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One of the standard requirements for LASIK candidacy is that you be over the age of 18. The reason for that is that no lasers are FDA-approved for use on anyone below that age, and the FDA’s reason was that most people under 18 still have unstable eyes – refractive instability. But there are cases where that requirement is waived, and some LASIK surgeons are not convinced that age is so important, at least not always. The subject is controversial.

Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)

This is a condition where one eye does most of the work and the other one weakens. The brain connects just to the one eye, usually by the age of seven or eight. The traditional attempt at treatment is wearing a patch over the strong eye, to stimulate the weak eye and strengthen its connection to the brain. No child wants to wear an eye patch, so compliance is a problem. Sometimes glasses or contact lenses are used instead.

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“They just don’t make it like they used to.” How true, how true! And for a lot of areas such as LASIK eye surgery, that’s a good thing!

Modern ophthalmology seems to make advances in technology and procedures almost daily. It isn’t quite that fast but changes and improvements do happen a lot. In fact, the changes in LASIK eye surgery over the past 10 or 20 years have been staggering. Here’s a history lesson so you can see for yourself (pun intended!).

• The Japanese and the Europeans saw the potential of radial keratotomy (precision diamond-blade cuts to the cornea) as early as the 1930’s

• Spanish ophthalmologist, Jose Barraquer, developed the first microkeratome (surgical instrument with an oscillating blade) in the early 1950’s

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No – this isn’t a list from the David Letterman Show. But it is a great list of reasons for getting LASIK eye surgery. Before you read the list, though, let’s review exactly what LASIK eye surgery is.

LASIK is a surgical procedure that reduces your dependency on glasses or contact lenses. It permanently changes the shape of your cornea, which is why you have to wear corrective lenses in the first place.

So, what are those top 10 reasons for getting LASIK? Here you go:

10. You’re tired of having to wear corrective lenses for everything except sleeping

9. You love water sports but the prescription goggles are just too expensive (especially if you lose them!)

A laser is a laser. A computer is a computer. The technology is what improves our eyesight. Right?

Wrong. Equipment may be expensive and excellent, but it’s only as effective as the person operating it can make it be. Choosing a good eye surgeon is not something to do with an eye to saving money, so to speak.

As Dr. Griffin in Sacramento, California, says, “You’re not buying a TV. If you don’t like the picture, you can’t return the eyes.”

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We all want to find the best doctor available to us when we have a medical problem of any kind. But, what does this really mean? The bottom line is that the best doctor for you is the one who is the most qualified to help you and treat your condition while making you feel the most comfortable.

Unfortunately, there are no official systems in place for finding and rating physicians. The best thing for you to do is to research your prospective doctors and do your homework to find out as much as you can about them before you ever even set up an appointment to meet with them. Here are some points you need to concern yourself with when searching for the right ophthalmologist to best suit your needs.