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Do you want LASIK to improve your vision but have very high myopia (nearsightedness)? If so, you must understand how LASIK corrects myopia and when your nearsightedness may require other options.
At Ventura Eye Institute in Camarillo, California, our eye health specialists have years of experience providing LASIK, a bladeless surgery to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. However, not everyone is a good candidate for LASIK.
More than 40% of people in the U.S. have myopia, which is the medical term for nearsightedness. With myopia, the entire eyeball is longer from front to back, and the cornea is too curved, causing light to focus in front of the retina instead of directly on it. This means you can see well up close, but not far away.
Most people have simple myopia, which can be easily corrected using glasses, contacts, or laser surgery like LASIK. However, some people have high myopia, which is extreme nearsightedness. This type of myopia requires a stronger prescription for glasses or contacts, as the eye and cornea are more elongated and pointy.
Deviations from normal vision (and the strength of lenses required to correct the errors) are measured in diopters. The greater the number, the greater the level of error. Myopia is measured in negative diopters, such as -3.00 or -4.25. Anything greater than -6.00 is considered high myopia.
LASIK uses lasers to carefully separate the protective tissue above the cornea and lift a flap. This allows another laser to access the cornea and reshape it. As long as the corneas are normal thickness, most people with simple myopia can have LASIK.
People with high myopia can also have LASIK successfully if their corneas are thick enough to allow reshaping. However, once the error reaches -10.00 diopters or more, LASIK may not restore better vision.
If you already have high myopia, waiting for your vision to stabilize (usually by age 30) can allow your doctor to accurately measure your refractive error and determine whether you’re a good candidate for LASIK.
If you’re not a good candidate for LASIK eye surgery, your doctor may be able to recommend other options. For some people, surgery to install a phakic intraocular lens (IOL) is a better choice than LASIK. Your provider will be able to walk you through the different available options.
To learn more about whether or not you’re a candidate for LASIK, talk to the team at Ventura Eye Institute. You can schedule a consultation by calling 805-388-1211 or visiting the contact page for more options.
