As a diabetic, are my risks higher with lasik? i was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when i was 10, and it's being managed with insulin. i'm 23 now, and i wear contacts to correct my distance vision. i'd like to have lasik or another type of laser vision c

Having : Having diabetes may not be a contraindication to having refractive surgery procedure, such as lasik. You should seek a consultation with a refractive surgery/cornea specialist to discuss your options. However, prior to having any surgery, every diabetic patient must have a thorough evaluation of the retina, as this is the primary part of the eye typically affected by the diabetes. Every patient with diabetes must have retinal evaluation (when the doctor dilates your pupils to look inside the eye) regardless of having or not having any symptoms at minimum once a year, and possibly more often if there is any problem noted.

I : I have done lasik on 100's of patients with diabetes and you too should do well with the surgery. However, do make sure that the rest of your eye--particularly the retina is in good shape prior to any such surgery.

For : For diabetic patients, the evaluation of the retina is critical. The surgeon must be sure that the patient does not have diabetic retinopathy or macular edema. Either findings will prevent the patient from having the surgery until the findings are fully corrected. Patient should also be aware that diabetic patients tend to heal slowly. Make sure that the surgeon fully evaluate the retina subjectively by looking inside your eye and also objectively with oct scan.

No: You just need to be sure that your blood sugars are controlled and your retina does not have significant damage.