What is the Best Age for Laser Eye Surgery?

You might be wondering about the recommended age of LASIK or what age you can get laser eye surgery. Or you might be at the other end of the scale, wondering if it’s too late for surgery. While there’s a large window of time to have laser eye surgery, age is one of the most important considerations.

Many teenagers and their parents enquire about laser eye surgery and wonder about the appropriate age for laser eye surgery. Teens can be self-conscious about wearing glasses, feel uncomfortable, or realise the inconvenience of playing sports. Some teenagers have transitioned from glasses to contact lenses but want to stop dealing with contacts every morning and night. Laser eye surgery may be the solution to put glasses or contacts behind them.

Unfortunately, many teens are disappointed to find that they’re a little too young for laser eye surgery. Our eyes continue to adjust and change shape while the body is still growing and going through puberty. It’s not until the age of 18 (or as late as 25) that the eyes stop changing. Most laser eye surgeons will ask patients to wait until they have had a stable glasses prescription for 12+ months before they can consider surgery. 

Having surgery while our eyes are still growing poses an increased risk, and patients may not have the best long-term outcome. Straight after the surgery, they would experience an improvement in their vision, but as the eye continues to grow, the gains may be lost. In these cases, corrective surgery may be required in the future.  

After the age of 40, many question the age to get LASIK. By the mid-40s, the natural lens in the eye becomes more rigid and impacts the eye’s ability to focus on close objects. Your surgeon will complete an assessment and advise what type of surgery is best for your case – laser or lens-based surgery.

Lens replacement surgery is when the natural lens is taken out and replaced by an artificial lens. Artificial lenses have high specifications and given the complexity of the task, are expensive. The lens makes the cost of this operation greater than LASIK surgery.

The ideal age margin for laser surgery is between 18 and 40, a crucial consideration for those researching laser eye surgery age or age for LASIK. Nevertheless, the longer the wait, the less return on investment. Waiting until 40 years old means patients may have already spent thousands on glasses and contact lenses for two or more decades before investing in laser surgery.

Age isn’t the only reason some people aren’t eligible for laser eye surgery. Some eye and medical conditions mean your specialist will recommend you not to have laser eye surgery. Your specialist will take a thorough medical history before allowing a patient to proceed with surgery.  

The following conditions can make the recovery from laser eye surgery difficult or may limit improvement in your vision overall. Lions Laser Vision offers all types of laser vision correction to ensure we can treat as many vision problems as possible. While LASIK surgery is the most popular, a patient with thin corneas, for example, who isn’t suitable for LASIK can consider Photo Refractive Keratectomy.  

• Suffer from very dry eyes
• Corneas are too thin
• Unstable vision with changing prescription
• Previous history of herpes in the eyes
• Glaucoma
• Cataracts
• Keratoconus (cornea changes shape)
• Activities that can lead to an eye injury
• Glasses prescription measurements out of the range that can be corrected
• Unable to give up sport or swimming during the surgery recovery
• An eye that is significantly lazy (amblyopic)

• An autoimmune condition
• Condition that compromises healing
• Diabetes
• Rheumatic conditions that aren’t under control
• Take certain medications
• Pregnant or breastfeeding

Discuss your case with your specialist if you have any of these conditions. There are different types of laser eye surgery, and one of these may be your solution. We have an extensive list of frequently asked questions on the website that can help answer additional queries you may have.

If you have any questions or wish to discuss laser eye surgery further, please contact us online or call (08) 9381 0758 to speak with one of our clinical coordinators. Alternatively, you can take our free online suitability test to find out if you may be eligible for laser eye surgery.