Posted by: Manhattan LASIK Center

What’s the Right Age to Undergo a Lasik Surgery?

Some people may not know that timing is not a problem for most Lasik candidates. Children and teens under the age of 18 should never have laser eye correction. Lasik specialists suggest that teens wait until they are in their mid-twenties or until their eye prescription is stable before having any corrective laser surgery. The eyes continue to change until a person is around 25 years old. Once a person has had the same prescription for a couple of years, Lasik surgery is optimal.

Should You Get Lasik Surgery Right Now?

Some people wait until they are in their 40’s to have a Lasik procedure. One thing to remember is that Lasik does not cure presbyopia, which is the diminished ability to see things clearly when they are close to them. This condition is simply a product of age and cannot be fixed. However, those who choose to have Lasik after 40 will have a clearer vision. They will need to wear glasses for reading, watching television, and while on the computer or cell phone, but they may be able to avoid contacts.

Cataracts Are Not A Problem For Lasik

Lasik surgery is even safe and helpful for people in their 60’s and 70’s. However, if patients in this age range have cataracts, they are not suitable candidates for laser vision correction and should have their cataracts evaluated prior to undergoing Lasik surgery. Nonetheless, many older people have Lasik procedures performed with noticeable results.

Who Should Not Have Lasik?

There are many types of equipment that help surgeons measure things like the thickness of the cornea and the exact size of the pupils. The Lasik specialist uses the information to help them determine who is the best candidate for Lasik surgery. People who have chronic dry eyes, a suppressed immune system, incurable health conditions, bleeding disorders, and pregnant women should not have Lasik eye surgery. People who have thin corneas may not be a candidate for Lasik, but they might be suitable for another procedure called PRK. This surgery is very similar to Lasik. PRK is the procedure that eye specialists performed before Lasik was invented.

Are you still wondering what’s the right age to undergo Lasik surgery? That question is best answered by a prominent Lasik surgeon or laser eye specialist because they have the equipment, skills, and training to provide the right advice. Lasik eye specialists often use the most state-of-the-art technologies to perform corrective eye surgeries. They typically have hundreds or thousands of procedures under their belt.