Age 31. Prescription -5.5 and -4.5, Am I A Candidate For Lasik?

You may very well be a candidate, but the prescription is only one of several factors we use in determining candidacy.   A thorough exam by a reputable Laser Vision provider should answer your candidacy question more completely.  You will need multiple scans of the cornea which are actually three-dimensional and provides us with important structural information concerning your eye's ability to safely undergo these procedures.  There will also be other tests such as dry eye tests, dilated exams and several others.  If all of this is normal, then yes, you should be a candidate.  If you are treated in good hands and with superb technology, you most likely will end up with an excellent result, no longer needing any glasses or contacts. 

You sound like a great candidate!  If your corneas are thick enough and you have normal corneal scans. So long as you are free of other serious diseases or high risk medications, you should be perfect.  It sounds like you are a perfect candidate for LASIK and can correct your vision to being 20/20!

 

Your age and prescription put you in an ideal treatment zone!

if you have thin corneas, or a high Rx, or irregular astimatism, or engage in martial arts, boxing, or want to become a member of Special Forces, you cannot get LASIK, you can only get LASEK or epiLASEK, as that is safer

if you are not in the above categories, you can get either a cutting procedure (LASIK or IntraLase or "bladeless" LASIK) or a noncutting procedure (PRK or LASEK or epiLASEK)

but i feel that the noncutting procedures are slighly safer for everyone, on a statistical basis, since almost 90% of all LASIK complications are flap-related (which are eliminated by not cutting a flap to begin with)

You would need to have a consultation to determine whether you are a candidate. There are many factors including corneal shape and thickness which determine candidacy for laser vision correction. It is likely with modern technology that you will achieve 20/20 vision after the surgery but as with any surgical procedure, results cannot be guaranteed.

Provided you have a comprehensive Lasik evaluation and your eyes are healthy, your prescription is stable and your corneas are the proper thickness, it sounds like you are a perfect Lasik candidate. The goal of the surgery would be to give you 20/20 or better uncorrected distance vision. With todays advanced lasers this seems easily attainable. As you age into your mid 40's you will begin to need reading glasses, but, I am confident, by then, we will have a treatment for this stage of your eyes natural aging.