Laser Eye Surgery Forum

How old do you have to be to have laser eye surgery?

I am 17 years old and am desperate to have laser eye treatment - whats the youngest it can be done?

The minimum age you can have laser eye surgery is 18, but many clinics will not consider treating you before you are at least 21 years old.
Although your age is important, having a stable prescription is by far the most important factor. You need to show that your eyes have been stable for at least 1 year. What constitutes a stable prescription will vary from one surgeon to another but typically they would not want to see your eyes changing by more than 0.5 over a 12 month period. For example if your prescription is -3.50 then changing by 0.5 would mean 12 months later your prescription would be -4.00. Most clinics would consider this stable. If your eyes had changed by any more than this, then they would most likely advise you to leave it another year as the last thing you want to do is have laser eye surgery while your eyes are still changing as you would end up needing to wear glasses again! Read more in our guide about Laser eye surgery