Can You Get LASIK Surgery at Age 13?

The FDA has approved excimer lasers for use in LASIK for patients as young as 18 years of age.  Surgeons could perform LASIK in patients younger than 18 but such a treatment would be considered off-label.

The concern for younger patients is that the glasses prescription has not yet stabilized and the person would later need a retreatment in order to achieve best corrected vision. 

 

Although LASIK can be performed off label, I wouldn't do it for a 13 y.o.  My main concern is that younger people, especially those under 18 years of age, have very placid corneas.  Placing and incision in this young of cornea while making the LASIK corneal flap puts the cornea at risk for instability and later ectasia.  That said, however, if all other factors were normal and there was plenty of corneal thickness, I would consider PRK instead of LASIK since no corneal flap is necessary for PRK.  I would seriously consider this for a 13 yo who is highly anisometropic (and thus unable to wear glasses) and who would be unable to wear a contact lens safely.

The best time for surgery is when the prescription for glasses has stopped changing.  For girls this may be as early as 18 and boys may be as late as 22 or 23.  I have recently operated on two boys who needed a minimum level of vision to enter the enter the military with the understanding that they should expect a second procedure three or four years from now.  At age 13, I can see no good reason to have surgery at such a young age.