What is the Minimum Prescription for Laser Eye Surgery?
Since its introduction towards the end of the 20th century, Laser Eye Surgery has grown to become one of the most popular elective procedures in the world. You likely know someone who has had it done. This popularity is in large part thanks to the continued innovation that has helped to make Laser Eye Surgery a possibility for more and more people around the globe.
The benefits of Laser Eye Surgery can be immense. When performed successfully (which is the vast majority of cases), treatment can not only reduce your dependence on visual aids like glasses and contact lenses but also freely enjoy activities that you might once have never thought possible.
If you’ve made your way to this article, you might be wondering whether Laser Eye Surgery could be an option for you. Well, the good news is, that most people are eligible for Laser Eye Surgery – at London Vision Clinic, we are able to treat around 97% of the patients we see!
However, there are some limitations to be aware of. While Laser Eye Surgery has advanced significantly in recent years, unfortunately, it isn’t suitable for everyone.
As you might expect, patients with very high prescriptions can be deemed unsuitable for Laser Eye Surgery. But it might surprise you to learn that your prescription can also be too low for treatment. Before we cover this in more detail, let’s cover some of the most common reasons an individual may be found unsuitable for Laser Eye Surgery.
Reasons you may be unsuitable for Laser Eye Surgery
Suitability for Laser Eye Surgery is determined on a case-by-case basis and can depend on a range of factors. These factors can vary significantly from patient to patient and will be assessed through a comprehensive consultation with an eye expert. At this consultation, you will be assessed for several things:
The severity of your prescription: While your prescription isn’t the only determining factor of your suitability for treatment, it is an important one. An eye expert will assess your prescription to ensure you fall within the treatable range for Laser Eye Surgery.
The stability of your prescription: The stability of your prescription can be just as important as its severity. Most clinics will require patients to have had a stable prescription for at least a year before having Laser Eye Surgery. A number of things can affect the stability of your prescription, including being under 18 and being pregnant or breastfeeding.
The thickness of your corneas: LASIK (the most commonly performed Laser Eye Surgery procedure) requires patients to have thick enough corneas to accommodate a “flap” in the corneal epithelium. Therefore, in some cases, patients may be unsuitable for treatment – although, with the latest innovations, this is becoming less common.
Your pupil size: Your optometrist will ensure your pupils are a suitable size for treatment. Having large pupils can mean that they expand beyond the typical treatment area. This can increase your risk of side effects such as nighttime glare. Pupillometry (measuring the size of the pupil in different light conditions) allows us to make any necessary adjustments to your treatment plan.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding: As we mentioned earlier, fluctuations in hormone levels that occur when a person is pregnant or has recently given birth can cause slight changes to your prescription or even trigger dry eye symptoms. Moreover, some medications used during and after Laser Eye Surgery may be harmful to your child. It is therefore advised to wait until several months after pregnancy and breastfeeding to have the treatment.
Your overall eye health: In addition to the presence of any underlying health conditions, your overall eye health is also important when considering your suitability for Laser Eye Surgery. Several eye conditions can impact your suitability, including:
- High eye pressure (intraocular pressure)
- Glaucoma
- Very large pupils with high correction
- Your prescription is low (under 0.75) and you do not have astigmatism
- A squint (strabismus) which is not corrected by contact lenses
- Corneal dystrophy
- Keratoconus
- Herpes of the eye
- Iritis
- Blindness in one eye or partial sightedness
- Macular degeneration
Your general health: As well as having good eye health, it’s also important to have good general health. For example, you may not be suitable for Laser Eye Surgery if you suffer from:
- Rheumatoid Arthritis, SLE, Lupus
- Crohn’s or collagen disease
- Epilepsy, MS: Depending on the status of the condition
- Uncontrolled Diabetes
While the above points can provide a general rule for Laser Eye Surgery suitability, only a thorough consultation will be able to determine your eligibility for treatment.
Does my prescription fall within the treatable range?
Even if you meet all of the requirements already laid out, you may still find that your prescription could prevent you from having Laser Eye Surgery. So, let’s take a look at the recommended treatable prescription range:
To qualify for LASIK at a high-quality clinic, your prescription can be up to:
- -10 diopters of near-sightedness
- +6 diopters of far-sightedness
- 6 diopters of astigmatism
In some cases, it may be possible to treat refractive errors beyond these limits. Moreover, if Laser Eye Surgery is not an option for you, you may still be suitable for an alternative vision correction treatment, such as implantable collamer lens (ICL) surgery.
But what about the lower prescription limit for Laser Eye Surgery? Well, there is no definitive answer to this question; however, as a guide, most clinics won’t treat patients with a prescription less than -0.5 D (myopia) or +1.0 D for hyperopia. Find out more about prescription limits.
What if your prescription is not suitable for Laser Eye Surgery?
When performing Laser Eye Surgery for higher prescriptions, it is important to ensure the corneas are thick enough to accommodate “high-profile treatments”. These treatments involve removing more tissue from the corneal bed, so the corneas need to be thick enough to allow the necessary reshaping. This means that patients with higher prescriptions are generally not suitable for traditional LASIK treatment.
But LASIK isn’t the only Laser Eye Surgery treatment available. At London Vision Clinic, we are also able to offer the revolutionary ReLEx SMILE treatment. Thanks to its minimally invasive nature, SMILE can treat people with prescriptions of higher than -10 as well as those who have thin corneas.
The bottom line is, that there is no hard and fast way to know whether you are suitable for Laser Eye Surgery. While one clinic may be unable to treat you, another may find you suitable for treatment. The only way to know for sure is to Book a Consultation.
So, if you’d like to know if your prescription can be treated with Laser Eye Surgery, get in touch with one of our friendly clinic coordinators, or Book a Consultation today.
