I just turned 21 and i want lasic eye surgery, am i old enough?

Question

i hear your eyes are still growing. what would be the optimal age

Answer 1

Yes, you can have lasik surgery at 21. You must be a candidate so schedule an appointment with an Ophthamologist. Good luck!

Answer 2

You are definately old enough. the only thing is, do you even qualify for the laser treatment. Only certain people with certain eye shapes and certain vision problems can qualify for the procedure

Answer 3

The optimal age is dead. If you have a serious complication as a result, you're going to spend the REST OF YOUR LIFE blaming yourself for making this mistake.

So many patients who have lasik and achieve 20/20 vision are called 'success stories'- and yet what people don't talk about is the risk of chronic and life-shattering dry eye. People don't talk about the fact that you can be one of the patients that DOESN'T have the dry eye go away, and you could live in pain for the rest of your life.

Please please don't get lasik. It is so, so not worth it. Want a 'worst case scenario' victim?

http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/showthrea...

Read this, and other stories in that forum. I will quote some of her story, and others.

"I have extreme LASIK-induced dry eyes. I wear air-tight goggles in my house, in my car and outside. I avoid public places, and shy away from social gatherings. The moving air of shopping malls and grocery stores intensifies my constantly burning eyes. I am terribly sensitive to sunlight, even with tinted goggles. Dry eye pain and burning wake me in the middle of every single night. I can no longer read or watch TV for pleasure.

It is impossible to put into words the sadness LASIK has brought to me and my family. I implore anyone who might be considering LASIK or any elective surgery to research it carefully. A twenty-minute LASIK procedure, intended to improve my vision, completely altered the direction of my life. It has blinded some, ruined careers, is to blame for suicidal thoughts and actual cases of suicide.

My future is uncertain. I am terrified of the systemic and hormonal changes aging will bring. A severely dry cornea is in danger of corneal erosions, conjunctival thinning, and could eventually reduce my vision. I can only pray for a solution to this maddening condition. In the meantime, I will work to challenge the “LASIK” community who continues to downplay the risks of this surgery. I see the need to be progressive in vision correction, but LASIK is definitely not the answer."

another poster:

"I am depressed every waking minute, and look forward to going to bed. My precious husband and young children are paying the price, because I am no longer myself. I started an antidepressant today, but am scared the side effects will make me worse. I truely feel like I ruined my life. I knew there were risks - why did I take them??? How will I ever get over the feeling of guilt and and how can you ever be happy again when you're always in pain? We went to Disneyland last week - the "happiest place on earth", and I felt like I was the saddest person there. I could barely make it through the day with my dry eye pain."

And another

"I just hope if anyone reading this post is considering laser surgery that you consider all the options and ask your surgeon about the possible complications. Like you, I thought “These things don’t happen to me”. Well they can happen to anyone and chronic dry eyes can be debilitating and life changing condition."

Don't become a statistic. Don't risk spending the rest of your life with impaired vision, impaired night vision, or the worst possible- constant 24/7 no matter what you try and do to stop it PAIN.

Answer 4

Yes, you are old enough and ready to undergo it. As long as your eyes have stopped changing, then you're ready.

However, it is a risk as some people end up making their eyes worse than when they did not undergo it. Things such as watery eyes, reduced night vision, light sensitivity can occur.

Answer 5

You should be old enough.  Talk to your doctor.

btw.  Your eyes don't grow.  They are the only part of your body that doesn't grow.  That's the main reason why babies have such big heads.

Answer 6

consult your opthalmologist -not Yahoo.

Answer 7

yahoo's healthnews will fill you in on what you want there is an article today WHY YOU SHOULD NOT!!! have it and in your case you could live a lifetime in regret so Think carefully and long b4 doing it

Answer 8

yeah, they do it to young people on extreme makeover,.

Answer 9

You can if your eyes have stabilized and if you are a good candidate.  Stabilized means that your prescription doesn't generally change.  If you get a new prescription every year, then you would just get Lasik and then need glasses again almost right away.  

Being a good candidate depends on the thickness of certain parts inside your eye.  If you go to a GOOD Lasik doctor -- now is not the time to bargain hunt -- they will tell you.  Almost all botched Lasik jobs in at least the past five years are because somebody wasn't a good candidate.  They will be honest with you if they are a good doctor.

Answer 10

There was a huge article in my local newspaper about lasik.  Not everyone is a good candidate.  There are people that come out of surgery with blurry vision and eye pain.  In fact there was a man who commited suicide because his lasik surgery didn't work out.   If you REALLY want to do it, make sure you do your research