How Do You Know If You're a Good LASIK Candidate?
December 20, 2023
Do you get tired of having difficulties with your eyesight? While glasses and contacts make it possible to complete your daily tasks, it can still be frustrating to use them every day, and you might want a longer-term solution to improve your sight.
LASIK is a great option for many patients that reduces or removes their need for contacts and glasses. This minimally invasive procedure can improve farsightedness, nearsightedness, and astigmatism, so it can benefit many people.
However, you may wonder if LASIK is a good option for you. While LASIK has a high success rate, not everyone is a good candidate for the treatment.
Keep reading to learn more about LASIK and how to know if it’s the right treatment for you!
What Is LASIK?
LASIK, which stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis, is an eye surgery that utilizes special lasers to correct your vision. It’s meant to help you reduce your dependence on visual aids like glasses and contact lenses. 
During LASIK surgery, an ophthalmologist uses a laser to reshape the cornea. The cornea is clear tissue in a dome shape that sits at the front of the eye.
This part of your eye refracts light back to the retina. However, when the cornea is bent or misshaped, it impacts vision.
A misshapen cornea prevents light from entering the eye correctly and causes blurry vision. LASIK corrects these issues.
What Happens During LASIK?
LASIK is a relatively quick procedure that takes around thirty minutes to complete. During LASIK, you’ll lay in a reclining chair and look at a fixed point.
Your LASIK surgeon will then place numbing drops in your eye and use a tool to keep your eyelids from closing. Then, they will use a laser to create a flap in the front surface of your cornea, allowing them to reach the inner layers, which will be reshaped.
Once the flap is created, it will be positioned out of the way, and your LASIK surgeon will use a different laser to reshape the cornea. Once this part is complete, they will reposition the flap for healing, and you will be done.
Since LASIK is an outpatient procedure, you will get to go home the same day.
Do you want to learn if LASIK may be right for you?
Take the LASIK Self-Test
What Is LASIK Procedure Recovery Like?
While LASIK is minimally invasive, you may notice some side effects just after the procedure. Your vision may be blurry, and you may have itchy, watery eyes.
Most people don’t feel any pain, and your eyes will usually recover quickly. You will also get pain medications and eye drops to take home in the hours following the procedure, and sometimes, you may have an eye shield to wear.
After a few days, your vision is usually back to normal, but it might take up to three months before your vision stabilizes and you see the final results.
What Makes You A Good Candidate For LASIK?
While LASIK is an excellent option for individuals with nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, some people are better candidates for the treatment than others.
The risks of LASIK are relatively low and usually resolve with time. However, there are some conditions and factors that increase risks, so your eye care specialist will want to ensure you meet certain requirements before moving forward with LASIK.
Here are some of the things that make you a good candidate for LASIK:
Over Eighteen
Eyesight can shift as people reach adulthood, so patients must be at least eighteen before the treatment. At SEIHT, we will assess your vision and ensure it is stable. 
In some cases, it’s better to wait until a patient is over twenty-one.
Stable Prescription
Before receiving LASIK, you want to ensure your prescription for glasses or contacts is stable for around a year. If you’ve had recent changes to your vision, it’s important to let these settle and stabilize before getting LASIK.
Generally Healthy Eyes
While LASIK corrects vision problems, you must still have healthy eyes.
If you have certain eye conditions, corneal disorders, or lid disorders, it’s likely not safe for you to get LASIK.
Thick Enough Corneas
Because LASIK involves changing the shape of a cornea, your cornea needs to be thick enough to handle the procedure. If you have thin corneas or other issues like keratoconus, the procedure could cause more significant issues and may not work.
How To Know If You’re A Good Candidate For LASIK
While the above list gives a good overview of what it takes to be a good candidate for LASIK, the best way to know for sure is to request an evaluation at SEIHT.
Each person is unique, and our eye doctors will examine your eyes and assess your health history. During your consultation, one of our board-certified doctors will look for potential issues, including eye infections, dry eyes, and inflation.
From there, they will discuss the best treatment options for you. If your eyes are healthy and you don’t have any other risk factors, LASIK could be the right choice to improve your vision, as it has around a 96% satisfaction rate among patients.
Do you want to learn more about LASIK or determine if you are a candidate? Schedule a LASIK consultation at SIEHT in Fredericksburg and Stafford, VA, today!