First and foremost, you are not a candidate if you have refractive instability. In plain English, this means you've had a change in your corrective lens prescription in the past year. This includes individuals who are in their early 20s or younger, breastfeeding or pregnant, have hormone fluctuations due to chronic conditions such as diabetes, and/or who are taking medications that may cause fluctuations in visual acuity.

Currently, the FDA does not approve LASIK procedures for persons under the age of 18.

If you are immunocompromised and/or if you have a disease or are on medications that may affect wound healing.

If you actively participate in activities where blows to the face and/or eyes may be a normal occurrence. This includes (but is not limited to): boxing, martial arts, wrestling.

Do not have LASIK if a less-than-perfect result will jeopardize your career.

Most health insurance policies do not cover this procedure. You would not be a candidate if you are unable to pay for the procedure. (And again we reiterate - do not select a surgeon based solely on price! If price is an overriding issue for you, you should consider waiting to have the procedure until you can afford to have it done by anyone, regardless of price.)

LASIK tends to exacerbate dry eyes condition. You may want to defer having the procedure if this is a problem for you, or you should discuss with the surgeon options such as plugging the lacrimal ducts, which may alleviate the symptoms.

If you have already had refractive eye surgery, such as radial keratotomy, etc., you would not be considered a candidate for LASIK.