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

  Last Updated on June 6, 2025 by Aaron Barriga

Recent data have 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 a  LASIK eye surgery candidate is required to undergo a preoperative eye evaluation to help determine if they are eligible.

Eligibility Criteria for LASIK Eye Surgery

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

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 40s, 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 60s, 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.

Also Read: What Age Can You Get Lasik?

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 candidates must exhibit good general eye health and should not be suffering from specific eye conditions like herpes zoster or herpes simplex.

Your Eyes Have Not Suffered any Injury So Far

A Lasik surgery candidate should not have suffered any eye injuries or infections.

Also Read: 10 Best Tips to Prevent Eye Injuries and Protect Your Vision

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 patient.

You are Neither Nursing nor Pregnant

LASIK eye surgery candidates should not be pregnant or nursing mothers 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.

You Have Stable Vision

A LASIK eye surgery candidate must have stable vision for at least a year before they can undergo a minimally invasive LASIK procedure.

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.

Also Read: Key Difference Between Contact Lenses vs LASIK

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 to look for corneal diseases or abnormalities before LASIK. A thin cornea can cause problems and thus make you ineligible for LASIK.
• Check the Intraocular Pressure
  This is done to rule out the chances of glaucoma, an eye condition caused by an increase in 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 will 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.