I was just talking to a 26-year-old friend about her latest eye doc appointment and how she was getting new contacts. I reminisced about getting LASIK at 28 years old and how much it changed my life. We compared contact lens prescriptions and she said ‘Wait. I thought my vision had to ‘not change’ for years before I could get LASIK. Is that not true?’
So, I asked an expert.
When is my vision stable enough for LASIK?
Short answer: ‘Typically any diopter change less than +/-0.50 is considered stable enough for LASIK.’
Every surgeon has their take, but as a general rule of thumb, most LASIK surgeons would like for a patient to have at least one to two years of annual eye exams prior to scheduling LASIK surgery in order to establish whether their eyeglass prescription is stable. If there has been no change higher or lower than .50 diopters, then most surgeons are okay to move forward.
Many surgeons state that most changes to eyesight after the age of 18 will be pretty minor which means a surgeon can treat you once you are ready for LASIK.
When LASIK first hit the world years ago (read here about how Slade & Baker Vision was part of that major historic moment) LASIK surgeons were very limited in how many patients they could actually treat.
Good news. That is no longer an issue. The technology we have now has improved significantly and allowed for patients with higher prescriptions to also be LASIK candidates.
So, in conclusion:
1. Stable means – not any significant changes between 1-2 years
2. Monitor and document your eyesight with an annual eye exam.
3. When you have seen your prescription not go higher than .50 from one year to the next, schedule a free LASIK consultation with a surgeon you trust. They will run all the necessary testing and can go over the results to determine the rest of the items you will need – like enough corneal thickness, and overall ocular health!
For more information, please call us at 713-626-5544 or write us at info@visiontexas.com
