Medically reviewed by Dr. Michael Nodland, OD · Updated August 2026
Call (561) 799-3932 or book a candidacy evaluation — the evaluation and the follow-up care, not the surgery.
LASIK surgery is not performed at Eye Expressions. LASIK is a laser procedure that reshapes the cornea to reduce or remove the need for glasses and contact lenses, and it is performed by an ophthalmologist — a surgeon — at a surgical facility. Co-management is everything around the surgery: the examination that decides whether you are a candidate, the referral, and the follow-up visits afterward. That is what Eye Expressions provides in Palm Beach Gardens, where Dr. Michael Nodland, an optometrist, has practiced since 2010. Refractive surgery co-management sits alongside the rest of what happens here — the full list is on services, and none of it includes surgery.
Do you perform LASIK here?
No. Eye Expressions does not perform LASIK or any other eye surgery, and Dr. Nodland is an optometrist, not a surgeon. What happens here is the care before and after the procedure:
- The candidacy evaluation — measurements and an eye health exam to determine whether LASIK is a reasonable option, and whether it is the right one
- The referral — sending you to a refractive surgeon with your records
- Post-operative care — follow-up visits after surgery, at the practice that already knows your eyes
Am I a candidate for LASIK?
Candidacy depends on your age, the stability and strength of your prescription, the thickness and shape of your cornea, the state of your tear film, and your general eye health — and only an examination can settle it. The factors below are the ones generally accepted across refractive surgery. They are a guide to the conversation, not a screening test.
| Factor | Generally accepted range | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Age | Typically 18 or older, with a prescription stable for about a year | A prescription still moving means the correction can drift after surgery |
| Prescription range | Moderate degrees of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism | Very high prescriptions may need more tissue removed than is safe |
| Corneal thickness | Enough tissue to reshape and leave a safe residual bed | Thin corneas raise the risk of structural weakening |
| Corneal shape | Regular, symmetrical topography | Irregular or steepening shape can signal keratoconus, a disqualifier |
| Dry eye | Tear film adequate and stable | Dry eye both disqualifies some people and is the most common complaint afterward |
| Pupil size | Measured in dim light | Large pupils are associated with glare and halos at night |
| Eye health | No keratoconus, uncontrolled glaucoma, or significant cataract | Each changes the risk, and cataract surgery may be the better answer |
| Pregnancy or nursing | Usually deferred | Hormonal shifts change the prescription and the tear film |
| Systemic conditions | Autoimmune disease, poorly controlled diabetes, some medications | Healing and the ocular surface can be affected |
Falling outside one of these does not automatically rule you out, and meeting all of them does not guarantee a good result. The examination is what decides.
What if I have dry eye?
Dry eye cuts both ways: untreated, it can make you a poor candidate, and it is also the most common complaint after the procedure. LASIK temporarily reduces corneal nerve sensitivity, which reduces tear production, so an eye that is marginal beforehand can be genuinely uncomfortable afterward.
That is a plain argument for having the tear film assessed by your own optometrist before you are booked for anything. Not because surgeons are careless — they are not — but because the practice doing the assessment is not the practice performing the procedure, and because Dr. Nodland has your history: how your eyes did in contact lenses, what your tear film looked like last year, whether the burning started before you began thinking about surgery or after. A marginal ocular surface is one of the few LASIK obstacles that is often reversible, and treating it is a separate piece of care with its own plan — see dry eye treatment for what that involves.
Will I still need reading glasses?
Yes, if you are old enough — and this is the point most often left out. LASIK for distance does not prevent or treat presbyopia, the age-related loss of near focus that starts in the mid-40s. Have LASIK at 48 and you will see distance clearly and still need readers, possibly sooner, because you can no longer take your glasses off to read.
With a median age of 51.8 in Palm Beach Gardens, that affects a large share of the people asking about LASIK here. It is not a reason to avoid surgery. It is a reason to know what you are buying. Monovision — one eye corrected for distance, one for near — is one approach a surgeon may raise. See presbyopia.
What are the alternatives?
LASIK is one of several ways to reduce dependence on glasses, and not always the best of them.
- PRK — surface laser treatment with no corneal flap, often preferred for thinner corneas; slower recovery
- Refractive lens exchange — replacing the eye’s natural lens, considered more often later in life, particularly where a cataract is forming
- Implantable collamer lenses — a lens placed inside the eye, sometimes an option for high prescriptions or thin corneas
- Well-fitted contact lenses — including multifocal and specialty designs; see contact lens exams
- Glasses — a current, accurate prescription, with no surgical risk at all
Who does the surgery?
A refractive surgeon — an ophthalmologist — performs LASIK at a surgical facility, not at this office. Dr. Nodland refers you out with your measurements and records, and the surgeon makes the final call on candidacy and technique.
What happens at the consultation here?
The consultation is an examination focused on whether your eyes are suited to refractive surgery. It goes further than a routine vision check: alongside your prescription and eye health, the cornea and tear film are examined in detail.
What does the post-operative care involve?
Post-operative care is a series of scheduled visits after surgery to check that the eye is healing, the cornea is clear, and your vision is settling where it should. These visits belong with the practice that already knows your eyes — the same doctor who measured them beforehand, working from his own baseline rather than a stranger’s chart.
Does insurance cover it?
No. LASIK is elective refractive surgery and is generally not covered by medical insurance or Medicare. Some vision plans offer a negotiated discount through a laser surgery network rather than actual coverage.
Eye Expressions accepts Medicare, VSP, EyeMed, Humana, Aetna, Anthem, Blue View Vision, MetLife, Superior Vision, Davis Vision and Advantica. Plan networks vary — being covered by a carrier is not the same as your specific plan being one we are contracted with. Call (561) 799-3932 with your card and we will check before you come in. With an appointment on the books ahead of time, your benefits are looked up first and you get an estimated copay before you come. What a vision plan reaches, and what is billed medically, is on the insurance page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get LASIK at Eye Expressions? No. LASIK is performed by a surgeon at a surgical facility; Eye Expressions provides the evaluation, the referral and the post-operative care.
I wear contacts. Do I need to stop before the evaluation? Yes. Contact lenses change the shape of the cornea, so measurements taken too soon are unreliable. How long you stay out of lenses depends on the lens type.
I was told I am not a candidate. Is that final? Not necessarily. Some reasons are permanent, such as keratoconus. Others are temporary — untreated dry eye, an unstable prescription, pregnancy — and can be re-checked later. A comprehensive eye exam is the place to start.
Will LASIK stop me needing eye exams? No. Refractive surgery corrects focus; it does not protect against glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts or diabetic eye disease. Annual exams still matter.
Book a LASIK evaluation
Call (561) 799-3932 or book online. Evaluations are Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm. The optical is open Saturday 9am–2pm, so you can browse frames, collect an order or get an adjustment then, but Dr. Nodland does not hold regular Saturday exam hours and the online scheduler does not offer Saturday — so a Saturday appointment has to be requested by phone on (561) 799-3932.
Eye Expressions · 7100 Fairway Drive, Suite 39, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418 — on Fairway Drive just off PGA Boulevard, with parking at the door. (561) 799-3932 · Mon–Fri 10am–6pm. On Saturday only the optical opens, 9am–2pm, for frame browsing, order collection and adjustments. Dr. Nodland keeps no regular Saturday exam hours, and Saturday cannot be selected in the online scheduler, so a Saturday exam is arranged by calling (561) 799-3932. · Family-owned since 2010 · 5.0 stars from around 500 Google reviews