I need to put this together to answer questions people have asked me about kids and Lasik. Someone approached me and asked why kids’ cannot undergo Lasik eye surgery? The person also added that children should be allowed to undergo this process since they see the same symptoms as adults. Of course, there’s an iota of truth in what the person said to me. The same feelings that will make an adult go for this surgery are the same feelings that a kid will also have. So, why kids’ case in Lasik is an exemption? This article will do justice to that. I have been saying this point to people that Lasik surgery is not for kids. But I think this is the time to shed more light on it.
But before I jump to the details, please permit me to take you through the meaning of Lasik. If you know what Lasik surgery entails, you’ll probably have at least 30% points to agree with me that it is not meant for kids. Click here to read more about lasik eye surgery.
What is Lasik surgery?
When a laser is used to reshape, resolve and correct the eye’s cornea whenever the eye is complex, then Lasik surgery has taken place. It is a process of using a Laser to correct any vision problem. Lasik eye surgery is a perfect procedure to fight myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. I have seen people saying something good about how this surgery transforms their vision on several occasions. At first, one might be scared of this surgery. One might even think about the possibility of regaining one’s sight permanently.
Sincerely, you are safe if you undergo this surgery.
So, what happens during this surgery? During Lasik, the thin cornea flap in the upper layer of the cornea is lifted. The Laser will reshape the cornea tissue that is underneath. The reason behind this procedure is to ensure that light focuses better on the retina. So, if the surgery is carried out correctly, the cornea flap will be restored. Today, Lasik surgery is one of the safest and most reliable ways of solving visual problems. Let me chip in that a competent eye surgeon must carry out this surgery. You can read about What kind of doctor performs Lasik Surgery by visiting http://plantar-fasciitis-treatments.com/what-kind-of-doctor-performs-lasik-surgery/
Knowing what this surgery entails, let us move to why it is unsafe for kids to undergo it.
Why is Lasik unsafe for kids?
Children at their formative stage need more attention. Their formative stage may take a longer time than expected. It is somehow challenging to detect if a child is suffering from either myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism at their formative stage. One thing parents should understand is that the formative process of each kid differs. So, it is wrong for a parent to assume that a child is battling astigmatism when they are still at their formative stage. However, here are why Lasik is unsafe for kids:
- Their cornea is immature: Remember what I explained earlier about Lasik surgery. It involves reshaping the cornea tissue. So, at a tender age, the cornea tissue of kids is not mature enough to undergo a laborious process. There’s a high tendency that kids might completely lose their sight if they are allowed to undergo Lasik eye surgery. Kids at a tender age are not considered to have stable vision because their eyes are still in the developing process. So, the developing process might require some changes that the parents can interpret to be myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism. Therefore, one has to take it easy with them.
- Kids cannot follow the dos and don’ts: There are dos and don’ts before and after the surgery. I can boldly tell you that kids cannot follow all instructions after Lasik surgery. For instance, you have a kid 2, and you want to take him through this procedure. Do you think a kid of 2 years won’t rub his eyes on his face? Of course, he can’t. If you keep rubbing your hand on your eye after the surgery, you’re about to create a problem with the flap. No matter how careful their parents may be, kids cannot carefully follow the instructions after the surgery.
- Kids cannot be stable during the process: During Lasik, kids cannot stay still. Of course, some adults cannot stay still as well. But they can apply Valium on such an adult to calm him down. No one dares to use Valium for kids at their tender age. They might not gain their consciousness back. Therefore, instability will not make the surgery process to be a successful one. That is why eye surgeons agree that refractive surgeries should only be carried out on adults.
What are other means of treating eye problems in kids?
Interestingly, there are alternatives. There are other ways to solve kids’ eye problems that are different from undergoing Lasik. Even though there’s a regulation from Food And Drugs Administration (FDA), some kids need to do a refractive surgery to prevent deteriorating eyesight. In that case, ophthalmologist prefers to use other non-Lasik methods to treat those kids. Another non-Lasik method that can be used is surface ablation. If the kids are allowed or permitted to do Lasik eye surgery, they cannot control the aspect of not rubbing their eyes with their hands, which may render the whole procedure ineffective. So, surface ablation is a non-Lasik technique that can be used to solve kids’ eye problems.
At their age, they can also stay on medications pending the time they’ll grow to undergo Lasik surgery. Children’s eye drops can fill the gap instead of undergoing surgery. I have seen kids using some medications, and they live a balanced life. Some kids use eyeglasses because they are not ripe to undergo Lasik surgery.
On a final note
Dear reader, I hope you’ve seen something profound here. Please kindly share the link to this page with friends and family. Finally, a question regarding this topic might cross your mind while reading this article. Please feel free to drop your question or contribution in the comment box.
