Is LASIK Right for Me?
See the Future Clearly
It goes without saying that everyone who relies on glasses or contacts would love to have natural 20/20 vision. LASIK has made that a reality for many people.
The WaveLight® EX500 with CONTOURA® Vision eye-mapping expands the boundaries of candidacy for LASIK. With the largest optical zone available, WaveLight® EX500 candidacy includes many patients who were previously told that their pupils were too large for LASIK.
Doctor Winthrop offers a complimentary LASIK consultation to determine whether the LASIK procedure is suitable in your individual case. You will have a complete eye examination prior to the procedure to ensure that your eyes are free of cataracts, glaucoma or other eye disease, and that your vision has remained stable for the previous 12 months.
During the consultation with Dr. Winthrop, please be sure to mention all medications you are taking and any medical conditions you have that might affect the success of laser correction.
LASIK cannot correct the condition known as presbyopia, or aging of the eye, that normally occurs around age 40 and may require the use of reading glasses. In fact, people over 40 who have their nearsightedness reduced with LASIK may find they need reading glasses after the procedure. If avoiding reading glasses is important to you, speak with Dr. Winthrop about monovision options.
For additional information regarding the risks and benefits associated with LASIK treatment with the WaveLight® EX500 with CONTOURA® Vision eye-mapping, please visit Alcon or www.fda.gov.
There are certain people who are less than ideal candidates for LASIK. However, we urge you to see Doctor Winthrop to make that determination because there have been exceptions.
See Doctor Winthrop to find the best vision correction alternative if:
• You are under 18. In this case, your growth phase may not be fully completed, meaning that your eyes could still change.
• You are pregnant or nursing. Pregnancy causes changes to your hormonal system. This can also cause your vision to change. It is therefore better to wait until your child is born and you have finished nursing.
• You have uncontrolled glaucoma.
• You have keratoconus, a corneal irregularity.
• You have active inflammations of the eye, e.g., uveitis or iritis.
• Your eyes have been infected by herpes simplex.
• You have suffered previous severe injuries to the eye.
• You have corneal scars as a result of injury or infections.
• You suffer from other diseases of the eye such as AMD, diabetic retinopathy, cataract, or others.
• You have very large pupils (beyond 8.5mm).
• You have thin corneas.
• You have severe dry eye.
• You have unstable refractive errors.
"For years I planted glasses in every room of my home. I finally tried contacts and they worked well for me but were also a bit of a nuisance. I had only hoped that with LASIK surgery my eyesight would be as good as it was with the contact lenses, but I was overwhelmed to find it so much better. Thank you, Dr. Winthrop, Jeff, and crew for making my experience so successful and so easy!"
– Dianne Young-Porinsh
Executive Director,
Breast Resource Center
of Santa Barbara