LASIK and Children

by Tara Pingle

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Approval Only for Those Aged 18 or OlderThe FDA has only approved the use of LASIK on adults aged 18 or above. Experienced ophthalmologists typically agree with the FDA’s position.Why is LASIK Not Done for Children under 18?A child’s eyes develop and change shape until the late teens or early 20s. That means LASIK results for children and youths could be temporary and unstable, and might have to be done again when they are older. But much is still unknown about this, which is why ophthalmologists have started clinical trials of LASIK in children and are documenting their long-term results.ExceptionsWhen children have unusual or extreme eye conditions and standard treatments haven’t worked, they might benefit from LASIK. This is particularly true for kids with lazy eye or amblyopia caused by a high prescription for glasses that creates a huge difference between the two eyes. Since one eye is dominant it ends up doing all the work and the weaker eye becomes almost useless. Only if contacts, glasses, eye drops, and patches fail, may laser eye surgery be considered.Jonathan M. Davidorf, M.D. is the medical director of Davidorf Eye Group in Los Angeles, California and Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at UCLA School of Medicine, Jules Stein Eye Institute. When asked recently about the wisdom of performing LASIK on children, he replied:“There is mounting evidence that children with certain types of amblyopia may benefit from refractive surgery such as LASIK or implantable contact lenses. Fortunately, however, conventional methods such as glasses and contact lenses usually work well, obviating the need for surgery. For any amblyopia treatment, the highest chance for success is if the therapy is initiated early, before the visual system has matured. Children with severe amblyopia who are not aggressively treated will assuredly wind up with a lifetime of reduced vision.”Because LASIK in children is considered experimental, the associated risks are less well understood.Future ProspectsFor children outside the age range in which they are at risk for developing a lazy eye (over eight years old), LASIK may be considered for functional reasons if the child is truly glasses and contact lens intolerant. “For example,” explains Dr. Davidorf, “we occasionally will perform LASIK on a high level teenage athlete or actor who simply cannot perform their necessary tasks with glasses and cannot wear contact lenses. For these select individuals, LASIK is sometimes their only good option.”For more information about LASIK or Custom LASIK please contact Dr. Davidorf through his website or via phone (818) 883-0012.

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