As a LASIK surgeon, the one question I get all the time from not only my patients but my family and friends is: “Should I Get LASIK?”
LASIK is an effective and successful surgery with over 95% of patients reporting satisfaction with the procedure. I see first hand how this surgery can change lives.
However, not everyone should get LASIK.
Besides the cost and inherent risks of the procedure, there are other things to consider before taking the plunge. I am here to break these down for you with 5 questions you need to ask yourself before you decide to go forward with LASIK.
Glare and halos after LASIK surgery.
Do you have dry eye?
You will have dry eye for at least a year… or longer. In LASIK surgery, a flap is made on your cornea using a laser or a knife, which is then lifted prior to your treatment. By cutting the flap, we also cut the nerves that innervate your cornea and provide information to your tear glands to make tears.
A normal dry cornea would be painful and that pain would cause tearing. However with LASIK corneas, even if you have dry spots on your eye, you won’t make as many tears because you lose some of that tearing reflex. Most people notice the dryness especially at the beginning but are not bothered by it but if you already suffer from dry eye, I would recommend considering your other refractive options.
Will seeing glare at night bother you?
After LASIK, you will see glare, halos, and starburst at night. At night, your pupil is a little more dilated so any bright light like headlights is going to be reflected off the LASIK flap edge. If this will bother you, LASIK may not be a good option for you.
Are you pregnant or nursing?
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, your corneas will be unstable for LASIK surgery. This is because there are large volume shifts in your body and your cornea measurements for LASIK surgery may not be stable. I recommend you wait 6 months after nursing or pregnancy before your LASIK evaluation.
Are you almost or over 40 years of age?
If you are over 40, you will eventually lose your ability to read without glasses. If you are near-sighted and considering LASIK, it is important to know that the lens that is inside the eye will harden over time, and you will lose the ability to accommodate, or see at near, without reading glasses. If you like to read without your glasses, you may need to consider monovision which is when we set your dominant eye for distance correction and your nondominant eye to near vision. Some patients cannot tolerate this well so it important to trial this with contact lenses prior to your procedure to make sure you do not have double vision.
Do you have any eye conditions, take certain medications, or have a systemic disease that would exclude you from LASIK?
Not everyone is a candidate, and there are so many reasons why your LASIK surgeon may not recommend LASIK. You need a minimum amount of cornea in order to safely have LASIK surgery and the higher your refractive error the more cornea you need to have. Some autoimmune diseases (Sjogren syndrome) and even some medications (Accutane) may affect healing and may preclude you from having this procedure.
Please ask your doctor if you are a candidate for LASIK, and I hope this information is helpful to those who dream of perfect vision without glasses or contacts!