Who make the best lasik candidates Tweet

At North Shore Eye Care with offices in Smithtown, Deer Park, Holbrook, and Riverhead we see many people for lasik evaluations.  Luckily most people are well suited for this operation.  There are two principal requirements to be a good candidate.  The first is a stable eye prescription.  It is for this reason that we never consider correcting people below the age of 18.  When doing anyone we make sure that at least for one year there were no major  changes in the eye glass prescription.  This can usually  be easily determined by examining the patient's glasses or existing contact lenses.  In the latter case it's helpful to bring your contact lens prescription with you.  This can easily be determined by simply bringing the boxes that the lenses came with.  Even though we look for stability the eyes can still change over time, something that can happen even if you did't have lasik.  Should this be the case a second procedure called an enhancement can be performed.  An interesting fact is that North Shore Eye Care is one of the few facilities that offer life time guarantees on lasik.

The second requirement is that you are free of any significant ocular disease.  One of the most common conditions that we look for are people suffering from dry eyes.  This is a problem seen in middle aged people, especially women, but is also commonly seen in contact lens wearers who can be quite a bit younger.  Since we know that lasik can aggravate this condition it is best to diagnose and treat it prior to undergoing this procedure.  One of the most effective treatments involves the use of topical cyclosporine that goes under the trade name of restasis that you may have seen advertised on TV.  This drug stabilizes the innermost layer of the tear film by restoring the goblet cells.  It also enhances the outermost layer of the tear film by restoring normal secretions from the meibomian glands located behind the lashes.  Punctum plugs that block the entrance to the lacrimal drainage system of the eye have also proved useful.

People from all walks of life have taken advantage of the many benefits of lasik.  This is why the armed forces have endorsed lasik, lasek, and PRK which are all forms of laser vision correction.  Another group that has taken advantage of the many benefits of lasik are physicians and there families.  This is especially true for Ophthalmologists and Optometrists.

For all those interested in this exciting technology we welcome you to come in for a free evaluation or one of our monthly seminars.