LASIK

What is LASIK?

LASIK is a minimally invasive eye surgery that can greatly reduce or even eliminate your need for glasses or contact lenses. With LASIK surgery, your eye surgeon reshapes your corneal tissue using a high-tech laser. This reshaping helps you to focus light on your retina. 

LASIK works much like glasses or contact lenses to correct your vision. But LASIK benefits are permanent, while glasses and contact lenses only correct your vision while you're wearing them. 

At least 99% of LASIK patients achieve 20/40 vision, and more than 90% have 20/20 or better eyesight after surgery. These numbers help explain why LASIK has a 96% patient satisfaction rate.

What does LASIK treat?

LASIK treats:

• Nearsightedness (myopia)
• Farsightedness (hyperopia)
• Astigmatism

After LASIK surgery for these issues, you only need reading glasses for close vision tasks if you have presbyopia. 

LASIK doesn't treat presbyopia because it involves a natural change in your eye lens. Presbyopia starts around age 40 and is characterized by difficulty focusing up close. 

Am I a good LASIK candidate?

The Inglewood Optometric Center team performs a comprehensive LASIK assessment to determine whether this surgery is right for you. To get LASIK surgery, you must be at least 18 years old and have a stable vision prescription for at least two years in a row.

You typically qualify for LASIK if you have mild to moderate myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism. Some patients with severe refractive errors may also be eligible. 

Other considerations for LASIK eligibility include:

Corneal thickness

You need a healthy cornea for LASIK surgery. A thin or malformed cornea may be too weak to withstand the reshaping process. 

If your corneas are too thin for LASIK but you qualify otherwise, the team may recommend another type of refractive surgery such as photorefractive keratectomy (PRK).

Eye health

If you have an ocular disease like cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, or diabetic retinopathy, or a vision disorder like keratoconus, you need specific treatment for that condition. 

When your condition involves corneal weakening or damage deeper in your eye, LASIK isn't typically a good fit. But there are excellent treatment options available for all of these problems.

Systemic health

In general, you need to be in good overall health to have LASIK. Diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and other systemic illnesses may disqualify you from refractive surgery.

Your provider can determine your suitability for LASIK through a comprehensive eye exam. After that, if you’re ready to proceed, the next step is the outpatient surgery. Following LASIK surgery, visit Inglewood Optometric Center for ongoing care.

Are you ready to see without glasses or contacts? Call Inglewood Optometric Center or schedule your LASIK assessment using online booking now.