In conducting your eye evaluation, your doctor should look out for features that would make you anything less than an ideal contender for surgery. These include factors prior to surgery, and any findings should be discussed with you in detail. Some risk factors for refractive surgery are:
a) High lens prescriptions – For patients with high myopia or hyperopia, LASIK is not a good idea. This is because the surgery would require the expulsion of too much corneal tissue.
b) A thin cornea – LASIK and other laser surgery procedures demand the elimination of some corneal tissue. The thickness of your cornea is hence of great importance, and thin corneas present the danger of extreme weakening of the cornea due to this procedure.
c) Irregular curvature of the cornea – Topographers are used to measure the shape of your cornea. Irregular curvature may be a telltale sign of a weak cornea
d) Dry eyes – With eyes that are red or teary, LASIK may elevate the irritation and have a detrimental effect.
e) Pupils that are larger than usual – LASIK may cause vision incongruities like halos and glares, and candidates that have large pupils are more exposed to this risk.
f) Prior refractive surgery – Earlier refractive surgery, principally radial keratotomy, may cause difficulties in future procedures,.
Dangers Associated with LASIK
While LASIK has positively changed the lives of most patients that undergo this procedure, there are risks associated with it. Before making a decision regarding LASIK, it is important to be informed about the potential problems that may arise from this type of surgery.