LASIK eye surgery is an eye defects correction procedure that uses laser technology to reshape the cornea of the eye for better and unaided vision.

It is a type of refractive surgery, which aims at ensuring proper focusing of light rays on to the retina of the eye.

Not everyone can use refractive surgery…

It is, therefore, important to have a thorough and comprehensive examination done to determine if you are a good candidate for the procedure.

To start with, you need to ask yourself whether you are willing to take up on some risk with the surgical procedure.

Just like in the many other surgical procedures, LASIK eye surgery also has a small, but significant complication risk.

There is also a chance of an operation gone wrong.

These unavoidable occurrences and complications can affect your vision negatively.

It is therefore, in order, to go in to this procedure optimistically, but with an open mind that is prepared and is ready for anything.

Some careers may not allow a person to go through refractive eye surgery.

Though few and scattered, some organizations disallow their employees to undergo these procedures.

It is important to find out what the policy of your employer is before going for this procedure.

For example, some armed forces and military service will not allow their workers to get this kind of treatment for their eye defects.

Another consideration you should make is about the stability of your vision.

If it has been long enough, you can go through this surgery.

However, if you have been getting a prescription that, over time, has progressed to being more and stronger, then you may not be a good candidate
for eye surgery by Lasik.

A good example is if you keep getting more myopic each year, then you should consider different options of correcting the defect other than LASIK.

Just like in other surgical procedures, you should first identify whether your health condition is tip top for LASIK.

If, for instance, you have some long term illnesses, or you have some advanced auto-immune diseases (like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis), these may interfere with your healing process after the surgery.

Get good professional advice on how this may affect you, in relation to Lasik eye surgery.

What your most common recreational activities are will also influence the possibility of undergoing Lasik surgery.

This surgery has a disadvantage of getting the patient a lifelong LASIK flap dislocation risk.

This risk is increased by any physical trauma that is significant to the eye.

If you participate in activities like contact sports (including boxing, wrestling, martial arts and so on), then you are not a good Lasik candidate.

You should opt for other equally effective refractive procedures to correct your eyes.

Age is another factor that may come in to play…

Although not very significant, age comes with restrictions to effective Lasik procedures, with young under 18 year olds not having a fully stable eye for LASIK.

On the other extreme, very old people have possibilities of developing eye cataracts, among other eye health problems, that may make them poor candidates for the Lasik procedure.

However, the best way to find out if you are a good candidate regardless of your age is undergoing a complete and comprehensive eye test exam.

Finally, the presence of other eye conditions and diseases may prevent you from going through Lasik surgery.

Keratoconus, for example, is an eye disease that affects the cornea resulting to a lower strength of the cornea.

This condition can be effectively diagnosed during the eye exams.

It manifests as an abnormal curvature on the cornea. Its presence means that you seize to be a candidate for Lasik, or any other surface ablation correction procedure.

However, there are possibilities of new technologies coming up to cater for these individuals.

All said, your doctor will be looking out for abnormal cornea curvatures, high prescriptions (high hyperopia or high myopia), thin corneas, large pupils, dry eyes, and possibility of a previous refractive surgery, during the eye examination and testing phase.

It is important to give your doctor as much accurate information as you can.

This helps them to give you the best advice on whether the LASIK eye surgery procedures are safe and effective for you.