“How do you know if you are a candidate for Laser Eye Surgery?” by Raymond Stein MD, Toronto

A detailed Laser Eye Surgery consultation is required to evaluate the health of your eyes and to determine the degree of your prescription. 95% of patients that come in for a laser consultation are felt to be very good candidates for laser vision correction. It is essential to identify the 5% of patients that may not have the desired outcome. Computerized topography and elevation topograpghy are performed which measures over 20,000 data points on the curvature and height of the front and back of your cornea. Raymond Stein MD says these tests will rule-out any unusual steepening, flattening, or irregularity. The thickness of your corneas is measured to be sure that it is satisfactory. Next an evaluation of the tear film is performed to be sure you do not have a dry eye that can affect postoperative healing. Pupil size is measured to make sure they are not unusually large.  A careful evaluation of the inside of your eyes is performed to be sure the lens, retina, and optic nerve are healthy. Your prescription is determined to be sure it is in the acceptable range for surgery. Today we can treat most ranges of nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism with laser vision correction.