Is LASIK suitable for those with low eye degrees and astigmatism?

Doctor's Answers 2

In a word yes. Based on your refractive errors provided, which are relatively low in myopia and astigmatism, you may consider having LASIK and for that matter PRK and ReLEx SMILE as well.

However, in order to conclude if you are suitable for any form of laser vision correction, I would encourage you to have a suitability assessment as other factor like corneal thickness, corneal shape and general state of health of the eye will need to be considered as well.

One advantage in your particular case is that with a relatively lower refractive error, lesser corneal thinning will be needed to achieve the necessary correction. This will be helpful in reducing long term risk and may result in better stability of surgical outcomes.

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Dr Daphne Han

Ophthalmologist

Performing LASIK / Smile /advanced surface ablation for an eye with 200 degrees myopia (I am assuming you are myopic) with 100-125 degrees of astigmatism is usually technically pretty straightforward, provided your corneal measurements (thickness and shape ) are normal.

Results of refractive laser treatment when nicely done are usually excellent. I have treated patients with myopia as low as 50 degree (with half your astigmatism) with LASIK and with smile for as low as 100 degree , and they were well appreciated.

Few points to note:

1) your age. If you are more than 40 year old or close to it, you may not want to fully correct your low myopia, as residual myopia will help with reading (mono vision for presbyopia).

2) type of treatment: if it is myopia there should be a pretty wide range of treatment alternatives like lasik, smile, surface ablation if your eye measurements are suitable. For hyperopia (much rarer than myopia in Singapore) smile is out.

3) side effects: low power treatment generally do not get as much side effects like dryness, glare and halos compared to higher power.

All in all, a comprehensive LASIK assessment to ascertain suitability and a thorough discussion of your desired outcome is highly recommended for an ideal outcome! Best wishes!

Similar Questions

Does LASIK enhancement for hyperopia require a longer recovery period?

Hi, generally speaking, it is quite common to have some amount of haziness of vision in the early period after laser procedures, although this is usually least for LASIK as compared to other procedures like epiLASIK/PRK or even SMILE. Also, usually there is no/minimal difference whether it is LASIK enhancement for myopia or hyperopia. I would agree with Dr Chan that it is difficult to advise further unless we have further information and have a chance to examine your eyes.

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Answered By

Human

What options do I have to correct my myopia if I am at risk for post-LASIK ectasia?

In my clinic, patients with borderline LASIK suitability test results using cornea topography and tomography (i. e. cornea mapping) are usually carefully counselled before options presented for consideration. The possible options, depending on the post-LASIK ectasia risk profile, are: LASIK-EXTRA, LASEK, LASEK-EXTRA and ICL (implantable contact lens). SMILE-EXTRA had been tried out before too, although currently it is still much rarer than the other options, due to limited experience in the medical community.

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Answered By

Dr Daphne Han

Ophthalmologist

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