Dr. Randleman received his BA degree from Columbia University in New York City. He earned his MD degree from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He completed his residency training at Emory University, serving as Chief Resident in his final year. He then completed a fellowship in Cornea/External disease and refractive surgery at Emory University.
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
Refractive surgery is not for everyone. In
addition to having a complete eye exam to find out if you are a candidate for
surgery, there are certain questions you should ask yourself before considering
LASIK or other refractive procedures.
1. Am I willing to accept a low but real
risk of surgical complications? Even though modern LASIK is extremely safe with
rare complications, there are still times when unavoidable complications occur
that can negatively affect your vision.
2. Does my career allow me to have LASIK? Although there are now very few organizations that prohibit their
employees or members to have refractive surgery, if there is any doubt, then it
is important to ask your employer, professional society, or military service
whether or not it is allowed for you to undergo refractive surgery.
3. Has my
vision been stable long enough to have LASIK? While minor changes in your
prescription are not uncommon from year to year, if your prescription continues
to get progressively stronger (for example, more myopic, more hyperopic, or more
astigmatism) each year, then you may not yet be a good candidate for refractive
surgery.
4. Do I have any health conditions that make me a poor surgical
candidate? Certain advanced autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and rheumatoid
arthritis, may influence postoperative healing.
5. Do my recreational activities
make me a bad surgical candidate? There is a lifelong risk of LASIK flap
dislocation if there is significant trauma to the eye, so people who participate
in contact sports such as boxing, martial arts, or wrestling are not likely not
be a good candidate for LASIK. In these instances, other refractive procedures,
especially surface ablation, may be more appropriate choices.
6. Am I too young
or too old to have LASIK? There are no hard and fast rules about the appropriate
age to have LASIK. However, patients under age 18 are rarely stable enough for
LASIK, and older patients may begin to develop cataracts or other eye health
issues that preclude them from undergoing LASIK. Again, the best way to
determine these things is have a complete eye exam.
7. Do I have keratoconus?Keratoconus is a corneal disease resulting from decreased corneal strength that
can be detected as an abnormal curvature on testing. Patients that have evidence
of keratoconus are not candidates for LASIK or surface ablation, but new
technologies may become available for these individuals.
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