Glaucoma and Lasik

Glaucoma may be a problem if an individual is considering refractive surgery or lasik.

Individuals with very highly IOP or predisposed to glaucoma may not be appropriate for conventional or custom wavefront Lasik, All-Laser Lasik, or Epi-Lasik, but may be appropriate for other types of refractive surgery like PRK, LASEK, Near Vision CK, P-IOL, or RLE. While glaucoma does not automatically exclude a person from many refractive surgery techniques, glaucoma should be treated and stabilized before considering refractive surgery. Glaucoma is detected by the measurement of the eye pressure, visual examination of the optic nerve during a complete eye exam, and a visual field test to determine if loss of vision has started. The most common type of glaucoma will show no symptoms until loss of vision has started, but can be diagnosed with a complete eye examination. Glaucoma can be treated with medicated eye drops, laser surgery, and/or conventional surgery. If an individual has been previously diagnosed with glaucoma or are a member of a glaucoma risk group, it is important to discuss the concerns with refractive surgeon that may be present with respect to refractive surgery.

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