Why You Should (or Shouldn't) Get LASIK?

LASIK has remained popular since this elective surgery burst onto the scene. Like any procedure, it's a good idea to get familiar with the how it works and get a consultation with a qualified eye care professional to make sure that this type of vision correction is the right one for your own personal needs. The good news is that a huge majority of people are very pleased with the results of their LASIK procedure.

You Should Get LASIK Because...

One of the biggest reasons to get LASIK is because with the addition of other methods of LASIK correction surgery, almost anyone can be a candidate for laser vision correction.

LASIK - no matter if you go for traditional LASIK or something fancier such as Wavefront - doesn't hurt. Most patients report feeling nothing but perhaps a little annoyance at the bright light the laser puts off and only a few patients report feeling pressure in their eyes during the initial cut in the process.

The recovery time after having the LASIK procedure is very quick for most people. The average complete recovery time is about 2 weeks. During this time you will be putting anti-inflammatory as well as antibiotic drops in your eyes to prevent infection and speed the healing process along.

LASIK is affordable. A few years ago, LASIK wasn't an option for many people. However in the present you will find the LASIK procedure can be very affordable and when compared to the cost of getting new glasses and/or contacts every year - you can actually save a lot of money by getting laser vision correction.

You Shouldn't Get LASIK Because.....

LASIK surgery does have a few possible risks that you need to be aware of if you're considering having laser vision correction.

Insurance will generally only cover a minute part of the LASIK procedure if any part of it is covered at all. You will need to save your money or obtain alternative financing to pay for your LASIK procedure. Some doctors do offer financing through their offices for the procedure but the interest rates can be high. Yes, LASIK is affordable but the procedure still isn't cheap.

Women need to be aware that pregnant and nursing women are not candidates for the LASIK procedure because the surge of hormones created in both pregnancy as well as lactation can actually soften and change the shape of a woman's cornea temporarily. There isn't any point in correcting an eye that isn't at its permanent shape. Most doctors will advise women to be 6 months free from pregnancy and/or nursing before attempting LASIK.

Macular degeneration is a condition that LASIK currently can not help. Macular degeneration causes the eye sight to continually worsen and degenerate until many sufferers of this condition are legally blind. In order to have the LASIK procedure, your eye sight must have hit a plateau for one year. Diabetes also need to be aware if their diabetes isn't currently controlled through diet or medication - they may have to wait to have their LASIK procedure.

Those are a good group of reasons both pro and con for having the LASIK procedure. Millions of people happily get this procedure every single year and the huge majority are satisfied with their resulting vision improvement. However, like all procedures, LASIK isn't for everyone and the only way to know for sure if it's the right choice for yourself is to read up on the procedure and decide if LASIK is really for you.