LASIK Eye Surgery is a modern day miracle. It restores a person’s eyesight, thereby eliminating the need for eyeglasses and contact lenses. It can correct refractive errors such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism.
While it is true that LASIK can make anyone’s life better by providing him or her with better vision, the success of LASIK still depends on the person’s age when he or she undergoes the surgery. Thus, age is used as a determining factor in assessing whether a patient is a viable candidate for LASIK surgery.
Among the five senses, vision is one of the tricky ones. Remember what they say about our eyes constantly deceiving us? It’s true! From adolescence until well into our twenties, our vision is prone to change (both literally and figuratively). Refraction typically stabilizes around the age of 18. For those suffering from myopia or nearsightedness, onset is from mid to late 20s. A person who undergoes LASIK prior to that age is just wasting precious bucks. When the prescription stabilizes, the patient will probably require another corrective surgery.
A preoperative eye examination, conducted before the age of 18, will probably result in incorrect measurements. Since this will be the basis for LASIK surgery, the correction will probably be applicable only for a short period of time until the patient’s vision changes again. Also, patients with a higher degree of astigmatism or myopia are advised to defer the surgery longer than others. Undergoing the surgery at the age of 21 or so is safe enough. In essence, a stable prescription for at least two years is the minimum requirement. For those who wish to go for custom LASIK, the minimum age requirement is the same as that for conventional LASIK surgery.
On the brighter side, it is good to note that there is no maximum age limit for LASIK laser eye surgery. Those in their 40s, 50s, and even sexagenarians may undergo LASIK surgery. LASIK can correct the refractive error of a myopic patient at any stage, provided that the patient’s eyes are otherwise healthy. That is, LASIK will impart clear distant vision to any person, regardless of age. However, age-related deterioration of the vision is still to be expected. For instance, almost everyone suffers from presbyopia, commonly referred to as “short arm syndrome”, by the age of 40. This condition is due to the loss of accommodation power of the lens. Thus, people who are in their 40s normally require reading glasses.
If you have the means and resources to undergo LASIK surgery, visit your ophthalmologist who will be able to provide you with more information on this procedure.
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