Who said perfect vision wasn’t possible? According to Zeiter Eye Medical Group’s Dr. John Canzano, more than 90 percent of people who have LASIK (Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis) end up with vision between 20/20 and 20/40 without any need for glasses or contact lenses.
The surgery itself only takes about ten minutes per eye and most people are back to work within a few days. But how do you know if you’re a good candidate for Lasik? And how does it actually work? Whether you’re looking for the convenience that comes with ditching the glasses or you’re motivated by aesthetic reasons, keep in mind that only your surgeon can say for sure if you’re a good candidate for LASIK.
Normally, an image will focus on the retina at the back of the eye. With nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatisms, the image is not properly focused on the retina, leading to blurry vision. LASIK uses a computer controlled pulsing laser to vaporize the middle layer of the cornea, allowing the surgeon to alter the curvature of the cornea. The surgeon programs the laser to remove the exact amount of corneal tissue needed to allow images to be focused properly in the retina. The surgical result leads to clear vision, which eliminates or reduces the need for corrective lenses like glasses or contact lenses. LASIK is also customizable to fit individual vision needs for one eye or both with major or more moderate corrections.
“You should be 18 years or older, ideally, over 21 years old, when vision is more likely to have stopped changing,” Dr. Canzano says. “Your eye prescription should not have changed much in the last year. Your refractive error must be one that can be treated with LASIK. Your corneas need to be thick enough and healthy, and your overall eye health must be generally good, and you need to have realistic expectations about what LASIK can and cannot do for you.”
It is important to know that LASIK cannot correct presbyopia, the normal, age-related loss of close-up vision. With or without refractive surgery, almost everyone who has excellent distance vision will need reading glasses around age 40.
“Like any surgery, LASIK carries risks of problems or complications,” Dr. Canzano says. “These risks, however, are low. LASIK is and has been a very safe and effective vision correction procedure that has only gotten better over time.”
Zeiter Eye Medical Group, Inc.
Stockton, Lodi, Manteca, Sonora, Tracy
(209) 466-5566
ZeiterEye.com