There are many ways to correct one's vision these days, but surgery is not always an option for everyone. Certain health conditions, hormonal imbalances, and things of that nature can make particular surgeries more complicated, or can change how the procedures affect one's eyes. Health conditions such as diabetes, anything requiring the use of steroids or other drug that may slow the healing process or any autoimmune disorders can make you an unlikely candidate for surgeries like LASIK.

It is also important to have at least one or two years with a steady prescription -- no decrease in visibility or change in the strength of one's glasses or contacts -- before it is advisable to proceed with surgery. If a patient is pregnant, nursing, or planning to be pregnant in the near future, it is advised to wait until the hormones associated with the body change level out and go back to their normal states. The hormone shift can sometimes cause a change in the shape of the corneas. Eye disease such as glaucoma can also make the chances of vision correction significantly slimmer.

With one's eyes in particular, if vision is too severely impaired, or a cornea is too irregularly shaped, it can make correctional surgery difficult, and therefore is inadvisable. The FDA has limits on approving surgery on those with severe myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism; though custom LASIK has been able to help a wider range of people with a greater range of irregularities.

In the case of people with chronic dry eyes, surgery is inadvisable until the problem is corrected. Without enough moisture in and around the eye, healing after surgery can be complicated, especially considering the rubbing, itchy, or stinging eyes. With this problem, post-surgery can damage any progress made.

Having an irregular corneal shape can also result in an inability to be worked on. The same is true for people with pupils deemed to be "too large." If the pupil is larger than a certain diameter, the area to be worked on will not fit within the reasonable limits of the treatment. In some cases, irregularities fit within a certain area of acceptable difference and can be worked with. In others, allowing treatment despite a patient having severe irregularities and certain diseases makes the risk complications much more likely.

The best course of action is to make sure your doctor performs a thorough examination and let your doctor know if you have health conditions that are known to cause shifts in hormones or slow or impair your immune system.