Am I too old for Lasik surgery?
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I'm like you and not much younger (36) and just had PRK a week ago. I was sick of my glasses and contacts too!!
I honestly do not believe there are any true age factors, other than the fact that even those people with 20/20 vision their entire lives may end up in reading glasses...and knowing full well that I will probably end up in reading glasses in a few years was of minimal consideration to me when I was making my decision.
I would suggest researching the different procedures and also look up the monovision aspect of LASIK/PRK. This is where they correct one eye for distance and the other for near. In the literature my PRK surgeon gave me, he suggested considering this option if you are over the age of 40. His literature also stated that it can take some getting used to, but if someone is having too difficult of a time, he would be more than happy to correct the other eye to match, and then suggest reading glasses for up-close work.
Once you read into the procedures, start looking and really research the surgeon. Ask your optometrist for names of reputable laser correction surgeons in your area...that's how I got one of my names...the other two came from a corneal specialist I work for. Once you have settled on the surgeon, then go in for a consultation.
Every single one of us is different, and it is really hard to say...yes, LASIK/PRK is right for you...because there are other factors, such as corneal thicknesses, corneal surface, strength of your correction, pupil size, pre-existing eye conditions (ie glaucoma or cataracts)...all things you will find out during your initial, usually free, consultation. I suppose the glaucoma and cataracts COULD be an age limiting thing, since most people who develop either of these conditions are USUALLY a little older...but an otherwise healthy eye deemed a good candidate for the laser correction surgery...age has nada to do with it.
And honestly, given the other patients in the office where I had mine done waiting for their consults and procedures...I'd have to say that just about all of them were over 45!!
I do not believe age really has anything to do with it...they can correct for distance, and if keeping a pair of reading glasses in reach for computer or newspaper/book reading isn't really a concern to you, then go for the consultation. I'm a week out and not 20/20 yet, which is normal, but even if I do not correct any more than where I am right now...I sure as heck do not mind getting rid of the coke bottle bottoms (-8.25 right eye, -7.75 left eye) that I had last week!! A nice cute pair of reading glasses...or possibly for me driving glasses...is a very, very small price to pay for the best vision I've had without correction in my entire life.
Good luck to you! (BTW...42 is definitely NOT old)
If you think your to old then ya you are to old sorry my friend
If it will make you happy go for it. Have a consultation with the doctor and ask if he/she thinks you're to old then go from there.
you are never too old for lasik
Doesn't matter how old you are, do what fits you!! Me myself at 28 don't think 42 is old at all as my husband is 40, and if you feel you want it done, go for it ,you only live once in this lifetime..ask your doctor about any health issues or problems that can occur and Give it a try!Age is just a number my friend.
No my sister in law had it done when she was 44
If your below 50, I certainly don't think your old at all, I'd suggest asking your Dr. before you have any surgery.
As they age, most people develop 'presbyopia' which is laughingly referred to as 'short arm syndrome.' You can't focus up close as good as you used to and you have to hold things farther away in order to bring them into focus. Most people correct this medical condition with BIFOCALS - hence the uncomplimentary association of middle age with bifocal use.
If you have nearsightedness, astimatism or farsightedness IN ADDITION to presbyopia, there are currently no surgical alternatives to correcting the compound problem. You can have your nearsightedness or farsightedness corrected, for example, but you will still have presbyopia for which you will need reading glasses or contacts.
I wear monovision contacts successfully. I wear a slight 'plus' lens on one eye to correct the problems from presbyopia and my normal 'minus' 200 lens on the other eye for distance vision.
Not everyone is a good candidate for monovision. Not everyone will achieve being totally glasses free with lasik surgery.
If your leisure or work don't require a lot of close work, you may find you'll only need reading glasses occasionally and they are not as big a bother as you anticipate.
Good luck!
You're never too old for lasik, but even with lasik you will still need reading glasses if not yet then sometime in the next few years. The reason to get lasik now would be to avoid wearing bifocals. There is a lens available now called a progressive, it's a multifocal lens without the line. You get your reading, distance, and in between all in one lens, it takes a little getting used to, but so do bifocals. It's available in several price ranges.
You should do a little research on how much lasik costs in your area and how much a progressive costs. The prices will vary across the country. Think about your economic situation in the future because a single vision reading lens will cost significantly less then even the cheapest progressive but getting used to bifocals or a cheaper progressive is very hard and most people can't do it. Find out what your insurance will cover and make the best decision from there.
yes you should've done it at birth now it is too late
alot of older people have it done. If you want to do it, do it.
42 is not too old to have LASIK done. Yes, you will need some reading glasses, but having to wear glasses just to read is better than having to wear them all the time I would think.
There are other factors that considered when you are looking into LASIK. The only time age is a factor really is when the person is under 18. They do not do LASIK on anyone under 18. Other than that, anything goes. They will run several tests to make sure that the other factors make you a good candidate, such as checking to make sure your cornea is thick enough for the surgery. They will actually cut a flap in your cornea for the procedure and they must make sure that your cornea is thick enough to do this. They also will make sure that your prescription has stabilized, meaning that you haven't had a change in your eyes for at least 12 months. If you wear contacts you'll have to stop wearing them for 10 or so days BEFORE the testing starts to be sure that your cornea goes back to its normal shape and size. They will also run tests to make sure that your eyes are not too dry for the surgery. LASIK will tend to make your eyes drier, so they need to make sure that they aren't already too dry.
I worked in an Ophthalmologist's office and we had a surgical center right next door where they performed LASIK and other eye surgeries and I performed many pre-op and post-op work-ups on patients. I've also seen a handful of patients that got a monovision correction done with LASIK. The one person above me mentioned about monovison contacts and they can actually do that with the LASIK. They purposely under-correct one eye so that you can read, and then they correct your dominant eye for your distance. This type of correction isn't for everyone and they will usually fit you with monovision contacts FIRST so you can try it out and see if you can tolerate it. Some people do very well with it, some don't.
Where I worked, they held monthly FREE LASIK seminars that you could call and reserve a seat. They were great and its a good way to get in and talk to the doctors who do the surgery. They always held a PowerPoint Presentation that explained the procedure and showed pictures of it, and then they did a Q&A session afterwards. I'm assuming they probably hold these all over the nation, so keep your eyes and ears open to see if you can find one. If all else fails, start making some phone calls. Have your Optometrist recommend an Ophthalmologist for you if you don't already have one.
LASIK is one of the safest surgical procedures with minimal side-effects. And I've known many, many happy patients.
Good luck!
There are several issues about Lasik and similar laser eye surgery that are very important to someone who has just entered the fourth decade of life.
Presbyopia is when the natural lens of the eye is less able to change shape and thereby change focus to see objects near. Reading glasses or bifocals become necessary when presbyopia becomes problematic. Most people start to have problems with presbyopia at around age 40.
If you are myopic (nearsighted, shortsighted) then your eyes are naturally focused to see objects near. This natural near vision tends to mask presbyopia's full effects. This is especially true if you wear glasses. There are some mechanical advantages to wearing glasses that delay the effects of presbyopia that will be lost with Lasik or similar refractive surgery. Many people who are in their early 40s and have Lasik for full correction get what I call "Sudden Presbyopia". Before surgery and with distance vision glasses they could see near objects okay. After Lasik they now need reading glasses to see anything near.
Another advantage of glasses for myopia is that if you are presbyopic and need to see something near, you can just remove your glasses and hold the object close. You can’t remove your Lasik to see near objects.
Contact lenses that fully correct for distance vision more closely simulate what near vision would be like after Lasik. If you are satisfied with your need for reading glasses when you wear contact lenses, then you are more likely to be satisfied with the results of Lasik.
No surgery - including Lasik - can fix presbyopia. There are several techniques to attempt to work around presbyopia, but all are a trade-off. One of the more popular options is monovision. Monovision is a technique of correcting the dominant eye for distance vision and the non-dominant eye for near vision. After a few weeks the brain figures out what is happening and begins to “look” through the dominant eye at distant objects and the non-dominant eye for near objects.
Monovision can be accomplished with Lasik for most patients, but you really need to try monovision with contact lenses before having it lasered into your eyes. If you have monovision Lasik and absolutely hate it you probably can have Lasik enhancement surgery to remove the monovision effect, but that is an extra surgery that would be best avoided.
I like to say that you can know you love monovision within a few days, but you won’t know you hate it for about six weeks. The reason is that it can take the brain 4-6 weeks to adapt to monovision. If you don’t give your brain time to adapt, you may initial dislike monovision but eventually find it appropriate for both near and distance vision.
There are many other important considerations that a competent Lasik doctor will need to evaluate, but these are a few that are specific to your age.
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