What Age Do You Have to Be for Lasik?
Lasik surgery is considering to be one of the safest and most effective eye surgeries available today. Age requirements are one of the biggest concerns for potential patients ranging in age from young children to centenarians.
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FDA Regulations
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When it comes to the eyes, the FDA has strict regulations. Lasik surgery is only approved for patients who are over the age of 18. In rare cases, this can be waived by a doctor. For example, if the vision were severely threatened and Lasik could potentially save the vision, it may be possible for a doctor to waive the age requirement.
Age Requirements
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While it is the official FDA-approved age, this does not necessarily mean that all doctors will treat patients the day they hit 18. Eyes do not fully develop in exact chronological order, and not everyone will have eyes that are considered stable by the time they are 18.
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Stable Eyes
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Stable eyes are the key for being approved for Lasik, for any age. Whether you're 25 or 87, your contact or eyeglass prescription cannot have changed for at least two years. This is because the cornea is often considered to be among the most stable of the eye tissues. Therefore, there's virtually no risk of the Lasik failing in correcting the vision of the eye, because there isn't likely to be any additional changes to the eye tissues. In addition, this is also why Lasik is considered to be a permanent procedure, likely to last for the rest of your life.
Children and Lasik Eye Surgery
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In the event that a child is approved for Lasik eye surgery, he or she will need to be heavily sedated in order to stay completely still for the procedure. This presents additional risks and makes Lasik more complicated than with adult patients who would be kept awake throughout the procedure.
Teens and Lasik Eye Surgery
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Teenagers are also not readily approved for the Lasik procedure. As stated before, the eyes do not fully develop prior to approximately age 18 and in some cases may not be fully developed until age 21.
In both children and teenagers, if Lasik surgery is prescribed, the vision improvement is usually only temporary. In nearly all cases, Lasik will need to be re-performed in the future.
Lasik Over 40
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In addition to underaged patients, many middle-aged patients may or may not be able to undergo Lasik. This is because as you age, your vision may or may not begin to deteriorate and therefore your eye would begin changing again and you will no longer have suitably "stable" eyes.
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