Why can you wear contact lenses prior to eye exam but not prior to Lasik?

Question

If you're not supposed to wear contact lenses prior to having LASIK surgery, shouldn't the same thing apply to your regular eye exam? I would think that, in order to get the most accurate prescription, you'd want to refrain from wearing contacts for the same period of time that you would refrain from wearing them prior to LASIK. Can someone please explain this? Thanks!

Jon Dishler, MD, FACS · Answer

The most accurate examination of your eyes is with leaving your contacts out for a few days to weeks so that the natural shape of the eye is measured.  This is not as critical for glasses which can be changed relatively easily.  For surgery, we want to know that we are getting the best measurements, so that is why your doctor wants for the contacts to be left our prior to your surgery.

Michael K. Tracy, MD · Answer

You are 100% correct! An ideal eye exam would involve always taking out the contact lenses two weeks prior, but because this is burdensome for most patients, doctors rarely do it unless they are planning to do surgery.  In surgical cases no possibility of any kind of error is acceptable so we always ask the patient to remove the contacts.

Why can you wear contact lenses prior to eye exam but not prior to Lasik?

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