Celebrities are always in the news, whether what they did was actually “newsworthy”. Case in point: both Kylie Jenner and Taylor Swift got LASIK in the last two months.
Now it seems like everyone is getting LASIK. Does that mean you should get LASIK as well? Keep reading to find out if you should get LASIK because of a celebrity!
You can only get LASIK if you qualify for it first
Everything about the idea of LASIK sounds great. No glasses or contacts for the rest of your life plus visual freedom for the first time. What could be better?
Here’s the thing you might not realize about LASIK: you can only have the procedure if you qualify for it. LASIK is a surgical procedure, after all. About 15-20% of potential candidates are not approved for LASIK because they don’t qualify.
This even applies to celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Taylor Swift!
How do I get approved for LASIK?
To get approved for LASIK, the first step is to schedule a LASIK consultation. At Chicago Cornea Consultants™, we’re the premier LASIK providers in the Chicagoland area. So, what goes into LASIK candidacy?
There are several factors that are taken into account when determining if someone is a good candidate for LASIK. Some of the most important factors include the following:
Age
LASIK is only FDA approved for patients that are at least 18 years old or older. If you are under the age of 18, you cannot get LASIK. But the age limit only applies for 18 and younger.
There is no limit on getting LASIK when you are older. You could technically get LASIK at any age as long as your eyes are healthy.
Good Health
A good LASIK candidate should be in good health. This doesn’t mean you need to be the healthiest person on the planet. But you do need to be able to heal after a surgical procedure like LASIK.
If you have an autoimmune disorder like HIV or uncontrolled diabetes, you are not a good candidate for LASIK. Although the recovery period after LASIK is quite short, you do need to be able to heal after the procedure.
Stable Prescription
One of the reasons why you can’t get LASIK if you’re under the age of 18 is because of hormones and fluctuating vision. If you have an unstable prescription, you should wait to have LASIK.
To get LASIK, you should have a stable prescription for at least a year that hasn’t changed.
Not Being Pregnant or Nursing
For the best results, patients should not undergo LASIK while they are pregnant or nursing. During pregnancy, your eyes could change because of hormones.
The best time to have LASIK is at least three months after you’ve finished nursing. If you know you want to have more children, wait to have LASIK.
There is a possibility that your eyes could change with every pregnancy. Waiting to have LASIK when you’re done having children will ensure you have the best results.
Corneal Thickness
The only way to know if you have thick enough corneas for LASIK is to have your LASIK consultation. However, it is a key part of the LASIK candidacy process.
During LASIK, the cornea is permanently reshaped. To reshape the cornea, you must have enough corneal tissue.
If your corneas are too thin, performing LASIK becomes too dangerous and could lead to complications. If you find out you have thin corneas, you may be a better candidate for a procedure like PRK.
Will the results of LASIK be permanent?
Yes! LASIK really is a permanent procedure. It’s not magic, either. LASIK is permanent because it corrects and fixes refractive errors.
These include nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. This is possible because LASIK uses two lasers to reshape the cornea.
The first is a femtosecond laser which creates a flap in the cornea. After creating the flap, it is then pulled back to gain access to the underlying corneal tissue.
The second laser is an excimer laser which removes a tiny amount of corneal tissue and reshapes the cornea. Reshaping the cornea corrects refractive errors, allowing the eye to refract light accurately and improving vision.
After reshaping the cornea, the flap is then put back down in place and left to heal on its own. No bandages or stitches are needed!
Will my vision improve immediately after having LASIK?
How much vision improvement you notice right after LASIK depends on the patient. Some patients can see clearly right after while others may need a day or two to adjust.
Both are normal! Your vision may be blurry or hazy right after LASIK but this is temporary and will normally go away within a day or two. For most patients, they notice that their vision stabilizes and improves in the days after having LASIK.
Not convinced? LASIK has a 96% patient satisfaction rate, which is the highest of any elective procedure. 99% of patients that undergo LASIK achieve better than 20/40 vision, and more than 90% of patients that have LASIK achieve 20/20 vision or better. We’ll let the numbers speak for themselves!
Like any surgical procedure, LASIK may not be right for you, but it also could be the thing that finally gives you visual freedom. Ready to find out if saying goodbye to glasses and contacts could be in your future?
Schedule a LASIK consultation at Chicago Cornea Consultants™ in Chicago, IL today! After all, if a celebrity can enjoy visual freedom, why can’t you?
