Children and Lasik eye surgery

Children and Lasik eye surgery

The eye problems that need special attention occur in both young and adults. Both young and adults can see symptoms that require a particular corrective measure like Lasik eye surgery. There’s no doubt that Lasik eye surgery is the best option to correct or reshape the cornea. Once you start seeing some symptoms like myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and the like, then you might need to undergo LASIK. Please note that the first thing to do is consult your eye doctor.

However, there’s been a controversy about the best laser eye surgery for treating some eye problems in Children. Remember, children at their tender age also suffer from some eye problems like adults. I have seen a kid battling farsightedness. So, can children go for Lasik eye surgery? If children go for LASIK, what are the likely results? We are going to do justice to these questions. 

Do you have a kid that is battling with either myopia or hyperopia? And you’ve been thinking about consulting an eye doctor to ask if the kid can undergo Lasik eye surgery. Please wait a minute. There are some things you need to know regarding children and LASIK. How will you feel if we hit the nail on the head by saying Lasik eye surgery is not meant for kids? Will this not trigger some questions? We know you’ll start thinking otherwise. You will be curious to know how children will treat eye problems if not by undergoing LASIK eye surgery. 

Dear reader, the essence of putting this together is to provide adequate information regarding children and Lasik eye surgery. Therefore, please shun all distractions and pay rapt attention. But before we proceed, it would be nice to talk about what LASIK entails. Perhaps, you will begin to judge if it is worth it for children to undergo this procedure.

Children and Lasik eye surgery

What is Lasik eye surgery? 

Lasik surgery uses a laser to resolve, reshape, and correct the cornea of the eye whenever there’s a vision problem. So, what happens doing Lasik surgery? There’s a thin cornea flap in the upper layers of the cornea. The flap is lifted. The work of a laser is to reshape the corneal tissue underneath. The essence of doing this is to ensure that light focuses better on the retina. So, when the process is carried out carefully, the corneal flap is restored to its original state. This remarkable process remains one of the most used strategies for correcting vision problems. However, one must not forget that this process requires specialized knowledge in its operation. This implies that a competent Lasik eye Surgeon must be the one to handle your eye if you want to tell a positive story about how this process restores your vision. Learn more qualities of a Lasik eye surgery candidate.

Children and Lasik eye surgery

Children and LASIK

The topic of whether kids should undergo Lasik eye surgery is a serious one. Some eye doctors believe that children can experience the process, while others think it could affect them since they are kids. An eye doctor who believed that children should not undergo the operation said it is a risk to allow kids to undergo eye surgery at their formative stage. The eye doctor also said that one could not quickly judge or conclude that a child’s eye concern is a problem. They could be at their formative stage, and it is normal for them to experience some difficulties because they are still growing. For instance, you don’t expect a child of three to see things from a far distance like an adult would do. The kid’s eye is still in the process of formation. So, he concluded that LASIK is not meant for children. 

Children and Lasik eye surgery

To bolster the above point, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in the US has not yet approved Lasik eye surgery for people under 18. We began to look for the reason behind that. From our research, we find out that there are psychological facts that one can build on. So, this implies that one can also join the league of people that support the idea of refraining children from undergoing LASIK.

What are the psychological facts that negate children going for LASIK?

  1. Fear: During Lasik eye surgery, patients are awake in most cases. With that said, staying awake can be unbearable for kids. The fear of seeing the Ophthalmologist trying to put a tiny rod into their eyes can affect the procedure. This means the chance of carrying out this surgery with kids is slim. One thing about fear is that fear grips the heart to make things impossible. So, a child can lose his sight if he undergoes LASIK fearfully. Then, what can we do to cast out fear in such a child? It is practically impossible. 
  2. The risk of LASIK: Generally, Lasik eye surgery has its risk whether it is carried out on children or adults. Complications like bleeding, swelling, and retinal detachment can occur after the surgery. Can you imagine how hard it would be for kids to undergo a surgery that may likely lead to another surgery? We’ve heard about adults who have to do another surgery after LASIK because of complications. Adults can quickly come out of the shell of undergoing another stress of going for another surgery. But kids can go down mentally and emotionally. 
  3. Chances of doing Lasik eye surgery again: If you allow a kid to undergo this process, the kids may likely go for the surgery again. This is because the surgeon might not do what he ought to do during the procedure due to fear and some inadequacies. So, with that, children are at risk of coming back to the theatre room to solve that eye problem with LASIK again. That is why some countries like the US, Australia, and the like will not allow underage children to do Lasik eye surgery.

Conclusion

Dear reader, hopefully, you’ve found something instructive and educative. The link to this page is what you can share with friends and family. Finally, kindly drop your question in the comment box. Also, if you have a contribution or an ideology regarding this topic, don’t hesitate to share it with us.   

The 6 Qualities of A LASIK Eye Surgery Candidate

The 6 Qualities of A LASIK Eye Surgery Candidate

Everyone wants to have LASIK eye surgery, knowing its superior efficacies in correcting even the most severe vision imperfections. Not just about that, LASIK surgery helps people have a perfect vision for a lifetime without spending unnecessary expenses on frequent check-ups. 

What’s LASIK?

LASIK means laser-assisted in situ Keratomileusis. It is an effective laser refractive vision correction surgery that restores the perfect vision of the eyes within a short time. Although, LASIK is not the only refractive procedure available. However, it is the most commonly performed and suggested eye surgery when the eye situation gets worse. 

Since LASIK has become the best-known eye surgery in recent times, patients don’t hesitate to enroll for the procedure. But, how do you feel to know that not everyone is qualified to have much-trusted LASIK eye surgery? That’s your newest revelation. 

As much as you want to have LASIK surgery, you might not be a qualified candidate for the procedure. Even if your vision problems require LASIK, you may have to consider getting eyeglasses or contact lenses.

So, what are the requirements to qualify for LASIK eye surgery? Without further ado, let’s get to the list.

The six requirements to qualify for a LASIK eye surgery 

1. Your eyes must be free of infection

Qualifying for a LASIK procedure is not first about your vision correction needs. Your eyes must be in a state of perfect health. LASIK eye surgery cannot work for you if your eyesight is not in a state of perfect health. 

When you meet a LASIK surgeon, he would first check your eyes for some infections such as dry eyes, conjunctivitis, and other related eye issues that can make the entire LASIK procedure wrong. 

The 6 Qualities of A LASIK Eye Surgery Candidate

Meanwhile, having eye infections does not mean you can enroll for LASIK surgery later. Your ophthalmologist would only have to first treat every disorder in your eyes before prescribing LASIK. Hence, it is advisable first to consult an expert eye doctor for a thorough examination to know whether your eyes are fit for laser surgery.

2. You Must be healthy

The point above encourages you to make sure your eyes are healthy before going for a LASIK. Yes, but more than that, you as a person must be perfectly okay to be fit for a LASIK surgery. It is an essential factor in how quickly you heal after the procedure.

It is rather alarming that most people think LASIK is just for the eyes. In contrast, your body needs to be generally healthy to get the correct result. Have you seen why LASIK surgeons usually ask for a medical result of your overall body check-up before they proceed to the surgery? Now you get the drift.   

The 6 Qualities of A LASIK Eye Surgery Candidate

3. You must be 18 years old and above

LASIK is not for babies and anyone under the age of 18. No matter how worse the patient’s vision can be, LASIK is not advisable even if you are a day younger than 18 years. Hence, before you advance to any LASIK center for surgery, first consider your age.

Averagely, LASIK eye surgery is mainly performed for patients around 20 years and above. LASIK surgeons recommend that people exceed 18 years with a margin to have a successful surgery. Meanwhile, that does not mean you can’t have it at 18 years. The two years margin is just for safety precautions. 

However, there is no age limit for LASIK eye surgery; even the aged can successfully have LASIK surgery without complications.

The 6 Qualities of A LASIK Eye Surgery Candidate

4. Women must not be pregnant

Earlier in this post, we have learned that the body’s overall health matters when it comes to knowing who qualifies as a LASIK candidate. That’s why eye doctors don’t recommend LASIK surgery for pregnant women.  

LASIK is not an ideal vision correction option for pregnant women for health reasons. Based on research, women undergo a few body changes during pregnancy that prevent them from enrolling for LASIK eye surgery

If a pregnant woman develops an eye issue during pregnancy, she would have to opt for eyeglasses to correct her vision throughout the entire pregnancy months. It does not end there; the pregnant woman would have to wait for up to a year after delivery because women are not advised to have LASIK when breastfeeding. Little wonder, most LASIK patients ever recorded are men. 

The 6 Qualities of A LASIK Eye Surgery Candidate

5. Average prescription range

Yes, LASIK eye surgery is the best for correcting impaired vision, but your eye issues have to fall within the normal prescription range. A very high prescription range can render the proved little or no effect. 

Generally, FDA approves eye complications up to +6.00 farsightedness, +12.00 dioptres of near-sightedness, and 6.00 of astigmatism. These prescriptions are considered the normal range, but they can vary from one patient to another. So, you must conduct a general eye test to know if your case is LASIK worthy or not.

The 6 Qualities of A LASIK Eye Surgery Candidate

6. LASIK works only for a thick cornea

If you pass all the above requirements but have a thin cornea, you are still not qualified to have a LASIK procedure. One of the first tests your LASIK surgeon would conduct is to check if your cornea is thick and strong enough. Weak and thin cornea auo0maicall disqualifies you from having Lasik eye surgery.

Why? During a LASIK procedure, your surgeon would have to reshape your cornea. So, if your cornea is too weak or thin, it might result in some complications which may further damage the eyes. 

Nevertheless, there’s nothing to worry about if your thin or weak cornea disqualifies you from having LASIK surgery. You can be qualified for other refractive laser surgery with similar procedures and results. Ensure you speak with your ophthalmologist to recommend the right one that can suit our cornea conditions. 

Finally 

You need to be ready for LASIK surgery if you want to go. The preparations begin with the initial check-up of the eyes and the entire body to determine your overall health status. Then, you need to discuss with your ophthalmologist whether you are qualified for the surgery or not. LASIK provides lasting results only if you are a suitable candidate.