Before we get started...
Our assumption is that you made a decision to go for LASIK already, so this website is mainly about helping you to turn your decision into reality. More specifically, making it a reality in Thailand, the Land of Smiles. The MediThai website is not about medical advice, which you need to get from an eye doctor.
The Q&A below is meant to be a very simple summary of information collected from various publicly available sources for those who want to refresh their knowledge before moving through the main pages.
What is LASIK? It's a simple procedure, in which an eye doctor or ophthalmologist uses a tiny blade and a computer-guided laser beam to make corrections in the shape of the cornea. For more details have a look at the bottom of this page.
What problems can be fixed with LASIK? Degrees of improvement and success rate probabilities do change with your eyesight before the operation but generally speaking, the numbers look extremely good for shortsightedness (myopia) of less than -6.00 Diopters and farsightedness (hyperopia) of less than +4.00 Diopters. For shortsightedness between -6.00 and -10.00 the numbers look still good, but success rates do drop quite a bit above -10.00 Diopters.
What about Astigmatism? It is a vision problem caused by an irregularly shaped cornea, which causes blurred vision. Astigmatism often comes in combination with short- or farsightedness. The LASIK treatment will fix both in one go, as long as your astigmatism is within a normal range. This will be confirmed during the pre-operative assessment.
Side effects or complications? The list is long. Not as long though as the list of things that can kill you when you have a swim in the ocean. A strange comparison? Not really, if you look at the probabilities. Enough said, here we go with the main ones: infections, night vision problems, over- or under-correction and problems with the corneal flap opening. A good way to judge the quality of a facility before you make a decision is to look at how they present and explain the risks associated with LASIK and especially how these risks look in your case. Complications handling deals with your options in the rare case something does go wrong.
What are the benefits? We assume you know. If not, we recommend you do a bit more research on other sites or talk to people who already had the treatment and then come back to find the right place for LASIK in Thailand.
Who is not a candidate? Those who are looking for 100% success rate promises (they are also advised to stay away from contact lenses, which come with a higher risk of infections than LASIK), those pregnant or breastfeeding, people who suffer from corneal or retinal diseases, glaucoma or severe dry eye. There are some other conditions, but you are unlikely to know that you have them, before you undergo the pre-operative assessment.
Anything else? Yes. We would like to repeat what we said at the beginning. While we try on this site to put things into context and explain what LASIK is and where it came from, our main focus is to assist visitors who have made up their mind about LASIK already and now just look for the best place to have it done. If you need some more information about LASIK first, please have a look at our Other sources section..
Where should I go? Any place listed under Bangkok's top clinics offers the service. Call for comparative offers. They sometimes have special promotions with lower prices.
By the way, did you know that the US Military has an Air Force Laser Eye Surgery Policy to improve mission readiness by eliminating the need for glasses and contact lenses? Now you do.
