Pupillary Pathways

You may have seen a patient a handful of times before, but at some point, they’ll probably hit you with the question: “Am I a good candidate for LASIK?”

Most patients call all different types of refractive surgery “LASIK”, only because they probably don't know about their options. Though LASIK is the most commonly performed procedure in terms of refractive surgery, just because a patient does not qualify for LASIK doesn't mean they don’t qualify for any other kind of refractive surgery. 

Answering the common LASIK question may sound complicated if you haven't had enough experience in a refractive surgery environment. Surgeons look for a variety of factors when determining if a patient is a candidate. As primary eye care providers, Optometrists should be able to answer questions for standard cases and leave the not-so-standard cases up to the surgeon's discretion.

LASIK surgery is the most common refractive surgery procedure that patients undergo to correct their vision. It has historically been shown to be a simple and safe alternative to wearing glasses or contact lenses, as long as a patient has been deemed a good candidate.

Even though patient outcomes are very positive in a high percentage of cases post-operatively, it is important to be able to properly handle potential problems that can arise from this type of surgery. Some of these issues are completely normal and expected in the early post-op period, so a little hand-holding and patient education will often be all these patients need, while other undesirable symptoms may require additional treatment.

Here we will review seven of the most common potential complications you may come across when co-managing LASIK patients. 

With the continued growing popularity for surgical options to correct one’s refractive error, you are likely to encounter patients that will ask you if LASIK surgery is a good option for them on a daily basis.

In order to properly answer this question, careful patient history, evaluation, and discussion are essential pieces of determining a patient’s candidacy for LASIK surgery.