LASIK Eye Surgery Fleetwood, PA

What is the main question we get from our patients in Fleetwood PA? Is LASIK eye surgery right for me? LASIK eye surgery has dramatically improved vision for friends and family, and our patients wonder if they are a candidate. Come in to see us at Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania in nearby Blandon and we will give you that answer.

Patient qualifications

Most patients over age 18 who have good eye health are LASIK candidates, but one of our experienced eye doctors will perform a comprehensive vision exam to make that determination.

LASIK is used to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, and after the eye exam, the eye doctor will discuss the various surgery options with you. It is also important that we discuss your expectations for the surgery.

Eye prescriptions need to fit within certain prescription limits. While LASIK has improved over the last few years, and we can correct even higher levels of refractive error, the surgery cannot correct certain vision issues. We will evaluate your eyes and discuss that with you.

You cannot have eye diseases like uncontrolled glaucoma or severe cataracts, and you cannot have certain eye conditions, including amblyopia (lazy eye) or strabismus (muscle imbalance). We will not perform LASIK if you have an eye infection.

Patients must have good overall health to be a surgical candidate. If you have autoimmune disease, you may not be a good candidate. Diabetes patients must have a well-managed condition to be considered as a surgical candidate. You cannot have diabetic retinopathy that has resulted from your diabetes.

We will also want to examine any medications you are currently taking because certain medications do slow or even prevent the eye from healing. Finally, we do not recommend LASIK for pregnant or nursing mothers, or for women who plan to become pregnant within six months following surgery. The hormonal fluctuations that occur in pregnancy and with nursing can affect your vision stability, so we prefer to wait to do LASIK when the hormones have restabilized.

Preparing for LASIK

Contact lens wearers will have to refrain from wearing contacts for several days prior to LASIK. These lenses actually alter the shape of your corneas, so we need the cornea to be of normal shape going into surgery. The period of time varies among patients, so your eye doctor will tell you how long to stop wearing the lenses.

After surgery, there are several instructions to follow to ensure smooth healing. Most importantly, rest your eyes immediately following the surgery. This is an outpatient procedure, so someone will drive you home and we recommend sleeping for a period of time once you arrive back at home.

Use all prescribed eye drops and medications according to instructions provided by your surgeon, and attend all follow-up appointments so that our team can check your healing progress. We will restrict some activities like swimming, so it is important to stick to these guidelines.

Fleetwood PA patients interested in LASIK eye surgery can make an appointment today in our Blandon Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania office. Give us a call today.