Is Laser Surgery an Option for me?

Nowadays a higher number of people want to get rids of their glasses and contact and opt for laser surgery to help them out.  There are primarily two types of laser surgery for the eyes – Lasek and Lasik.

Most people opt for the latter, since it is known to be a far quicker option and the recovery time is also lower. Most people can get back to work within 48 hours of undergoing a Lasik. Lasek surgery, however, has a recovery time of over a week sometimes.

Can I have Laser eye surgery even if I am diabetic?

The answer is simple. It depends on your case of diabetes.

Diabetic Retinopathy

In this case, people are generally assessed for diabetic changes in the period of one year. The changes are likely to happen at the back of their eye. If you suffer from central diabetic retinopathy, it would mean that your vision is impaired (although slightly).  Laser eye surgery will not help in improving your vision as it is already affected by retinopathy. Most surgeons will openly say that they cannot treat such people.

Slower healing time

People with diabetes tend to heal more slowly. Any wound takes forever to heal. So a wound caused to the cornea is going to take even longer. Diabetics may have to Intralase, which is a premium form of Lasik surgery. It is known to have a lower time for recovery.

Fluctuating prescriptions

If your diabetes isn’t under control, it would mean that the blood sugar levels are going to vary from time to time; and this would mean that the prescriptions would also keep changing with time. In this case, the accurate measurement for the prescriptions required for your Lasik will also get affected.  This will lead to inaccurate treatment being carried out on your eyes.

Minimum Expectations

Most surgeons will expect these to be fulfilled before the surgery –

Minimal Diabetic Retinopathy

Some surgeons might actually insist that the patient must have no case of diabetic retinopathy. Whereas, others, might be concerned with any of the retinopathy affecting your vision capabilities by affecting your central vision.

Controlled sugar levels in the blood

All surgeons will insist that you bring about some form of stability in the blood sugar levels. This is the only way to ensure that they end up getting accurate measurements that are required for the prescriptions. The surgeon is likely to ask for a letter from your GP (General Practitioner) stating that your blood sugar levels have been stable for a while now, which means you’re fit enough to conduct surgery on.

A lot of diabetics have successfully gotten their laser eye surgeries done. But then again, it comes down to the individual surgeons to make the decision. If you do not suffer from diabetic retinopathy, it might mean that you’re simpler to conduct surgery on.  The only way to be sure about whether or not you fit the bill would be to go in for a consultation with your surgeon at the earliest.