LASIK Surgery Ill-Advised for Teenage Eyes Says New Jersey LASIK Surgeon Ilan Cohen MD
Teenagers often want to undergo LASIK or other laser vision correction procedures to free themselves from the need to wear glasses and contact lenses. In all but a few rare cases, the surgery is far too risky until their eyes have stabilized.
Online, April 29, 2013 (Newswire.com) - "A growing number of teenage patients have become interested in LASIK surgery because they want to be free from unflattering glasses and the inconveniences of contact lenses," said Dr. Ilan Cohen. "However, it is very important for them to wait until their eyes have stopped changing and their vision has stabilized."
Dr. Cohen, director of 5th Avenue Eye Center, serves patients throughout New Jersey and New York with his state-of-the-art LASIK and cataract surgical techniques. He hopes to educate people about the potential hazards of surgeries performed on patients who are not suitable candidates for LASIK or other laser vision correction procedures, including teenagers.
"LASIK surgery is not recommended for children or teenagers because their eyes continue to change as they grow, sometimes well into their 20s," said Dr. Cohen. "LASIK surgery makes permanent changes to the shape of the cornea to correct refractive errors. The procedure is far too risky for a young person because his or her corneas are still changing in size and shape. Until the teen has had a stable prescription for at least two years, the laser vision correction will only be temporary, and surgery will most likely have to be repeated in early adulthood."
There are rare instances when refractive surgery on a patient younger than 18 may be appropriate, such as for a severe abnormality like anisometropic amblyopia, a condition in which the two eyes have drastically different refractive powers. As a rule, however, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration strictly prohibits LASIK surgery for persons under the age of 18, and warns of the common complication of LASIK surgery (even for adults), which include dry eye syndrome, halos, glare, starbursts, double vision, and loss of vision.
"In reality, LASIK surgeons can use lasers however they wish," continued Dr. Cohen. "I would question the ethics of any surgeon who would risk the future eyesight of a child for an elective procedure like LASIK. I prefer to wait until the patient reaches young adulthood; ideally ages 21 to 25. Unfortunately, unethical and aggressive advertising seduces intelligent people into making poorly informed decisions concerning laser vision correction. I urge parents to hesitate before subjecting their child to LASIK surgery, and get a second opinion from an experienced cornea and refractive surgeon before going forward."
5th Avenue Eye Center is a comprehensive vision clinic with locations in Old Bridge, New Jersey as well as the Manhattan and Queens boroughs of New York City. Dr. Ilan Cohen, a graduate of Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, was fellowship trained in corneal and cataract surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. His innovative techniques and ability to correct other LASIK surgeons' mistakes have earned him international media attention on CBS, CNBC, and FOX News.
