What Age Can You Have LASIK Eye Surgery?

As much as specific vision impairments are due to age, there is no age discrimination regarding general vision problems. Yet, certain eye conditions such as cataracts and presbyopia may become common in older people. But vision impairment can be seen in young and older adults and people of different backgrounds. The good news is that these identified problems are correctable using LASIK eye surgery.

The LASIK eye procedure treats the refractive errors of the patients’ eyes and does not always depend on their ages. Similarly, it does not imply that the LASIK procedure applies to everyone of all ages. Instead, it relies on a combination of factors, which period can be one. Australian patients need to consider these factors in determining if lasik eye surgery is the procedure they should choose or another. 

This article discusses the most suitable age one can still consider undergoing the LASIK eye procedure. You can follow the flow to catch up on some critical alternatives if you are not within the recommended age bracket. 

Average Age of LASIK Patients

As a general rule, LASIK can be valid for many adults with eye defects related to refractive errors. Therefore, any patient between 18 and 65 can undergo LASIK eye surgery. Moreover, it can correct different eye defects such as hyperopia (farsightedness), myopia (nearsightedness), and astigmatism (having blurry vision at all distances). 

Anyone younger than 18 or who is older than 65 may be too young or old for LASIK eye surgery. But why is eye surgery unsuitable for people outside this age range, or does age even matter to the LASIK eye disciplinary procedure?

Importance of Age in undergoing LASIK Surgery

The younger eyes are yet to stabilize

Anyone under 18 may not be suitable for undertaking LASIK eye surgery to correct eye defects. The eyes are not yet stabilized. In other words, the eyes are still growing, evident in the childhood and teenage years and power of sight. The eyes of younger people can still change in shape and functionality, which may affect the optician’s prescription.

Why is the LASIK eye surgery procedure dangerous for children?

LASIK eye surgery requires the process of reshaping the eye’s cornea o the eye to adjust how the refraction of light reaches them. The strategy aims to ensure the vision can produce a clear picture without blurry. However, since the eyes of the younger people are still growing, there is a risk that the cornea could still change position even after surgery.

Therefore, it is not advisable to tamper with it while it is yet to assume its final position. If such happens, it renders the LASI procedure’s effect unnecessary. Not only is the cornea growing at this time, but the entire eyes are yet to assume their final shape and size. After a person reaches 18 years, it is not that this growth does stop completely. But it doesn’t happen anymore in a way that could cause a devastating effect. 

Meanwhile, the essential part is to first go for an examination procedure to determine the condition of the eyes. On the other hand, the examiner or optician may also notice a few changes here and there. Still, those things are expected before the operation. Therefore, as a young person under 18, the best advice is to wait until adulthood when the ye parts are stable before considering undergoing a LASIK procedure to stabilize the eyes.

The eyes attain stability by age 20, while others do not reach this level until their 30s. Either way, an examination over a period will tell the optician if your eyes are ready for the procedure or if you still need more time. Depending on when you begin to get your initial signs of an eye defect, it may not be squarely due to age. However, we cannot dispute that the older we get, the more tired some body organs become.

Older Eyes with Higher risks

We have considered the peculiarity of younger people’s eyes when it comes to viability for the LASIK procedure. But what about the older people beyond the age of 65? Patients at this age are no longer growing, but they can begin to notice some changes in the condition of their eyes. For example, older people may report presbyopia.

A simple reason one may experience this condition is the gradual decline of the eyes’ ability to focus on objects for too long. In most people, it happens this way when a person crosses the age of 40 and may gradually get worse if the patient is not careful. In the case of cataracts, the condition of the eyes, especially the lens, may become progressively worse or appear cloudy. Meanwhile, cataracts do not start suddenly; there must have been a gradual development of this condition. However, the situation may get worse when the person surpasses the age of 60.  

Can an older person undergo LASIK Eye Surgery?

When an older person over 60 or 65 begins to experience cataracts, presbyopia, or other forms of eye defects, then the LASIK procedure is one of the options to consider. However, the procedure can be relatively complicated and severe. It is crucial to assess the condition of the eyes before concluding the process.

Otherwise, one may discover that the LASIK procedure may not be enough to entirely complete the correction procedure of one’s vision. Medically, undergoing a LASIK procedure when you are older may increase the risk of the medical practice, which is not good. Therefore, there are other excellent alternatives to replace the LASIK procedure if age is a disadvantage. Some of these different procedures are more suitable for older people specifically. 

Conclusion

Finally, the patient’s age is crucial in determining if that patient can handle the LASIK eye surgery. The consideration also must involve the preparation pre-operation, how effective the procedure will be, and the rate of recovery post-operation. Finally, the best way to determine the suitability of that patient is to go for an examination of the eyes before the decision on LASIK eye surgery. w