“Should I get Laser surgery for myopia?”
I was diagnosed with myopia. Should I get Laser surgery for myopia?
3 Answers
OphthalmicSurgeonOptometrist
You should discuss this with your eyecare provider. The answer depends upon the health of your cornea, the thickness of your cornea, whether or not there are any other eye diseases that might be present and most importantly, if you mind wearing glasses or contact lenses. If you have no problem wearing glasses or contact lenses, I always tell my patients although I do LASIK myself that they should not do surgery that is not absolutely necessary. Keep in mind that the vast majority of patients who do have refractive surgery are happy and we do it again. There are potential however of complications and I discussed this with all of my patients.
Only if you do jot want to wear contacts or glasses
Jason Randall Smith
Optometrist
Laser surgery/ refractive surgery can always be an option for nearsightedness/myopia but there are several things that need to be evaluated and answered by you and by your ophthalmologist/refractive surgeon. These include your age. Most surgeons will wait until you are at least 21 years of age and that your prescription has not changed over a period of time and is "stable".
Your corneal thickness must be measured by a procedure called pachymetry in order to be sure that your cornea is able to withstand any surgical procedure. Do you have any underlying medical conditions and what medications are you on? Also, and a very important concern is, what are your actual prescription measurements in each eye, where a refraction will analyze this and any possible astigmatism that is present? These measurements will allow you and your surgeon to then know what surgical options are available including other non-surgical options including wearing glasses or contact lenses. And, do you have any other vision or eye problems that need to be taken into consideration? These things will be fully evaluated by an eye doctor and include a dilated exam, eye pressure measurements, and a general internal and external eye-health assessment. Good luck and best wishes.
Your corneal thickness must be measured by a procedure called pachymetry in order to be sure that your cornea is able to withstand any surgical procedure. Do you have any underlying medical conditions and what medications are you on? Also, and a very important concern is, what are your actual prescription measurements in each eye, where a refraction will analyze this and any possible astigmatism that is present? These measurements will allow you and your surgeon to then know what surgical options are available including other non-surgical options including wearing glasses or contact lenses. And, do you have any other vision or eye problems that need to be taken into consideration? These things will be fully evaluated by an eye doctor and include a dilated exam, eye pressure measurements, and a general internal and external eye-health assessment. Good luck and best wishes.
