Thursday, May 5, 2011

LASIK for Nearsightedness and Farsightedness

Question: Can LASIK correct my vision for nearsightedness and farsightedness in same eye?

Answer: LASIK can correct both nearsightedness and farsightedness. However, there may be some confusion or misunderstanding about the refractive condition of your eyes. People who are nearsighted cannot see clearly at distance, but can see clearly up close. People who are farsighted cannot see clearly up close but can see clearly far away. So, technically you cannot be both nearsighted and farsighted in the same eye. Perhaps you are referring to one of two conditions. If you are nearsighted and wear eyeglasses to see at distance and are approaching or over 40 years old, you may be losing your ability to focus up close-this is called presbyopia, not farsightedness. Presbyopia is a normal loss of focusing so that near vision is difficult. For some patients, a technique called monovision LASIK can be used to help provide clear vision at distance and help with close vision. The second possibility is that you have “mixed astigmatism” so that one focusing meridian in your eye is “farsighted” and one focusing meridian in your eye is nearsighted”. Many, but not all instances of mixed astigmatism can be treated with Laser Eye Surgery for Laser Vision Correction. Your next step is to find a top LASIK Surgeon in your area and schedule a consultation. Once they have taken all of the necessary measurements and provided a thorough examination and consultation they will be able to tell you whether you are a good LASIK candidate.


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