eye care impact on vision

Is LASIK right for me? If you answer yes to the questions below, then LASIK is likely a good option to decrease your need for glasses and/or contact lenses.

Are you over the age of 18 with stable vision? By waiting until a patient is at least 18 years old, we minimize the chance that a person’s nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism is going to continue to change. Your vision should be stable over the last 12 months at least.

Are you in good general health? In order to ensure the best results after LASIK, patients should be in good general health. Patients should not have uncontrolled diabetes, autoimmune or collagen vascular disease. Patients should not be taking any medication that compromises the immune response.

Are your eyes healthy? A person with eye diseases such as keratoconus, corneal disease and certain retinal and optic nerve diseases is not a good candidate for LASIK. You also should not have a history of ocular herpes or corneal scarring.

You are not nursing or pregnant? Hormones can affect the stability of one’s vision. Therefore, pregnant and nursing women should wait until 3 months after nursing to consider LASIK.

Beyond answering yes to these 4 questions, you will need a LASIK consultation. At this visit, the following items will be assessed to determine if LASIK is a good option for you.

• The shape and thickness of the cornea
• Automated examination of your visual system that maps how light is focused by your eyes
• The health of your eyes
• The level of prescription required to correct your vision

If you answered yes to the four questions above and would like to schedule a LASIK consultation, call Summit Eye Center at (816) 246-2111 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to schedule an appointment.