Am I a Good Candidate for Advanced Surface Ablation?

Many people are interested in undergoing laser eye surgery, but some of these people will not be good candidates for the most popular and well-known type of surgery, LASIK. Over the past decade, LASIK has become synonymous with laser eye surgery in the minds of many; however, there are alternative refractive procedures which are just as effective and, for certain candidates, even safer. Chief among these is advanced surface ablation.

Advanced surface ablation is, unlike traditional LASIK, a completely bladeless procedure. This, by default, makes the procedure attractive to those with a fear of having a blade come into contact with their eyes. Because advanced surface ablation does not require the creation of a corneal flap, it is also appropriate for many patients whose corneas are too thin for them to undergo LASIK. Other qualities that a good candidate for advanced surface ablation will possess include:

• Vision that has been stable for at least one year
• Realistic expectations for the outcome of the procedure, which does not always result in 20/20 vision
• Good basic eye health, without an eye condition such as keratoconus

You may be a better candidate for advanced surface ablation than for LASIK if you suffer from dry eye syndrome, as one of the possible, albeit temporary, side effects of LASIK is dry eyes. Like LASIK, advanced surface ablation can be customized to address higher order aberrations.

To learn more about the advanced surface ablation procedure and whether you might be a good candidate for the procedure, please contact The Laser Vision Institute of the Virgin Islands.