Living in Long Island and considering LASIK eye surgery?

LASIK eye surgery has become increasingly popular and tens of thousands of patients every year successfully undergo the procedure and experience the freedom and self confidence from not having to wear eyeglasses or contact lenses. Although the procedure is relatively safe and most people do experience very good results, not everyone qualifies.

Even though different types of laser eye surgeries will each have their own qualifications regarding who will make a good candidate, there are a few qualifications that pertain to all different types of lasik eye surgery.

If you’re considering having lasik eye surgery of any type done, please review the following qualifications and ask yourself if they pertain to you in your situation. Ultimately, your Long Island eye surgeon should make the recommendation regarding your suitability for the procedure, however, these guidelines will at least give you a starting point to decide if you wish to pursue it further.

Your eyes must be in good general health

Although lasik eye surgery is being done to correct vision problems, your eyes must still be in general good health before lasik eye surgery can be done. If there are any conditions of the eye, such as chronic dry eye, this would rule out laser eye surgery. Cataracts and glaucoma are also two conditions that would make one an unsuitable candidate for laser eye surgery. There may be other conditions that exist and your eye care professional will be able to determine how eligible you are for a laser eye surgery.

You must be an adult

Most states, hospitals, clinics, and doctor’s offices require that an individual be an adult before lasik eye surgery is performed. In some cases this is 18, and in others it’s 21. Procedures are sometimes done on people younger than that but these are exceptions and are usually due to very special circumstances.

I don’t mind wearing contact lenses. Should I still consider LASIK eye surgery?

Most eye surgeons would agree that if you don’t mind wearing contact lenses and you’re happy with the vision you receive from them, then you should carefully consider the risks of LASIK eye surgery versus the benefits you may receive as a result. Since many people who consider LASIK eye surgery do not like wearing contact lenses or would prefer to not be dependent on them, you should carefully evaluate if the procedure is really right for you.

I sometimes have dry eyes. Will LASIK eye surgery make that worse?

It is true that some LASIK eye surgery patients to experience dry eyes after having undergone the procedure. Your eye care professional will be able to diagnose you and evaluate your candidacy for lasik eye surgery. Some patients have a dry eye syndrome that has not been previously diagnosed in these patients would of course be more susceptible to increased dry eye conditions after the lasik eye surgery. The eye surgeon in Long Island that you choose will be able to advise you about your dry eyes before the lasik eye surgery performed.