Are your eyes healthy?

In general, laser eye surgery is most appropriate for people who have a moderate degree of refractive error and no unusual vision problems.

Your eye surgeon will ask detailed questions about your eye health and evaluate your eyes to make sure you don't have any conditions that might result in complications or poor outcomes of surgery. These include:

• An eye disease that results in a progressive deterioration of your vision and thinning of your cornea, such as keratoconus. In fact, if keratoconus runs in your family, even if you don't have it, be very cautious about elective eye surgery.
• Inflammation (such as keratitis or uveitis) and infections (such as herpes simplex) affecting the eye.
• Eye injuries or eyelid disorders.
• Dry eyes. It is important to know that if you have dry eyes, LASIK surgery may make the condition worse.
• Large pupils. If your pupils are large, especially in dim light, LASIK may not be appropriate. Surgery may result in debilitating symptoms such as glare, halos, starbursts and ghost images.
• Glaucoma. The surgical procedure can raise your eye pressure, which can make glaucoma worse.
• Cataracts.

You might also rethink having LASIK surgery if:

• You have severe nearsightedness or have been diagnosed with a high refractive error. The possible benefits of LASIK surgery may not justify the risks.
• You have fairly good (overall) vision. If you see well enough to need contacts or glasses only part of the time, improvement from the surgery may not be worth the risks.
• You have age-related eye changes that cause you to have less clear vision (presbyopia).
• You actively participate in contact sports. If you regularly receive blows to the face and eyes, such as during martial arts or boxing, LASIK surgery may not be a good choice for you.