Can I undergo LASIK if my myopia has recently worsened?

Refractive surgery is usually recommended when your refractive error has stabilised, and that usually occurs between 18 - 21 years of age.

If you are significantly older than that, or your refractive error has worsened significantly then a comprehensive evaluation by your ophthalmologist is recommended to exclude other causes of refractive error including cataract, hyperosmotic hyperglycemia (diabetes mellitus) or staphyloma of the eye that would make refractive surgery inappropriate.

If the myopia or astigmatism "deteriorates" by a minor amount like 25 degrees then this is considered relatively minor and within the variance and tolerances of normal spectacle testing, and not too much emphasis should be placed upon this.

I do recommend a complete and thorough evaluation by your attending ophthalmologist who will help you to ascertain whether you are suitable for surgery.

Best of luck!

ESG

If your myopia has really worsened recently, then no, you should not undergo LASIK. Otherwise there is a high risk of becoming myopic again shortly after your LASIK procedure.

Note that there is a small margin of error when measuring spectacle power, due to factors such as subjective responses to 'is this clearer or is that clearer' questions by the optometrist, distance of trial frame from the face, lighting conditions, etc.

Therefore a small difference of eg 0.25D is probably not significant.

To definitively answer the question of whether you are eligible for LASIK, you should get a copy of your refraction records over the past few years and visit a LASIK doctor for a comprehensive assessment.

Out of the multiple criteria that a patient has to fulfill to be deemed suitable for laser vision correction would be a stable refractive error for the past 12 months before surgery is performed. It is important to note how much your myopia has worsened and over what course of time. It would be best to determine these values by going through a comprehensive pre-laser evaluation which can give your surgeon accurate information of your eyes before recommending any form of laser vision correction. Also, other aspects of the eye must also be considered including corneal shape and thickness, past medical history, current medication, etc.