I am considering LASIK and am wondering why I have to wear glasses for 2 wks bef!
Question:
I am considering LASIK and am wondering why I have to wear glasses for 2 wks before the consultation.?
Answers:
i am assuming you are a soft contact lens wearer (if you were not a contact lens wearer this would not come up. if you are a "hard" or "gas permeable" lens wearer, they'd have told you more like *6* weeks, not 2)
its important for accuracy of measurement and laser treatment. wearing soft contact lenses usually causes some amount of "corneal edema" or swelling of the cornea with water. thats concerning for 2 reasons:
1) in a nearsighted person, having some amount of corneal edema usually makes your Rx a little "stronger" than it would have otherwise been if you had not ever worn contacts. some of your "myopia" is likely from slight chronic edema, especially if you are a "heavy" contact lens wearer. the 2 week period is to get rid of the possible edema to make the laser measurements as accurate as possible
and
2) having some amount fo corneal edema makes your cornea THICKER. guess what the whole idea of lasik is...to make your cornea THINNER with a laser. so a "swollen" cornea can give false information on the corneal thickness...again making the laser treatment inaccurate.
its important to stay out of them for 2 weeks before they take measurements. do it.