Am I Too Old for LASIK?

    SAN FRANCISCO, CA, September 18, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- LASIK laser vision correction improves vision by reshaping the cornea to receive light correctly. People of all ages have experienced improved vision through LASIK. Whether you are a good candidate for LASIK does not depend entirely upon your age. At any age, an experienced LASIK ophthalmologist will consider the stability of your vision and whether LASIK is the best way to improve your unique vision problems.

Candidacy for LASIK

Although age alone does not disqualify you from LASIK, certain vision conditions accompanying the aging process may require an alternative surgery.

Vision conditions that may disqualify you from LASIK surgery include:
- If you have glaucoma or other eye diseases.
- If you have cataracts, which require cataract surgery to replace the eye lens.
- If your vision problems result only from presbyopia, a normal age-related condition
- If your lens prescription has changed during the past 1-2 years.

LASIK has successfully corrected the vision of many different patients, including those well over 60. There is no definite age at which you cannot have LASIK. In a consultation with an ophthalmologist, the ophthalmologist can determine whether you are a candidate for LASIK, or if there is a better treatment to correct your vision.

Common Solutions for Age-Related Vision Conditions

Cataracts can form on the eye lens when protein fibers begin to break down and clump together, causing vision to be cloudy and unclear. To treat cataracts, the eye lens will have to be replaced with an implantable contact lens.

Another common age-related vision problem is presbyopia. Presbyopia is a normal aging of the eyes that everyone experiences, and it is often what causes people in their 40s to begin using reading glasses. In most cases, LASIK is not a treatment for presbyopia. Presbyopia involves the eye lens losing its ability to focus effectively. LASIK eye surgery changes the shape of the cornea, and does not alter the eye lens. Generally, if you only need glasses to read because of presbyopia, LASIK may not be a solution. Refractive lens exchange can reduce or eliminate presbyopia by replacing your natural lens with a multifocal intraocular lens.

In some cases of presbyopia, a procedure called LASIK monovision can restore vision. Monovision may be a good option for you if you are already nearsighted, farsighted or have astigmatism and are also experiencing presbyopia.

Glaucoma and other eye diseases do not benefit from LASIK eye surgery. Individuals over the age of 60 are at a relatively high risk of getting glaucoma. Although there is no cure that will correct glaucoma, the condition is managed through treatment. A common treatment for glaucoma is eye drops.

If you live in San Francisco, Bay Area or San Jose, California, please visit the website of the Laser Eye Center of Silicon Valley to learn more about LASIK vision correction at www.lasikdocs.com.

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