FALLS CHURCH, VA – September 29, 2026 – PRESSADVANTAGE –

Brusco Vision, a LASIK surgeon located in Falls Church, Virginia, has published an article examining how prescription strength factors into candidacy for laser vision correction. The practice provides LASIK, ASA PRK, SMILE, and EVO ICL to patients throughout Falls Church, Washington, DC, and Northern Virginia. The article, titled ”Can I Get LASIK With a High Prescription?“, reviews the FDA-approved treatment ranges for LASIK and the corneal measurements that determine whether a given prescription falls inside them.

According to the article, LASIK is FDA-approved to correct nearsightedness up to approximately -12.00 diopters, farsightedness up to +6.00 diopters, and astigmatism up to 6.00 diopters, although most surgeons apply more conservative practical thresholds. A prescription is generally considered too high for LASIK when nearsightedness exceeds roughly -8.00 to -10.00 diopters, when farsightedness exceeds roughly +5.00 to +6.00 diopters, or when astigmatism exceeds about 6.00 diopters. The article notes that high myopia, defined as -6.00 diopters or greater, does not by itself disqualify a candidate, a distinction relevant to patients across Falls Church and Northern Virginia who have previously been told that a prescription is too strong for laser vision correction.

The limiting factor is corneal tissue rather than the prescription number. Each diopter of nearsighted correction removes approximately 12 to 16 microns of corneal tissue, so a -10.00 diopter correction can remove 120 to 160 microns from an average cornea measuring about 540 microns. For that reason, LASIK candidacy for patients in Falls Church and Washington, DC is established through pachymetry, a corneal thickness measurement performed during the preoperative evaluation, rather than through the figure written on a glasses or contact lens prescription. A high prescription combined with thin corneas narrows the range further, because both factors reduce the amount of tissue available for reshaping. Corneal shape is assessed alongside thickness during the same evaluation, since the two measurements together determine how much correction the tissue can support and whether laser vision correction remains an option.

When corneal measurements place a prescription outside the LASIK range, the article identifies two alternatives available to patients throughout the Washington metropolitan area. ASA PRK, a surface procedure performed at the Falls Church office, treats the cornea without creating a flap. EVO ICL, a lens-based procedure also performed in Falls Church, corrects nearsightedness from -3.0 to -20.0 diopters under FDA approval and places an implantable lens inside the eye rather than removing corneal tissue. STAAR reported in 2026 that EVO ICL accounted for more than 70 percent of procedures performed in patients at -8.0 diopters and above across 19 refractive practices.

The article also addresses what patients with strong prescriptions can reasonably anticipate. Higher prescriptions carry a somewhat greater likelihood of residual refractive error or regression over time, which can make an enhancement procedure more likely than at lower prescription levels. Regression occurs when the focusing power of the eye shifts after surgery, and it is more common at the upper end of the treatment range. Many patients with high prescriptions achieve a substantial reduction in dependence on glasses and contacts, though some residual correction remains more likely than at lower ranges. Correcting distance vision does not address presbyopia, so reading glasses may still be needed with age.

“A prescription number by itself does not settle whether someone can have LASIK,” said Dr. Michael Brusco, MD, FACS, board-certified ophthalmologist and founder of Brusco Vision. “Corneal thickness, corneal shape, and the amount of tissue a given correction would require are what answer that question, and those are measurements taken during the evaluation rather than estimates. When the cornea cannot support a high correction safely, EVO ICL or a surface procedure such as ASA PRK may be the appropriate path instead, which is why patients are evaluated across the full range of procedures rather than for LASIK alone.”

Brusco Vision is located at 3120 Fairview Park Drive, Suite 100, Falls Church, Virginia 22042, and provides LASIK, ASA PRK, SMILE, EVO ICL, Custom Lens Replacement, and refractive cataract surgery to patients in Falls Church, Washington, DC, and Northern Virginia. The office sits near the interchange of Interstate 495 and Interstate 66, within driving distance for patients traveling from across the Washington metropolitan area for vision correction consultations. Driving directions to the practice are available through Google Maps.

For more information about LASIK candidacy and prescription limits at Brusco Vision in Falls Church, Virginia, visit bruscovision.com or view the practice’s Google Business Profile. The practice can be reached by telephone at (571) 755-2020. Brusco Vision will continue to publish material on LASIK, EVO ICL, and vision correction candidacy for patients in Falls Church, Washington, DC, and Northern Virginia.

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For more information about Brusco Vision, contact the company here:

Brusco Vision
Michael Brusco, MD
(571) 755-2020
info@bruscovision.com
Brusco Vision
3120 Fairview Park Dr Ste 100
Falls Church, VA 22042

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