Am I suitable for LASIK?

As LASIK technology expands and improves, more and more people with imperfect vision become good candidates for eye surgery.  In less than 20 years, commercial LASIK operations have been perfected to the point that patients can walk out of their eye surgeon's office the same day as their procedure.  LASIK has already been used to improve vision in patients with varying degrees and types of hyperopia (long-sightedness), myopia (short-sidedness), and astigmatism (difficulty focusing).
Hundreds of thousands of people have undergone LASIK surgery with positive results. 

In fact, many patients experience perfect or better vision within 24 hours of their operation. Unfortunately, being a relatively new technique LASIK is still somewhat limited in the aberrations it can treat.  The good news is that LASIK advancements are ongoing and that new procedures are being approved every day.  The bad news is that for some people a solution is not yet available, and that for others the risk of side effects is too great to get approval for these operations.

Here are some conditions that could affect your suitability as a LASIK patient:

Age.  The FDA has approved LASIK surgery for anyone over the age of 18 years.  Still, many clinics require patients to be at least 21 and others as old as 25 before they can undergo LASIK surgery.  Why?  Because many ophthalmologists believe that the eye is still changing in early adulthood.  To be a good candidate for LASIK, your prescription should remain unchanged for at least a year.
At the other end of the spectrum, LASIK surgery may not be a good option for people over the age of 50.  Age-related loss of vision can affect patients before AND after LASIK surgery, thereby diminishing the long-term improvements offered by these procedures.  As former LASIK patients age, they may need to acquire glasses again to compensate for age-related loss of vision.

Eyes.
At this point, LASIK surgery has only been approved for very specific eye conditions.  For example, myopia and astigmatism are highly treatable, while only mild cases of hyperopia are treatable by LASIK surgery.  Some surgeons also refuse patients with abnormally large pupils or extremely thin corneal tissue as these variables are outside the normal parameters for their excimer lasers and could increase the risk of complications.

Diseases and Other Conditions.
Because dry eye is such a prevalent complication in LASIK procedures, and because it can lead to infection or slow recovery, many LASIK clinics will not operate on patients with a pre-existing dry eye condition.  Likewise, some popular acne medications like Accutane can predispose a patient to dry eye following LASIK surgery; potential LASIK candidates currently using Accutane may have to refrain from using the drug for as long as a year prior to surgery to prevent these complications.

Additionally, conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, diabetes, and Hepatitis C could affect your suitability for LASIK surgery.