LASIK and the FDA

If you are searching for information on LASIK, like so many of Carter Eye Center's patients, you may be interested in what the Food and Drug Administration has to say about this FDA-approved procedure.

While the FDA website does not encourage or discourage individuals to undergo LASIK, the FDA's approval of the procedure for US consumers means that the LASIK procedure has undergone a series of clinical tests and has been found to perform how it is supposed to perform when done correctly. According to the FDA, LASIK may be used to treat nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) or astigmatism, which is the irregular shaping of the cornea.

However, many eye surgeons find that LASIK is more effective for nearsightedness than farsightedness, and offer alternatives to LASIK to patients suffering from hyperopia.

The FDA also recommends that you discontinue wearing different types of contacts for different lengths of time before your initial evaluation to allow the curvature of your eye to return to its natural shape and promote the best possible outcome of LASIK.

If you wear:
Soft lenses - discontinue use 2 weeks prior to your initial evaluation.
Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) lenses - discontinue use 3 weeks prior to your initial evaluation.
Hard (PMMA) lenses - discontinue use 4 weeks prior to your initial evaluation.
To learn more about FDA-approved LASIK, please contact Dr. Harvey Carter at Carter Eye Clinic, serving Dallas and the surrounding areas of Texas.