can kids have eye surgery to correct far sighted vision?
deefine asked:
My 3yr old has been prescribed +5 glasses for far sight. I have been told this will never go away and Im wondering if laser eye surgery is an option for him. I did not think at the time to ask optomologist.
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My 3yr old has been prescribed +5 glasses for far sight. I have been told this will never go away and Im wondering if laser eye surgery is an option for him. I did not think at the time to ask optomologist.
March 27th, 2009 at 1:08 am
He need to wait until he is old enough, 18+
March 27th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
You have to wait until your prescription is unchanged (or changed very little) for at least 3 years in a row to be a candidate for eye surgery. Young people tend to have very quickly changing prescriptions, so I believe it wouldn’t be possible until they’re at least 16-18 years old.
March 28th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
I seriously doubt that many Opthomologists would perform corrective Laser surgery on a young child’s eyes because your son’s eyes will continue to change. And until your son’s
Opthomologist feels that his vision has begun to show some significant signs that his changes are slowing down, your eye doctor would probably recommend that your son continue to wear his glasses or possibly move him up to contacts as he matures.
At 3 years old, it is probably impossible to say whether Lasik surgery would help your son’s eyes because you do not know which course of action your son’s eyes are going to take at a later date. But at 3, I truly do not believe any eye doctor would perform Lasik surgery because at that age, your son’s eyes are going to continue to change for some time.
However, it would not hurt to talk to your Optholmologist at a later date (after he has gotten through the 18-21 years) just to see what your eye doctor thinks about whether your son might
be a good candidate for Lasik.
Everyone I’ve ever talked to that had Lasik surgery was in their 20’s.
March 30th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Hi,
Honestly I would check with eye care professionals. If it could be done it would be great since it can be corrected at an early age.
He doesn’t have to be dependent on glasses or contacts for the rest of his life.
March 31st, 2009 at 12:51 am
At that age, your child’s eyes will still be changing, and they will likely start to get a bit better, though your doctor is right, he probably won’t outgrow the need for glasses. In any case, you would want to wait until his vision has completely stabilized and he has stopped growing, otherwise, you risk having the surgery, having his eyes change and him still having poor vision.
As for Laser surgery, according to the FDA, it is an option for farsightedness, but some people who are farsighted find that their vision decreases again with age.
My daughter is 21 months and has worn glasses since 14 months. It’s a pain, I understand wondering if there’s any way to get around the glasses at that age.