How bad should your eyesight be before you should get laser surgery?

You can consider having vision surgery if you are dependent on glasses or contact lenses no matter how low or high your prescription. In general, laser vision correction works best for nearsighted (myopic) people under about -8 diopters. There are better options for people with a prescription higher than about that.

Even people with very low prescriptions can benefit if there is a compelling reason such as taking part in competitive sports, etc. But it is important to have a thorough examination including some testing not generally found in optician's offices to determine if indeed you are a good candidate.

_Written by J. Trevor Woodhams, M.D. - Chief of Surgery, Woodhams Eye Clinic