Are you over 50 and considering LASIK surgery? You may be wondering if it's worth it. The good news is that you're never too old for LASIK if your eyes are healthy enough. While the minimum age for LASIK surgery is 18, there is no upper age limit as long as your eyes are healthy and your vision is stable. A review of 424 LASIK patients between 40 and 60 years of age showed that the results were generally similar regardless of age, but older patients were slightly more likely to need to repeat the treatment or improve it.
LASIK is approved by the FDA for anyone 18 years of age or older, and adult vision is typically healthiest between the ages of 19 and 40, making this age range a great candidate for the procedure. When deciding whether LASIK or other corneal procedures are worth performing in a patient over 50 years of age, doctors will use a Pentacam scan to evaluate moderate nuclear sclerosis. During the procedure, a laser is used to reshape the cornea, the transparent, dome-shaped tissue found in the front of the eye, so that light rays are focused in the right place. Dr.
Waring continues to use LASIK or implantable contact lenses “in high axial myopic patients with peripheral retinal pathology and other risk factors for retinal detachment in patients over 50 years of age in DLS in stage I and, in some cases, in stage II”. However, there are many conditions that can disqualify someone from having LASIK surgery, such as moderate or severe glaucoma. Choi will perform a comprehensive exam and evaluate if LASIK, RLE, or another procedure will benefit your vision the most. Around age 40, your eyes begin to change and you may develop presbyopia (hyperopia due to age), which could affect your eligibility for LASIK surgery.
LASIK is safe and effective: 90 percent of people who have undergone surgery say that their vision has improved significantly and eight out of 10 people no longer need their corrective lenses. Before we discuss the features that can help ensure a successful LASIK outcome, let's discuss the conditions under which it corrects refractive vision errors. Conditions such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, and presbyopia are considered refractive eye conditions that can often be corrected with LASIK. So what's stopping you? Are you worried that you are no longer a candidate for LASIK because of your age? As you'll see, your age may not necessarily disqualify you from this life-changing vision correction surgery.
Wiley, medical director of the Cleveland Eye Clinic and the Clear Choice LASIK Center, recommends postponing LASIK and SMILE in the presence of contraindications that are commonly found in people over 50 years of age. LASIK surgery doesn't prevent or delay the development of cataracts, so if you develop a cataract after LASIK surgery, you'll need another surgery. However, if your eyes are healthy enough and your vision is stable, then you may be a great candidate for this life-changing procedure.
