Autoimmune disorders (ie: rheumatoid arthritis, lupus Scleroderma,
Sjogren's syndrome erythematosus, thyroiditis, pernicious anemia,
Addison's disease, insulin-dependent type-1 diabetes mellitus, dermatomyositis,
Crohn's
disease, sclerosis, Raynaud’s,
Multiple sclerosis, HIV, AIDS) are specifically cited as contraindications
for conventional or custom
wavefront
Lasik,
All-Laser Lasik,
PRK,
LASEK, and
Epi-Lasik. Autoimmune disorders may not be as problematic for
RLE,
P-IOLs or other
refractive surgery procedures, however many the individual circumstances
of the patient would need to be evaluated.
Autoimmune disorders are diseases caused by the body producing
an immune response against its own tissues. The cause of autoimmune
diseases is unknown, but it appears that there is an inherited predisposition
to develop autoimmune disease in many cases. The concern with Lasik
and similar refractive surgery is that the body may respond to the
surgical manipulation of the cornea in unexpected ways. Unexpected
and unwanted responses are not consistent from disorder to disorder,
nor are they consistent from patient to patient with the same disorder.
Although the
FDA lists autoimmune disorders as a contraindication for laser
eye surgery, doctors may perform the procedure if in their medical
opinion the surgery is appropriate. This is an off-label use of
the medical device, which is legal when medically appropriate. There
are many individuals with autoimmune disorders who have had successful
Lasik and other refractive surgery. If you have an autoimmune disorder
you need to discuss this in detail with any prospective refractive
surgeon, plus with your primary care physician and neurologist.
If you are ready to choose a doctor to be evaluated for conventional
or custom
wavefront
Lasik,
All-Laser Lasik,
PRK,
LASEK,
Epi-Lasik,
NearVision CK,
RLE, or any
refractive surgery procedure, we highly recommend you consider
a doctor who has been evaluated and certified by the USAEyes
nonprofit organization. Locate a USAEyes Evaluated & Certified
Lasik Laser Eye Surgeon.
