Extreme refractive errors, including severe nearsightedness or severe farsightedness, are often beyond the treatment limits of LASIK. Although there’s a lot that LASIK can treat, it does have limitations.
If your prescription is too strong, your ophthalmologist may recommend an alternative procedure like PRK or the EVO ICL. These procedures are often better suited for higher prescriptions that LASIK cannot handle.
Corneal Thickness
LASIK is a procedure that reshapes the cornea by removing tissue. If your corneas are too thin, removing any tissue from the cornea becomes unsafe during LASIK.
Other Eye Conditions
Certain eye conditions, such as severe dry eyes, corneal diseases, cataracts, or glaucoma, can affect your ability to qualify for LASIK. If you have these eye conditions, you may not be able to have LASIK.
Talk to your ophthalmologist to determine what may be most suitable for you. LASIK is an exceptional vision correction procedure that corrects refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism by reshaping the cornea.
LASIK provides precise and customized vision correction by utilizing femtosecond and excimer lasers. However, the only way you can have LASIK is if you have a LASIK consultation to determine if you’re a good candidate for the procedure. These factors are out of your control when it comes to corneal thickness, your age, and if you have other eye conditions that may disqualify you.
Find out if you could be a good LASIK candidate by scheduling your LASIK consultation at Herschel LASIK and Cataract Institute in Orlando, FL! If you’re tired of relying on visual aids, take the next step!
