LASIK Candidacy – Medications

When you are being screened for LASIK candidacy it is very important to inform your eye surgeon of every medication you are taking. All medications have side effects and some of those medications could interfere with your healing or with LASIK’s effectiveness.

The two main categories of undesirable drugs are those that have eye dryness as a side effect, and those that suppress the immune system.

Drugs Causing Eye Dryness

Accutane (isotretinoin)
Accutane is taken for acne and is a form of Vitamin A. It is usually taken for just four or five months because at high dosage levels it can have many side effects. It has a drying effect on the body’s oil glands and this causes symptoms such as chapped lips, dry skin, pain in the joints and muscles, and dryness in the nose.

It also causes dryness in the eyes, which irritates the eyes and eyelids. Chronic dry eyes is a negative factor in LASIK candidacy, because dry eyes are a temporary side effect of LASIK. Your eye surgeon will make a decision in your individual case as to whether your dry eye condition disqualifies you for LASIK. You would probably be asked to stop taking Accutane.

Cordarone (amiodarone HCl)
Cordarone is prescribed for treating heart arrhythmias. It can cause dysfunction and perhaps inflammation of the eyes’ nerves. You would notice this as vision changes like blurriness and halos around light sources. In rare cases it has caused blindness. Your eye doctor would not want to perform LASIK while you are taking this drug and your cardiologist may be able to find an alternative medication for you.
Imitrex (sumatriptan)
Imitrex is used to treat migraine headaches. It constricts blood vessels near the brain and reduces substances that can cause various migraine symptoms including light sensitivity. One of its side effects is vision problems which can take various forms:

Reduced vision and even blindness
Edema (swelling) in the eyes
Itching and irritation
Difficulty with accommodation (switching focus from near to far)
Bleeding
Pain
Conjunctivitis
Keratitis

These are all rare but if you have been prescribed Imitrex and are considering LASIK, your eye surgeon will probably ask that you discontinue taking this drug. There may be another migraine medication you could take that would not affect your LASIK candidacy.

Drugs That Suppress the Immune System

All surgeries are followed by periods of healing and recovery. LASIK’s immediate recovery period is just a few days and full recovery is usually about three months. One of the risks after most surgeries is that of possible infection.

In a LASIK procedure, a corneal flap is cut on the surface and folded back to allow the laser to work on a deeper layer. The flap typically heals easily by itself but sometimes an infection forms beneath it. A strong immune system will help prevent this. Therefore any drug which suppresses the body’s immune responses could compromise LASIK effectiveness for you.

The medications which suppress the immune system to a greater or lesser extent are too numerous to list. They fall within certain categories according to their mode of action and are prescribed to treat autoimmune and inflammatory disorders and allergies, and to stop the body from rejecting an implant or graft. A common one that may be familiar is Prednisone.

If you are taking any drug that suppresses the immune system, be sure and tell your LASIK surgeon.

To learn more about being a good LASIK candidate please contact a qualified LASIK surgeon in your area.