Am I a Good Candidate for Lasik?
If you’re considering LASIK vision correction surgery, you may be surprised to know that your eye surgeon’s most important consideration is your overall eye health. Individuals with current or previous eye conditions or certain autoimmune disorders may not qualify for LASIK. That’s why it’s so important to begin your LASIK journey with a comprehensive eye examination and a frank discussion about your medical and vision history.
The best candidates for LASIK meet these criteria:
· Mild to moderate nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism
· A stable corrective lens prescription for the past 12 months
· Sufficient thickness of the cornea
· Good overall health condition
· 18 years of age or older
· Not currently pregnant or nursing
· Grounded, realistic expectations of surgical outcome
· Solid understanding of possible risks and complications
General Risks and Complications
The History of Laser Procedures
The LASIK-procedures were first adopted by a Spanish ophthalmologist Jose Barraquer in Colombia. In 1950 he invented the very first microkeratome in his clinic in Bogotá, which was intended to cut a thin flap in the cornea and in doing so, alter the shape of the cornea.Barraquer was also the first to study, how much and how should the cornea be altered to raise visual acuity to provide stable and long-term results.
His procedures were called keratomileusis.The technology was later enhanced by Svjatoslav Fjodorov in the 1970s in Russia, who invented the RK-method (radial keratotomy) to correct the eyes. During the RK-procedure a diamond knife is used to make 4-6 incisions 2 mm in depth, which extended from the colored to the area line of the white part of the eye, and right after the operation a person starts to see. This procedure had nothing to do with lasers.
What is PRK?
Laser was put to play in the 1980s when a German Theo Seiler worked out the PRK-method (photorefractive keratectomy; later LASEK-method). The first operation based on the PRK-method was performed at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in 1996 by Dr. Dimitri Azar. Read more
Is LASIK Expensive?
Matthew Pruitt is the owner of NuVision Medicenters, with centers in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. As an expert in the field of LASIK technology, Pruitt has helped thousands of patients undergoing the procedure. Here, he discusses the misconception that LASIK is prohibitively expensive for patients.
How much does LASIK usually cost?
You may see advertising for LASIK starting at $399 or hear people talk about having done LASIK for $6,000. There is really a wide range of what surgeons charge for the procedure.
The discounted laser practices you may see advertised typically work on high volume so they can bring their costs down a bit. On average, if you’re going to be doing surgery with a doctor who specializes in laser vision correction, you are going to be looking at a fee that’s going to be per eye—in New York specifically—anywhere between $1,500 to $2,500. Read more
