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Seeing Clearly: Kids and LASIK
By Kendeyl Johansen
"I had worn glasses for 20 years and it felt great to get rid of them," she says.
Her vision was corrected to 20/20 and she returned to work the same day she had surgery; however, working so soon after surgery isn't recommended. Patients usually take a day or two off to get accustomed to their new eyesight. Most patients report dramatic improvement in vision within 24 to 48 hours after LASIK.
Davidorf says treating pediatric patients with LASIK will include a recovery marked by patching therapy (eye patches) and the ultimate visual benefit may not be realized for several weeks. Patching use will depend on the child's age.
Refractive surgery doesn't come cheap and most insurance plans don't cover it because they consider the surgery cosmetic. In May of 1999, Refractive Market Perspectives reported that the average price for LASIK was $1940 per eye. The price fell slightly from the previous quarter, but it hasn't fallen as quickly as expected from the growing number of competitive refractive surgery centers. Eye centers offer financing to help make costs more manageable.
LASIK has only been performed on adults in North America for the last 10 years and studies about long-term effects are ongoing. Experts state LASIK patients are unlikely to experience future vision problems, but patients may need reading glasses around age 40 or 50 as part of the normal aging process.
Parents wishing to keep current with pediatric and adolescent LASIK advances should consult their child's eye doctor, who can provide updates or referrals to appropriate specialists or studies. LASIK surgery isn't for every child, but it's already helping certain kids see more clearly
