It’s true that LASIK can eliminate a person’s dependency on eyeglasses and contact lenses. It can correct a variety of refractive errors, such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. However, LASIK surgery is not for everyone. There are certain conditions that might preclude LASIK in case of a particular patient. Age is one such factor taken into account when determining whether a patient is a viable LASIK candidate or not.
It is a known fact that people experience a constant change in vision throughout adolescence and sometimes well until the mid to late 20s. That is, the refraction stabilizes typically around the age of 18. For myopic people, the benchmark is somewhere between the mid to late 20s. Undergoing LASIK prior to that age is nothing but a futile attempt to achieve enhanced visual acuity, since the patient will nevertheless require another surgery when the prescription stabilizes.
A preoperative examination conducted prior to the age of 18 might result in incorrect measurements, and consequently, an appropriate correction via LASIK. Patients suffering from a higher degree of myopia or astigmatism should defer the surgery a wee bit longer than others – normally until the age of 21 or so. In essence, you must have had a stable prescription for at least two years, and then only you should plan to undergo LASIK surgery. If you wish to go for custom LASIK, the minimum age is the same as that for conventional LASIK.
There is no upper age limit for LASIK surgery. Even a 50 or 60 year old person may opt for LASIK. The point is that LASIK can very well correct the refractive error of a myopic patient at any stage of the patient’s life, provided the patient’s eyes are otherwise healthy. That is, LASIK will impart clear distant vision to any person irrespective of the age. However, age related deterioration of the vision may still occur. For instance, almost every person suffers from presbyopia (or short arm syndrome) beyond the age of 40. Presbyopia entails the loss of accommodation power of the lens. Hence, people typically require reading glasses after the age of 40.
If you find a LASIK surgeon that you are confident about you will be able to find more information about LASIK laser eye surgery.