LASIK offers hope for millions of individuals with refractive errors. Poor vision no longer has to be considered a permanent condition. LASIK offers many advantages. It is an outpatient procedure. A local anesthetic is used to numb the eye. Despite the simplicity and high efficacy rate of the procedure, it does have risks. During the procedure the surgeon must make a cut in the flap of corneal tissue using a scalpel. After the cut is made the excimer laser is used to rid the area of excess tissue. No sutures are needed when the procedure is over, because the natural suction capacity of the eye cements the flap back into place. LASIK surgery offers great hope to restore accurate vision in millions of individuals suffering from refractive errors. However, because of the risks it is not something that should be chosen on a whim. As Ian Williams said about his decision to have LASIK, ôYou wouldnÆt leave a car for someone to fix unless you thou

Undercorrection/Overcorrection û Some people still require corrective lenses to obtain good vision.

The LASIK procedure is not perfect. While 20-20 vision and freedom from corrective lenses has been the outcome of the surgery in a majority of the millions of patients who have elected to have it, there are still considerable risks to be considered. Even when the surgery is performed correctly, there can be side-effects or risks associated with LASIK. The following are the most common risks associated with this procedure:

ght the guy you left it with knew what he was doing. And I think your eyes are certainly more important than your car,ö (Bidwell 1999, 2).

Regression û The effect of the surgery is gradually lost.

Health professionals argue that anyone seeking to undergo the LASIK procedure should schedule a pre-screening exam costing around $250.00 (Braham 2002). There are many reasons for a pre-screening exam. LASIK surgery is not for everyone and if performed on the wrong individuals it may cause greater harm than good, possibly causing blindness in some cases. One of the biggest factors or criteria for ruling the procedure in or out is the thickness of the cornea. The FDA recommends that the cornea by at least 410 microns thick after LASIK, as patients with thin corneas can suffer vision loss (Braham 2002). Ideal candidates should also be over 21 years of age as the eyes are still growing until that point. Ideal candidates for LASIK surgery must also have healthy eyes that are free of retinal problems, corneal scares, and any eye disease, (Lewis 1998, 7). While these and other considerations must be determined during a pre-screening exam to decide if a patien