LASIK surgery is approved by the FDA for anyone 18 years of age or older. This is the only strict age limit rule for this procedure, but since adult vision is typically healthiest between the ages of 19 and 40, anyone who falls within this range is a great candidate. The good news is that there is no age limit for LASIK surgery if your eyes are healthy. We have treated patients from a wide age range with great success, including those aged 40, 50, 60 and over.
That said, there are special considerations when planning laser vision correction for people over 40, as this is a time when the eyes are likely to begin to change once again. Are you over 40 and considering LASIK surgery? You may be wondering if it's too late to get the procedure. The answer is no! While there are some special considerations for people over 40, it's never too late to get LASIK if your eyes are healthy.
What Are the Considerations for People Over 40?
The most important factor to consider when it comes to LASIK surgery for people over 40 is overall eye health.This depends on a variety of factors, such as age-related vision changes and eye diseases. Your vision correction procedure will depend on your individual eye anatomy and the visual milestones you have achieved. For people in their 40s, LASIK may continue to be a good option as they begin to experience age-related changes in vision, but their visual progression also opens the door to other procedure options. Dysfunctional lens syndrome (DLS) is a three-stage condition that affects the vision of people over 40 years of age.
People over 40 are at greater risk of suffering from presbyopia (also known as reading vision or age-related farsightedness), which is a natural process of eye aging that causes difficulties with close vision. And people aged 60 and older are at greater risk of cataracts and glaucoma, which cloud the lens of the eye and damage the optic nerve, respectively.
Is There an Age Limit for LASIK Surgery?
There seems to be a misconception that there is an age limit for being a good candidate for LASIK surgery. While you can't control the fact that your eyes age, wearing sunglasses is a vital part of long-term eye health.Lens aging is known as dysfunctional lens syndrome, a progressive condition that occurs in three stages. In fact, the American Academy of Ophthalmology has observed that people over 50 are increasingly leaning towards LASIK surgery. Regardless of your age, if you're wondering if vision correction with LASIK might be appropriate to meet your visual needs, you should get accurate information from an eye health professional who can address your individual situation and answer all your questions.
