Posted by: Associates in Ophthalmology (NJ) in LASIK
LASIK is currently the most popular elective medical surgery you can get. It has also freed millions from contacts and glasses. It’s known as a safe and effective form of vision correction as well.
But laser vision correction procedures are not for everyone. Read on to learn why a LASIK surgeon may not approve of you as a candidate for LASIK.
You Are Under the Age of 18
It would make sense that teens want to be free from glasses and contact lenses. There are instances where it is not safe to wear either glasses or contact lenses.
Plus teens are notorious for wearing their contacts to bed or forgetting to take them out.
But unless you’re 18 or older, you aren’t a good candidate for LASIK. The short answer is that LASIK is only FDA approved for people 18 and older.
The longer answer is that until you are at least 18, your prescription is more likely to change. A changing prescription is not a good thing when you are considering LASIK.
Your Prescription Is Not Stable
To be a good LASIK candidate, one of the key factors is you must have a stable prescription. Stable means it cannot have changed in the last year or more.
If it has, it’s a good indicator that your vision will continue changing. LASIK is a permanent procedure. It’s not something that’s meant to be done over and over again.
If you have a prescription that’s still changing, you should wait to get LASIK. A good LASIK surgeon will tell you if your prescription is a problem.
If the stability of your prescription is an issue, you’ll have to wait to have LASIK until your eyes are stable. Most LASIK surgeons recommend waiting until your mid-twenties for LASIK.
By this time, your eyes should have stopped changing and stabilized enough.
You are Planning a Pregnancy or Currently Breastfeeding
When it comes to family planning, getting LASIK is all about getting the timing right. You can’t get LASIK if you’re pregnant or currently breastfeeding.
Hormones during pregnancy cause your eyes to change. This is usually a temporary change, but it makes it harder to get LASIK.
The best thing to do is wait to have LASIK until you’re done having children. Each pregnancy can possibly change your eyes and make them less stable.
You can’t get LASIK while breastfeeding because it’s not safe for your newborn baby. When you get LASIK, you’ll also receive steroid and anti-inflammatory eye drops to take.
If you breastfeed, the chemicals in these eye drops can be transmitted to your baby, which isn’t safe.
It’s much better to wait to get LASIK for at least 3 months after breastfeeding. At this point, your eyes will have gone back to normal. You may need to wait longer, depending on if your prescription is stable enough as well.
The only way to know for sure if you’re a LASIK candidate is to have a LASIK consultation. Schedule yours at Associates in Ophthalmology in Livingston, NJ today! Get ready to find out if you’re on your way to clear vision!
