Can 11-year-olds have laser surgery to correct their vision?!


Question: Can 11-year-olds have laser surgery to correct their vision?
My little sister found out that she is slightly nearsighted this afternoon, and is now freaking out. She doesn't want to wear contacts, but glasses are not ideal for her either because she's a competitive dancer and gymnast. She isn't like your typical 11 year dancer. She just competed in Australia, and this is something that she revolves her life around. So, she's distraught that wearing glasses will impede her ability to perform. I was wanting to console her by telling her about laser surgery, but I don't want to give her false hope. Our parents aren't home right now, so I can't discuss this with them yet. She's been crying for an hour now. I have tried to cheer her up and nothing is working.

Answers:

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

[Atlas...] it's sooo good to see that you're so caring and concerned for your sister so much. She's lucky to have a sibbling in you.

Your sister is distraught about the issues... I think she's a little over-reacting... The first thing is, how bad is her myopia [near-sightedness]? If you said she's only slightly myopic, so perhaps for now, her vision is clear enough for us not to do anything about... If she hasn't noticed that it's affecting her schooling, or her dance/gymnastics, then I think it's too mild to worry about.

Are your parents also myopic? what about other family members (you, other sibblings, aunts, uncles?) I ask because if they're all myopic, then there's a large chance that your sister's eyes will get pretty bad in the next 5-10 yrs.. (she's going through puberty right now, so she'll be growing.. and a growing eyeball = worsening myopia).

So from this, it's not wise to consider LASER surgery. If you're going to spend a few thousand $$ to burn away some tissues on your eye to improve your vision, then it would be a waste of $$ if the eyeball continues to grow to give more myopia!!!... this why the Surgeons won't do it. Also, it's likely that your sister's cornea is too thin at this stage to even burn away.... So don't mention any Surgeries to her.

So in the end... I don't think she needs any correction at the moment.... but if she does... Contact lenses.. would be the best... just convince her that... she'll have SUPER-VISION, which will improve her balance, improve her timing, and sense of direction... it will surely improve her performances.

I fitted an 11 yr old boy with Contact Lenses who was a State Baseball player... He's now 19yrs old.. and trying out the Top league locally.... so, encourage your sister just to practice, and enjoy her dance/gym... don't worry about her eyes just yet.



No, laser surgery to correct the vision is only done on adults, once they have finished growing.

No sense doing it before the eyes have stopped changing . Reverting back to where it was a few months later wouldn't be any fun.

No Surgeon would even consider it under 18 anyway.

Little sis just needs to learn more about contacts once she gets to the point she has to wear a correction. She doesn't want contacts now, but she really knows nothing about them . Give her time, then when she realizes it is the only choice besides glasses , it will become easier to accept.

Optician



Atlas,
The decision would be an individual one between the ophthalmic surgeon, your parents and your sister, and depending on the urgency or seriousness of the eye condition. Most surgeons do not recommend performing LASIK on children except in extreme cases. A child’s eye is not fully developed until adulthood, or about age 18. Since children’s eyes are constantly adjusting and changing shape, LASIK surgery would only provide a temporary improvement to their vision. Indeed, a child who has undergone LASIK will probably need corrective surgery down the road. In addition, LASIK surgery is normally performed on adult patients who are fully awake; however, restless children might have to be heavily sedated in order to remain still. There is also very little evidence to support that LASIK is a safe and effective procedure for children. Some surgeons may choose to perform LASIK on young patients with extreme vision conditions such as anisometropic amblyopia, or “lazy eye.” Normally, children with lazy eye are prescribed glasses or contact lenses or must wear an eye patch over their good eye to force stimulation and improve vision in their bad eye. When conventional treatment is not effective, however, some doctors may authorize LASIK to be performed on children. That being the case, it is surprising that the details have not been communicated to your sister because research suggests that 8 to 11year-olds can handle the responsibility of contact lenses just as well as their older peers. A three-month study included 10 nearsighted children who wore daily disposable contact lenses. By the end of the study, nine of the children had little to no problems with handling the lenses. Maybe you might have a word about this with your sister – if that is possible – and then both of you could discuss it with your parents when a decision has been reached. Many athletes use contact lenses, which removes both the problem of keeping the spectacles in position during movement and the aesthetic problem of wearing spectacles.


ALL ANSWERS SHOULD BE THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED, IN ANY FORUM AND ESPECIALLY IN THIS ONE. - MANY ANSWERS ARE FLAWED.

It is extremely important to obtain an accurate diagnosis before trying to find a cure. Many diseases and conditions share common symptoms.


The information provided here should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Hope this helps
matador 89



I understand about her life and good for her, not many 11 year olds are like that, so good for you sister. On the other hand, shes only 11 so shes too young for laser surgary because as she gets older her eye site will change more so theres no point for it. Im 19 and my eye site actually got better, If she doesnt want to wear contacts everyday, thats her decision. Maybe she could wear glasses when shes at home and at practice but when she dances at competitions she could wear contacts or not wear glasses at all. In my opinion, laser surgary is out of the question. Just try explaining to her that her having to wear glasses doesnt mean she cant dance, just try to ease her mind about the whole glasses thing until your parents come home. Good luck.




The consumer health information on answer-health.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.
Copyright © 2007-2011 answer-health.com -   Terms of Use -   Contact us

Health Categories