Seasonal eye allergies are eye conditions that cause uncomfortable symptoms but don’t necessarily preclude you from qualifying for LASIK. Most people with refractive errors can have LASIK and achieve excellent vision safely. While allergies may not affect “if” you can have LASIK, they may impact “when” you can schedule your procedure. Our eye surgeons at Austin Eye can determine if LASIK is right for your vision and eye health.
Some Patients Pursue LASIK Because of Eye Allergies
Eye allergies can cause dryness, redness, and other types of eye irritation, and wearing contact lenses during allergy season can add insult to injury. Some men and women schedule a LASIK consultation because they are tired of wearing contact lenses during allergy flares. LASIK can improve your vision and quality of life by reducing your dependence on contacts and alleviating the irritation associated with wearing them during allergy season.
Eye Allergies Shouldn’t Affect Your LASIK Candidacy
LASIK surgery can improve the lives of people struggling with eye allergies and contact lens wear, but you must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Your refractive errors fall within the LASIK parameters of up to -12.00 D nearsightedness (myopia), up to 6.00 D astigmatism, and up to +6.00 D farsightedness (hyperopia).
- Your vision has been stable for at least one year.
- You have good eye health and are healthy overall.
- You have sufficiently thick corneas and no history of dry eyes.
- You are at least 18 years old.
While eye allergies don’t necessarily disqualify you from LASIK, some extreme chronic cases may need a different procedure. Each patient is unique.
You May Need to Schedule LASIK Outside Your Allergy Season
Eye allergies cause eye inflammation and affect your eye health. You may need to time your LASIK surgery just right to ensure eye allergies won’t affect your comfort during LASIK recovery because your eyes are more vulnerable to irritation and inflammation after the procedure. Our eye surgeons may recommend avoiding your allergens and scheduling LASIK during their off-season. Someone with a pollen allergy may need to make their LASIK appointment in the winter, and someone with a dust mite or pet dander allergy may want to schedule theirs in the summer when they can open windows and have more air circulation.
Eye allergy symptoms overlap with dry eyes. Our ophthalmologists may need to confirm which condition you have because dry eye disease requires treatment before LASIK or a different vision correction procedure.
Take our Vision Correction Self-Evaluation Quiz to learn more about your refractive surgery options.
If you’re interested in LASIK, schedule a consultation at Austin Eye to discover if you’re a candidate. Contact our Austin, Texas, eye surgeons at (512) 250-2020 or fill out our online form.
