Which kind of lasik is appropriate for me? i am nearsighted and worry i may develop a need for reading glasses later in life. i have read that there are two types of lasik eye surgery. is conventional or wavefront best for me?

You've : You've actually asked two very good questions in one. Presbyopia (loss of near vision) can be treated with lasik most commonly by treating one eye for distance and one eye for near. This type of lasik is called "monovision" and is currently fda approved for myopia. The difference between conventional and wavefront is more about the degree of correction. Conventional treatments treat the common "glasses prescription" of sphere and cylinder. Wavefront treats "higher order aberrations" which are more complex than the typical glasses prescription. In other words, it treats more error in a more sophisticated fashion and achieves better postoperative vision than conventional treatments in almost every study in the medical literature. In my opinion there are only rare circumstances where conventional treatments are preferrable to wavefront. This is a good thing to discuss with your refractive surgeon when you go for your consultation. Best regards, jc.

Lasik: All patients will need reading glasses after 45-50 years of age unless a monovision ablation is performed. The decision between convention or wavefront ablation depending on your particular measurements. Ask your lasik surgeon.

Wavefront LASIK: Wavefront lasik and conventional lasik both work very well to help improve vision. You would need to see your own doctor to see which option is best for you. The answer is made more difficult, because the visx laser works best with wavefront, while another popular laser (allegretto) works best with conventional lasik. So - please see your own doctor.