Frequently Asked Questions

LASIK

Am I a good candidate?

The first step is to schedule a LASIK surgery evaluation with your optometrist. This careful exam will determine whether you are a good candidate. In general you qualify for LASIK if:

• You are 18 years or older and are not functioning well with corrective lenses.
• You are not pregnant or nursing.
• You have no active eye diseases.
• Your vision problems involve nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism.
• Your vision has been stable over the last 12 months-2 years if you require a high degree of correction.
• You understand that the best possible surgery results will not likely improve the vision you obtain with your best prescription for corrective lenses.
• You understand that LASIK has limitations and your expectations are realistic. Although there are certain vision factors that may make you a better candidate for LASIK, your personality is even more important. The following checklist will help you decide if you are the type of person who will most likely be happy with laser vision correction.

Good Candidates:

People likely to be happy with the results of LASIK find most of the following sentiments to be true:

• I fell handicapped by my dependence on corrective lenses.
• I have not been a very successful contact lens wearer.
• I am a very active person and crave more freedom to participate in sports and other activities.
• I think I look better without my glasses.
• I worry about being incapacitated if I should ever lose my corrective lenses and not be able to function in a crisis situation.
• Having good natural vision without the hassle of corrective lenses is more important to me than having perfect vision with corrective lenses.
• I would be happy if my natural vision was significantly improved, even if I needed to wear corrective lenses part or full- time.
• I usually adjust well to change.
• I am generally a fairly easygoing person.
• I am not a fanatic perfectionist.
• I would have better career opportunities if I had better natural vision.

Poor Candidates:

People likely to be unhappy with the results of LASIK find most of the following sentiments to be true:

• I like wearing glasses and would feel undressed without them.
• I do not have problems wearing contact lenses and they give me excellent vision for all activities.
• My work or hobbies consistently require attention to fine visual details.
• I do not adapt well to change.
• I get stressed out easily when things don't seem to happen in just the way I planned or expected.
• I am a perfectionist and little irregularities bother me.
• I would be very disappointed if I did not end up with perfect vision after my surgery and would consider the experience a failure.
• If I still needed some correction after surgery, and found out that I could not wear contacts as easily as before, I would be devastated.