FAQs

Am I a candidate?

  Patients are normally eligible if:
  You are corrected for nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism
  You are in general good health
  You have had stable vision for at least 6 months
  You are at least 21 years of age

The Eye Clinic of Texas offers FREE consultations to determine if you are a good candidate for LASIK.


Who is NOT a candidate?

There are some medical conditions that may eliminate someone from being a candidate:
  Rheumatoid arthritis
  Some stages of diabetes
  Lupus, or collagen vascular diseases
  Ocular herpes
  Other medical conditions that affect the healing process

Women who are pregnant or plan to become pregnant within 6 months should wait until approx. 6 months after childbirth or until vision stabilizes.


Once I know I'm a candidate, what's next?

Patients wearing contact lenses must discontinue use prior to a pre-operative exam
  Soft contact lens wearers must be out 3 weeks prior to pre-op
  Hard or gas permeable lens wearers must be out 4-6 weeks prior to pre-op

The next step is a pre-operative exam, which consists of:
  Medical history of patient
  Dilated eye exam with refraction
  Corneal topography - mapping of the cornea's surface
  Pachymetry - measuring the thickness of the cornea
  Measuring the size of the pupil


How do I prepare for surgery?

The day of surgery, you will need to:
  Have a light breakfast or lunch depending upon surgery time
  Remove all eye make-up
  Refrain from drinking caffeine or having nicotine
  Bring someone with you to drive home and bring you back the next day for a post-op visit


What is the recovery time?

Most patients are functional the day after surgery and find it necessary to only take 1-2 days off work. There are however some minor limitations within the first 2-3 weeks;
  No rubbing of the eyes
  No strenuous or heavy lifting in which you might be squeezing the eyes shut
  No make-up, especially mascara. Removing may initiate rubbing
  No water activities, such as swimming or hot tub, due to potential bacteria in the water

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