How You Can Qualify As a Good Candidate For Lasik Eye Surgery

Recent data has confirmed that the complication rate with LASIK eye surgery is less than 1% and rarely do the complications have a significant impact. Also, the risk of eye infections following a LASIK eye surgery is negligible. LASIK eye surgery has come a long way with evolving advances in medical technology and this is why the requirements for LASIK surgery have also become relatively relaxed. However, the procedure is not right for everyone and so, LASIK eye surgery candidate is required to undergo a preoperative eye evaluation to help determine if they are eligible.

While there are many eye defects LASIK can treat effectively, the candidate must meet the following eligibility criteria to experience a positive outcome:

1. Your Age
• If you are under 21 years of age, your ophthalmologist may recommend that you wait till your vision stabilizes.
• If you are in your early 40’s, it is important for you to know that you may still need reading glasses at a later stage in your life.
• If you are in your 60’s, your eyes need to be assessed for any pre-existing cataracts that can interfere with the outcome of your LASIK eye surgery.
• If you have cataracts, a corrective surgery might actually work to restore your vision apart from correcting any eye condition that you might have.
2. You Don’t Suffer From any Eye Diseases
   Potential candidates should not be suffering from any eye diseases including corneal disease, keratoconus, glaucoma, cataracts, optic nerve diseases and certain retinal diseases. Also, LASIK eye surgery candidate must exhibit good general eye health and should not be suffering from specific eye conditions like herpes zoster or herpes simplex.
3. Your Eyes Have Not Suffered any Injury So Far
   Lasik surgery candidate should not have suffered any eye injuries or infections.
4. Overall Health
   A candidate for LASIK must be healthy and free from autoimmune diseases, uncontrolled diabetes, or collagen vascular disease. Also, they should not be undergoing any treatment where they are prescribed any medication that can compromise the immunity of the patient.
5. You are Neither Nursing nor Pregnant
   LASIK eye surgery candidate should not be pregnant or nursing mother because the hormonal fluctuations occurring during this stage affect the stability of your prescription. This is why lactating mothers or expecting women don’t qualify for a LASIK procedure until they discontinue nursing and complete at least three menstrual cycles.
6. You Have Stable Vision
   LASIK eye surgery candidate must have stable vision for at least a year before they can undergo a minimally invasive LASIK procedure.
7. You Have Not Been Wearing Contacts Recently
   Ophthalmologists recommend that prior to undergoing a LASIK eye surgery, potential candidates must not wear contacts for a specific time frame which is typically determined by your ophthalmologist depending on your unique eye condition. This facilitates precise assessment of the patient’s prescription and also ensures corneal stability before the LASIK eye surgery can be performed.

The Medical Checklist Your Eye Doctor will look at before LASIK eye surgery

This is the medical checklist that you should work out with your doctor before opting for LASIK eye surgery:

• Corneal Examination

A corneal examination is done to determine the thickness of the corneal walls, corneal strength, and also look for corneal diseases or abnormalities before LASIK. A thin cornea can cause problems and thus make you non-eligible for LASIK.

• Check the Intraocular Pressure

This is done to rule out the chances of glaucoma, an eye condition caused by an increase of pressure in the eyes that could possibly damage your vision and optic nerve.

• Check Eye Lubrication

Determining the lubrication in the eyes is important as it will determine if you are at an increased risk of dryness post surgery. You can go ahead with LASIK eye surgery if the tear production is satisfactory.

• Determine the Pupil Size

Since a larger pupil size can increase the risk for side effects like glare or halos post surgery, your doctor will also do a few tests to determine your pupil size.

• Check the Image Quality of Eyes

Your doctor will also determine the quality of the image your eye can produce after it is fully corrected with glasses. The ‘aberrations’ will be measured and it would be assured that the eye is properly focused and capable of producing good images.

• Note Your Medical History

Your doctor needs to understand your medical history that might be a possible hindrance to your vision before you go in for your LASIK operation.

If you want to make sure that you qualify as a LASIK eye surgery candidate, schedule a consultation with the most trusted ophthalmologist in Fresno – Dr. Eric J Poulsen at InSight Vision Center.

Is it Genetic to be Near-sighted, Far-Sighted or Astigmatic?

When the cornea and lens can focus clearly onto the retina, it means that the eye has perfect near and distance vision. Even though the human body has evolved incredibly well, it has some serious design flaws. The most evident example of this is the rate at which our vision deteriorates with age. More and more people are getting affected due to an increased reliance on technology and electrically operated gadgets.

Nearly 2/3rd of the adult population wears prescribed eyewear, and 20% uses contact lenses but both glasses and lenses have their own limitation. Near-sightedness, far-sightedness and astigmatism are refractive errors that make it difficult for the eyes to focus. In some cases, these vision conditions can be present at birth or it can be the environmental conditions, eye injury or eye surgery which has been done previously.

What is Myopia?

Myopia or Near-Sightedness occurs when light cannot focus on your retina causing faraway objects to appear unclear or blurry. It happens when the eyeball is too long or when you have a cornea which is curved too much. Myopia often begins before you enter your teenage years. Heredity and environmental factors can also be the cause of short sightedness.

What is Hyperopia?

Hyperopia or Far-Sightedness is when the eyeball is too short or the cornea is curved too little. For people suffering from hyperopia, objects that are closer appear to be blurry while distant objects appear clearly. This can cause headache, eye strain and fatigue while doing meticulous work. Severe hyperopia can result in blurred distant vision. Sometimes when it’s just very benign, the eyes may focus without corrective lenses.

What is Astigmatism?

Astigmatism is an eye condition where the cornea is oval shaped, and objects cannot focus properly on the retina causing two focal points. This not only causes blurred vision but also distorts it. People suffering from astigmatism experience eye-strain, headaches or blurred vision at a certain distance. It can be genetic but environmental factors can also add onto the problem. The problem increases very slowly over time, but it remains relatively stable. The symptoms of astigmatism include: blurry vision, headaches and horizontal direction of objects appear unclear. It may appear like a flash or blaze around the object.

Treatment Options

Glasses and contact lenses usually offer clear vision and relieve symptoms. Most people who wear glasses suffer from Myopia, Hyperopia or Astigmatism. People suffering from these vision disorders can consider LASIK eye surgery. Since it’s by far the safest and most frequently performed corrective eye surgery which reshapes the cornea enabling proper focus of light through the retina. The surgery is conducted by trained ophthalmologists who create a small notch to access the inner tissue of the cornea and gently reshape the eye’s curvature to correct the degeneration.

Inherited diseases can be cured if they’re discovered and diagnosed early on. We need to take care of our eyes which we usually take for granted for most of the time. LASIK eye surgery is a quantum leap in curing vision related issues by modern medical science. It is a quick and painless process which helps you get rid of your boring glasses and irritating contact lenses.

If you think that you may be suffering or may suffer from vision loss then come and have a comprehensive eye exam and consultation done with our experts at Insight Vision Center in Fresno! Don’t delay and book your appointment today!

6 Reasons for Millennials to Consider LASIK Eye Surgery

Are you inconvenienced by your glasses or contact lenses?

The millennial generation’s lives are shaped largely by their dependence and use of modern technology and social media. It is therefore needless to say that the digital age has impacted every aspect of their lives, mainly their eye health which is jeopardized due to constantly staring at screens for long durations. But the chances of a millenial having a long-term view on their eye health are very slim when they have coffee sessions, biking, hiking, video games, gym and so many more activities to keep them occupied.

Fast-paced living nowadays has made wearing spectacles and contacts more of a hindrance than ever before. Millenials are also a lot more open to scientific breakthroughs than ever before making them a lot readier to embrace modern solutions.

Here are 6 Reasons Why You Should Consider LASIK Eye Surgery:

1. LASIK Eye Surgery Supports Your Active Lifestyle
   Leading a healthy and active lifestyle is very important for most millennials nowadays. Staying fit through various means like sports, dance and gym are becoming increasingly popular. Wearing glasses can be a hindrance in most sports, even if you’re used to playing sports with glasses, the constant adjustments may hinder you. Wearing contacts can be detrimental to your health as there’s always the offhand chance that your contacts may start to dry out despite the fact that they offer peripheral vision.
   You won’t have to worry about packing your eye drops or glasses cases every time you go out with LASIK.
2. LASIK Eye Surgery Gives You Confidence
   Being called “four eyes” as a child is pretty common but the teasing and bullying that comes of this leads to a social stigma around wearing glasses and can lead to low self-esteem in adult life. We’re not saying that wearing glasses is bad but why should you wear them if you don’t want to? LASIK eye surgery gives you the confidence to go out in public with no fear.
3. LASIK Eye Surgery Saves You Money in the Long Run
   A lot of you may think that having LASIK surgery done is expensive but it is just a one-time cost when you look at it in the long term as contacts and glasses have to be checked and replaced constantly every few months. If you want to find out about the cost benefits of having LASIK surgery, visit our professionals at InSight Vision Centre today! Investing in LASIK eye surgery in Fresno will save you a lot more money in the long run.
4. Recovery Time is Minimum
   Most millennials have busy work schedules and social lives which requires that they can only take minimal time off as they probably won’t get as much leave as their more experienced colleagues. But luckily for you, LASIK eye surgery itself does not take that long and the recovery time is also pretty short, so you don’t have to take that long of a leave.
5. LASIK Eye Surgery is Safe
   LASIK eye surgery is very safe and technology has helped to improve the safety factor even more. The risks have been reduced due to technology and the benefits have only increased. Using contact lenses can cause infections and dry eyes, and glasses and allergies can limit your ability in maintaining an active lifestyle. All procedures carry a certain risk, but this risk is very minimal with the LASIK procedure.
6. LASIK Eye Surgery Gives You Convenience
   No matter how long you’ve worn glasses or lenses-the fact is that they are inconvenient at times. Physically active people may tend to be inconvenienced by glasses and contact lenses more than others and LASIK eye surgery will remove this hindrance and give you the freedom to enjoy what you love.

Having LASIK eye surgery done when you’re young will help your body to naturally heal faster. The earlier you have your surgery done the more time you will have to enjoy the benefits of it.
There has never been a better time to have LASIK eye surgery done, to find out if you are eligible to enjoy the benefits of LASIK eye surgery, contact our ophthalmologist at InSight Vision Center in Fresno today!