The FDA’s ( http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/LASIK/when.htm ) site says “Currently, no lasers are approved for LASIK on persons under the age of 18. ” However, several local doctors have my son approved for Lasik and he’s 14… So are the doctors doing something illegal or is the FDA’s site old?
There is no age requirement per-say. Lasik should not usually be done unless the eye itself has completely stopped growing and changing shape– this usually means that your son would have to have very little or no change in his prescription for two years straight.
I would not advise getting Lasik at an early age because if done too early it could damage the eye or if nothing else, his eye could continue to change shape and he would just end up wearing glasses again.
Also when determining if your son is a good candidate, go to an ophthalmologist that does NOT perform Lasik– they will have a less biased opinion– not to mention, they have nothing to gain (money) from their answer.
Good Luck!
Also very interested in getting lasik. The issue is not about age as much as other issues. You need to have had the same eye sight (ie it hasn’t weakened) for at least 3 years. The ideal weakness is -3.5 for short sighted people. The reason for the age restiction is because it is a major waste of money getting it too young because it will probably get weaker. Therefore the ideal age is about 25, but if you fulfill the other requirements you can get it at 21.