You should know that health insurers rarely pay for this type of surgery, which is considered cosmetic. Although prices vary a lot experts warn that cost shouldn't be your sole concern.

Laser surgery may not be right for you. "About 10 to 15 percent of adults are not good candidates," says Steven E. Wilson, M.D., director of corneal research at the Cole Eye Institute, part of the Cleveland Clinic. These are factors that indicate you are not a good candidate:

• You aren't a risk taker. Some patients experience complications. No long-term data are available for current procedures.
• It will affect your career. Check with your employer, or military service or professional organization, before undergoing surgery. Some jobs prohibit certain refractive procedures.
• You required a change in your contact lens or eyeglass prescription in the past year. This is called refractive instability. People likely to have refractive instability include those in their early 20s or younger; those whose hormones are fluctuating because of a disease such as diabetes; women who are pregnant or breast-feeding; and those who are taking medications such as steroids.
• You have a disease or are on medications that may affect wound healing. Illnesses include autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, HIV and diabetes. Medications include retinoic acid and steroids.
• You have an eye disease.
• You participate in contact sports such as boxing, wrestling or martial arts in which blows to the face and eyes are common.
• You are not an adult. No lasers are approved for children or teens under 18.

Besides the illnesses listed above, other diseases may negatively affect the outcome of LASIK surgery:

• Herpes simplex or herpes zoster (shingles) around the eye area
• Glaucoma, ocular hypertension or are at risk for glaucoma
• Eye injuries or previous eye surgeries
• Keratoconus, a thinning disorder of the cornea

These are other risk factors that may affect the outcome of your surgery:

• Large pupils. Younger patients and patients on some medications may have large pupils in dim light. This can cause glare, halos, starbursts and double vision after surgery. The symptoms may be severe enough to hamper normal activities such as driving.
• Thin corneas. Refractive surgery done on a cornea that is too thin may lead to blindness.
• Previous refractive surgery. Talk to your doctor if you've had RK, PRK, LASIK or another refractive procedure. Additional surgery may not be recommended.
• Dry eyes. LASIK surgery can aggravate this condition.
• Under or over correction can occur if too little or too much tissue is removed.
• Astigmatism can occur if an uneven amount of tissue was removed.
• Glares, halos or double vision can result.

Finding a good surgeon

Only ophthalmologists are permitted to perform LASIK. Ask your eye doctor or optometrist for a referral to an ophthalmologist who performs LASIK. Ask for a referral from an ophthalmologist who does not do refractive surgery. You can also visit the American Academy of Ophthalmology's website (http://www.aao.org), which offers a list of its members who perform LASIK. Ninety-five percent of all ophthalmologists are AAO members. Ask your surgeon the following questions:

• How long have you been doing LASIK surgery?
• How much experience do you have with the LASIK procedure?
• How do you define success? What's your success rate?
• What is the chance for me (with my correction) to achieve 20/20?
• How many of your patients have achieved 20/20 or 20/40 vision?
• How many patients return for enhancements?
• Which laser will you be using for my surgery?
• What's involved in after-surgery care?