Am I a LASIK Candidate?

Are you a suitable candidate for LASIK? The pre-operative consultation will tell. We provide a thorough eye examination and our experienced ophthalmologist will determine whether or not you are eligible for laser vision correction. This task is not delegated to a technician or a GP as is seen in some clinics where you never get a chance to meet your eye surgeon face-to-face the day of your consultation. For those who may fall under one or more of the above categories or conditions may not be eligible for LASIK procedures.

The average person presenting at our clinics:

• Is about 37 years of age (18 to 60years)
• Has a stable refractive correction
• With their prescription not having changed more than 0.50 to 1.00 Dioptres over the last 2 to 3 years.

LASIK is a suitable for clients with:

• Myopia (nearsightedness) from –1.00 to –10.00 Dioptres
• Hyperopia (farsightedness) +0.5D to +3 to +4.00 Dioptres
• Astigmatism -0.5D to -4.00 Dioptres.
• People who are out of range of the above values can almost always be very successfully helped with other refractive surgery procedures such as RLE/CLE Clear Lens Exchange, Bioptics or Phakic Implants.

The Ideal candidate for LASIK:

• Age: 18 years +
• Sensible, realistic expectations
• Stable refractive error (No annual change to exceed 0.5D)
• Healthy eyes with:
• Minimal or no amblyopia
• No cataracts
• No corneal disease (keratoconus and so forth)
• No glaucoma, uncontrolled retinal disease, macular disease
• Adequate corneal thickness to perform procedure of choice
• Not Breast feeding or pregnant
• No Rheumatoid Arthritis or Lupus disease
• Not on certain drugs like Accutane, and Plaquenil and Cordarone

You are likely a poor candidate for laser surgery if you have:

• A collagen vascular disease (Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus)
• An autoimmune or immunodeficiency disease
• Signs of keratoconus or an abnormal corneal topography
• If you are taking Accutane or Amiodarone hydrochloride (Cordarone)
• If you are pregnant or nursing
• If you have advanced Diabetic Retinopathy or other devastating eye diseases.

What conditions does LASIK surgery not cure?

• Lazy Eye (Amblyopia. We do not offer LASIK to any client with an amblyopic eye unless they are at least able to see 20/50 in that eye)
• Presbyopia: We have new solutions for loss of reading ability but presbyopia is a chronic progressive loss of the ability to see up close and LASIK does not cure this problem (see mono-vision LASIK later)
• Squints: this is a condition where an eye is turned inwards or outwards and requires the opinion of an ophthalmologist

Criteria for ineligibility