Is there LASIK after 50?

Dr. Jonathan Woolfson

Woolfson Eye Institute takes pride in its ability to provide “Your Best Vision at any Age.” Does that include LASIK for those of us over age 50? Sometimes.

Patients in their 50s who wear contacts or glasses usually have to have separate prescriptions for far and for near. The non-surgical options for patients who need both far and near correction are: 1) bifocal glasses; 2) contact lenses for far plus reading glasses for near; 3) monovision contacts (one lens for far, and one for near); or 4) bifocal or multifocal contact lenses.

LASIK can provide either distance vision or monovision, but can’t provide bifocal correction. Candidacy for having LASIK after 50 is determined just as it is for other patients, but emphasis is placed on determining how close the patient is to requiring cataract surgery.

Cataracts are a clouding of the lens inside the eye. In cataract surgery, the lens is replaced with an artificial lens. Cataract surgery patients are usually in their 60s, 70s, and beyond, but sometimes cataracts can appear earlier in life. Dilation of the pupils and use of a microsope can help determine the level of cataract a patient has. Modern cataract surgery permits patients to opt for results comparable and sometimes even superior to LASIK. Patients who previously needed correction for their distance vision can opt to have their nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism neutralized as part of their cataract procedure.

If you’re over 50, but have little to no signs of cataracts developing, you may be a candidate for LASIK. In fact, corneas strengthen with time, so in some ways, patients in their 50s are at less risk than patients in their teens and 20s! If you’re in your 60s or 70s, it’s far more likely that an evaluation for vision correction surgery would result in the recommendation to go the route of lens implants.

If LASIK is deemed less appropriate for you than lens implants, Woolfson Eye has an impressive team of cataract specialists in the Atlanta metro area, North Carolina and Tennessee:

• Jenna Yoder, DO (Asheville, NC)
• Jason S. Brody, MD (Atlanta, Cumming, Lawrenceville)
• Byron “Trip” Cook, MD (Atlanta and Lawrenceville)
• James Hays, MD (Atlanta and College Park)
• Eric Jennings, MD (Atlanta, College Park, Douglasville)
• Brian Salmenson, MD (Atlanta, College Park, Lawrenceville)
• Leo Zlotcavitch, MD (Atlanta, College Park, Cumming, Douglasville)

And if you’re a candidate for LASIK, Woolfson Eye Institute has an experienced team of LASIK surgeons in the Atlanta metro area, North Carolina & Tennessee:

• Byron “Trip” Cook, MD (Atlanta and Lawrenceville)
• Lauren Dyak, OD (Atlanta, Cumming, Lawrenceville)
• Eric Jennings, MD (Atlanta, College Park, Douglasville)
• Paven Korotana, OD (Atlanta, Cumming, Douglasville)
• Tom Spetalnick, OD (Atlanta, College Park, Cumming, Lawrenceville)
• R. Doyle Stulting, MD, PhD (Atlanta; Chattanooga, TN)
• Jonathan Woolfson, MD (GA locations: Atlanta, College Park, Cumming, Lawrenceville)(Asheville, NC)(TN locations: Chattanooga, Knoxville, Johnson City)
• Leo Zlotcavitch, MD (Atlanta, College Park, Cumming, Douglasville)

You probably think of Woolfson Eye Institute as a LASIK center, and you probably think of an evaluation as being only for LASIK. In fact, a Woolfson Eye Institute refractive surgery consult is an opportunity for you to meet with a doctor who specializes in recommending the best treatment for you. We match the patient to the most appropriate procedure. Come see us for a free and thorough evaluation, and we’ll determine which refractive procedure is right for you.