People who long to wake up and see the world clearly without reaching for eyeglasses have a possible option: LASIK eye surgery. In suitable patients, Lasik corrects nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, and reduces or eliminates the need for vision aids, which can be a great help to many people, including those who don’t like contact lenses or who play sports.
In this Q&A, Angie Wen, MD, Director, Keratorefractive Surgery Division, Medical Director, Laser Vision Correction Center at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai (NYEE) and Director, Refractive Surgery Division, addresses some of the key questions you should consider when deciding whether to have this procedure.
Angie Wen, MD
What is Lasik surgery?
LASIK surgery is a procedure that corrects a wide range of refractive issues, including nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism.
How do you determine if someone is a good candidate for this procedure?
In general, I look at the overall health of the eye and the patient, the shape of the cornea, and the amount and type of correction they need.
What is the ideal age for a person to have Lasik surgery?
Lasik can have benefits thorough an adult’s life. It is important that your glasses prescription stops changing before considering something permanent such as laser vision correction. I like to wait until at least age 21 before offering Lasik. However, I have performed Lasik in a number of patients in their 50s. There does come a point in life when cataract development becomes more likely, at which point an implantable trifocal or extended vision lens may be a better choice than Lasik.
What happens during the preoperative consultation?
During the pre-operative consultation, a thorough eye and general medical history is taken as well as an evaluation of the patient’s goals for surgery. Some of my patients are avid scuba divers or tennis players, and are eager to get rid of glasses when playing sports. Others struggle with wearing contact lenses due to dry eye or allergies. Some patients with extreme dry eye will need treatment first and need to postpone their Lasik surgery. This will ensure they have excellent results after surgery. We perform advanced corneal mapping and a complete eye exam of both the front and back of the eye to look for any signs of eye disease that may interfere with an optimal outcome.
What other health or eye conditions might rule out Lasik surgery?
Lasik is generally avoided in patients who are pregnant or have certain autoimmune diseases, and those with concurrent eye diseases such as glaucoma, cataract, or retinal disease. I carefully consider patients who have had previous eye injuries or surgeries, are on certain medications, or have difficulty healing, though some of these patients can still undergo successful laser vision correction with the appropriate precautionary steps.
If a patient is not a good candidate for Lasik surgery, what other options can they consider?
Some patients who are not ideal candidates for Lasik can consider an alternative procedure such as PRK, or an implantable intraocular lens. A detailed in-person examination will help determine the best option.
Do you do both eyes at the same time? How long is the recovery process?
We usually do both eyes at the same time so there is one recovery period. The procedure itself is only about 10 minutes per eye, and patients are on their way home in under an hour. The recovery time varies by the individual, but most patients can be back to work in a few days.
