What requirements do I have to meet for eye laser surgery?
The dream of life without glasses and contact lenses can come true within a few minutes with an eye laser treatment. Many patients describe saying goodbye to visual aids as one of the best decisions of their lives. Even if laser eye correction with LASIK, Femto LASIK, PRK/LASEK or Trans PRK is possible for most patients, this path is not open to everyone.
The fulfillment of five essential requirements are necessary for suitability for eye laser surgery. In particular, the severity and type of ametropia and stable eyesight play important roles. Please note that only after a comprehensive examination of your eyes can it be determined whether your ametropia can be corrected by laser eye treatment.
1. Wearers of glasses or contact lenses
Ametropia can have different causes. One of the requirements for laser eye surgery is that the blurred vision is due to a refractive error in the eye. This means that there is a so-called refractive error. These include nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia. While we at CARE Vision recommend lens implantation for the latter in some cases, the other three ametropia can usually be corrected very well with eye laser treatment such as LASIK. In many cases, those affected wear glasses or use contact lenses for years before they want to say goodbye to visual aids using eye laser surgery.
2. Minimum age 18 years
Another prerequisite for laser eye treatment at CARE Vision is the age of majority. Until the age of 18, the body is still growing. Thus, the growth of the eyes is also not yet complete.
For example, in the case of farsightedness, where the eyeball is too short in relation to the refractive power of the eye, this visual defect can improve with growth or, in the best case, even disappear. For this reason, children and adolescents should not undergo laser vision correction.
3. Stable visual acuity
However, even in adulthood, the presence of stable visual acuity is one of the prerequisites for laser eye surgery with LASIK or other laser correction methods. This reduces the risk that after a successful laser eye correction, the vision will change again and a new visual aid will be necessary. Although in most cases a follow-up treatment can provide relief, it goes without saying that long-term freedom from glasses and contact lenses is desirable. For this reason, we at CARE Vision do not recommend laser eye surgery to our patients until their current visual acuity has been stable for at least twelve months.
Usually, the visual acuity hardly changes during adulthood. However, due to hormonal fluctuations, for example during pregnancy, the visual acuity may change in some cases. For this reason, we at CARE Vision generally recommend that laser eye treatment, whether by LASIK or PRK/LASEK, only be performed after pregnancy – and only if the values after this period correspond to the values before pregnancy. Otherwise, the before mentioned time frame of a constant visual acuity for at least twelve months applies.
Another requirement, the refractive error should be within a certain range:
– Nearsightedness up to -10 diopters
– Farsightedness up to +4 diopters
– Corneal curvature up to 6 diopters
4. Healthy eyes
Another requirement for successful laser vision correction, apart from the existing refractive error, is good eye health. This means, for example, that there is no corneal inflammation or other diseases of the visual apparatus.
In addition to eye health, a certain corneal thickness must also be present for laser eye surgery. This is the case for most people. In the case of a normal corneal thickness, provided that the other conditions described on this page are met, the most commonly used and extensively researched treatment method LASIK or Femto-LASIK is possible in many cases. In the case of a thin cornea, the treatment method PRK/LASEK, which has also been tested for many years, as well as Trans-PRK can make the dream of life without glasses possible.
5. Good health condition
A good health condition is also one of the prerequisites for laser eye surgery. Although laser eye surgery is only a minimally invasive, outpatient treatment, we ask you to inform us about any existing diseases (such as diabetes, autoimmune diseases, etc.) during the preliminary medical examination.
What are the risks of eye laser surgery if the requirements are not met?
If you meet the necessary requirements for laser vision correction and the preliminary medical examination also confirms that your refractive error can be corrected with laser vision correction, there is nothing standing in the way of your decision to say goodbye to glasses from a medical point of view.
If something speaks against it, we will not be able to recommend laser vision correction to you. This is because the following risks could arise:
- Laser vision correction aims at long-term freedom from visual aids. If your visual acuity is unstable, your values may change again after laser correction and a new correction may be necessary.
- If you are under 18 years old, this is even likely: because only then are the eyes “fully grown” and the visual acuity reaches the necessary stability.
- The same applies to your visual acuity during pregnancy and breastfeeding: due to hormonal changes, the diopters can also change.
- If your cornea is too thin, the defective vision may not be sufficiently corrected with laser vision correction. In many cases, lens treatment is then a good alternative.
Laser eye treatment methods
and your requirements
Personal Consultation Appointments
If you would like advice on Laser Eye Surgery or Lens Implantation, please do not hesitate to contact us. You can also find out more about Laser Eye Surgery at our regular LASIK information evenings or during a personal consultation.
Online Video Consultation
- Personal advice – wherever you are
- Via PC, Tablet, or Smartphone
- Of course, non-binding and free of charge
On-Site Consulting
- Personal Consultation at one of over 25 locations
- Flexible Appointment Selection
- Upon request, we will conduct an initial suitability test for laser eye surgery.
FAQ
As a rule, the following conditions are necessary for eligibility for laser eye surgery:
- The strength and type of refractive error can be corrected by an eye laser procedure
- You have stable visual acuity
- You are over 18 years old
- Healthy eyes
- Good health condition
Once the body is fully grown and the visual acuity has stabilized, laser eye correction can be considered. This is the case for most young adults at the age of 18.
The ideal age for laser eye surgery is between 20 and 45. Before this age, growth-related fluctuations in visual acuity can occur, which in the worst case would make follow-up treatment necessary. From the age of about 45 years, presbyopia occurs in many people, which is why lens treatment may then make more sense.
There is no maximum age for laser eye surgery. However, it should be noted that presbyopia occurs at an age of about 45 years. This is part of the natural aging process of the body and cannot be stopped by laser vision correction. The natural lens then loses its elasticity, which is why sharp vision becomes increasingly difficult, first at close range and later at greater distances. Lens implantation may then be the more suitable treatment method.
Laser vision correction can correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. A non-refractive-related visual defect requires other treatment methods.
During pregnancy, hormones cause many physical changes. For example, the eyes often become drier and the visual acuity also changes in some women. For an optimal treatment result, we wait with the eye laser treatment until the visual acuity is stable again after pregnancy.