It is time to get new glasses. However, the cost can be prohibitive. After all, desirable lens features, such as scratch and UV-resistance, cost extra. A stylish frame will increase the expense even further. That is when you want to start thinking about laser vision correction.
How Does Refractive Laser Surgery Help
Another name for laser surgery is laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, otherwise known as LASIK. This type of vision correction is a refractive surgery, designed to correct hyperopia, myopia, or astigmatism. Whilst myopia is nearsightedness, hyperopia is the technical name for farsightedness. An astigmatism, on the other hand, represents an irregular cornea. An aging eye condition, known as presbyopia, can also be treated with refractive laser surgery.
Assessing Your Vision
If you want to find out if you are a good candidate for laser surgery, you need to have your eyes examined by an ophthalmologist. The doctor will assess your eyeglass prescription as well as other factors, including the following:
- The range of the eyeglass prescription. LASIK in San Antonio can be used to correct vision profiles that are a certain number of dioptres – metric units used to assess the strength of an eye or the lens itself.
- The health of the eyes and the stability of the eyeglass prescription. In order to have laser surgery, you must have an eyeglass prescription that has not been altered for two years in a row. The surgery is also approved for people at least 18 years old. However, younger people are advised to delay the procedure until their mid-20s. That is when their eyes reach ocular maturity. Eyes should be free of disease, infection, or injury.
- Vision quality. You need to discuss any issues with light distortion with the ophthalmologist. Distortion may represent itself in the form of blurring, starbursts, halos, or glare. These distortions—whilst noted during healing sometimes—generally decrease after the procedure.
- Dry eye. Many people, in the general population, suffer from dry eye. Dry eye symptoms have been noted among 30% of patients following laser surgery. However, a larger percentage (almost 60%) said that their dry eye symptoms went away about three months after the laser procedure.
Corneal Thickness
The doctor will also review the thickness and shape of your cornea. If the cornea is either misshapen or considered too thin, you may not be the right candidate for surgery. The cornea must be thick enough r it to be reshaped and corrected.
Measuring the Pupil Size
Another part of a laser surgery consultation involves measuring the pupil size. If the pupils are large, a patient may be at an increased risk for blurred vision or other side effects after the surgery.
Do You Have a Higher Eyeglass Prescription?
Whilst laser surgery, in former times, was not recommended for people with higher eyeglass prescriptions, today’s advancements in technology make even these people good candidates for such a surgery.
