It’s spring, which means many places are warming up and soon enough we will all want to be able to be outside, enjoying the sun and some water activities…and hopefully, with the help of the COVID vaccines and options out there, many of you will get to travel again and see new places when it’s really warm!
If you wear glasses or contacts, you have likely wondered it before – am I a LASIK or Laser Vision Correction candidate? By the way, LASIK is a specific procedure and a specific type of Laser Vision Correction (LVC), but there are other types we offer, as well, to find the best option for your eyes.
We get this question more than any other, so today, we are here to address one of our favorite topics, LASIK candidacy.
To start: A lot more people are good LASIK or LVC candidates than you might think.
- If you are someone whose glasses or contacts help your vision, but who wishes you could see that well “naturally” then you are likely a LASIK candidate.
- If you are over 18, and your eye doctor has not changed your prescription much in a while, that likely means you are a LASIK candidate.
- If your corneas have been referred to as ‘healthy’ you are likely a LASIK candidate. If you don’t know, we’re happy to examine and tell you, as Dr. Slade & Dr. Walton are both fellowship trained cornea specialists.
- If the overall health of your eye is good, you are likely a LASIK candidate. If you’re not sure about your eye health, we’re happy to examine and discuss your eyes.
- If you DO or DON’T have astigmatism, then LASIK may be for you! It’s an outdated myth that LASIK cannot correct astigmatism.
You don’t have to hate your glasses or contacts to enjoy LASIK – for many of us that have had the opportunity to have LASIK, it’s just nice to be able to open your eyes in the morning and see!
Now, we would be remiss if we did not mention the things that would likely not make you a LASIK candidate (*please note, these are all a ‘guide’ so not set in stone and different from person to person, eye to eye; all determinable by testing at our clinic)
- Non-stable vision (or fluctuating vision)
- High Myopia (anything around over -9.00) (But ask us about the implantable contact lens, ICL!)
- Unhealthy cornea
A Disclaimer: We do not perform surgery on everyone at our clinic, and neither does any trustworthy LASIK surgeon.
We proceed with caution and test all of the important aspects of your vision and your corneas at your free LASIK screening consultation. We will only operate if your eyes appear healthy enough for a good outcome. It is worth it to mention that due to being highly specialized and experienced, Dr. Slade & Dr. Walton are often resources for other LASIK surgeons when they have questions or want advice.
Now, you may come in and all of your testing checks out great! What great news – you ARE a Laser Vision Candidate candidate! What now???
Patients sometimes are told they are candidates, but may hesitate to move forward due to timing, cost, or simply a fear of the unknown. We understand all of these and are happy to explain or work through questions on any of the above.
Call us today at 713-626-5544 or write us at info@visiontexas.com to schedule a FREE LASIK screening where we can get your testing done and determine whether you are a LASIK candidate. We can then give you a plan and talk about timing, recovery time, and all of the fun you will have after being glasses and contact lens free!
