Is 54 too old for LASIK?

LASIK is FDA-approved for anyone aged 18 and older. This is the only hard and fast rule when it comes to an age limit for this procedure, but since adult vision is typically at its healthiest from age 19 to 40, anyone within this range is a great candidate.

When did the radial keratotomy of myopia take place?

A 54-year-old man with −10.00 to −11.00 diopters (D) of myopia in both eyes underwent uncomplicated radial keratotomy (RK) in his left eye in December 1986 and in his right eye in May 1987. Within several months after the second RK he experienced gradually declining visual acuity. The patient was treated with topical steroids with no effect.

Is it better to do one eye at a time after RK?

• Space out the procedures. Because the RK cornea can take more time to stabilize after PRK than a virgin cornea, surgeons usually recommend that patients not get bilateral simultaneous surgery because it would be too debilitating. “These patients have a tougher recovery, so you do one eye at a time,” says Dr. McDonald.

Can a virgin cornea be repaired after RK?

Because the RK cornea can take more time to stabilize after PRK than a virgin cornea, surgeons usually recommend that patients not get bilateral simultaneous surgery because it would be too debilitating. “These patients have a tougher recovery, so you do one eye at a time,” says Dr. McDonald.

Is it possible to do radial keratotomy after RK?

You can operate on them and be successful. In the 1990s, many nearsighted patients who were eager to minimize their dependence on glasses turned to radial keratotomy for relief. Satisfied, they went back to their daily lives, and RK was gradually phased out as more versatile, reproducible surgeries such as PRK and LASIK came on the scene.

A 54-year-old man with −10.00 to −11.00 diopters (D) of myopia in both eyes underwent uncomplicated radial keratotomy (RK) in his left eye in December 1986 and in his right eye in May 1987. Within several months after the second RK he experienced gradually declining visual acuity. The patient was treated with topical steroids with no effect.

• Space out the procedures. Because the RK cornea can take more time to stabilize after PRK than a virgin cornea, surgeons usually recommend that patients not get bilateral simultaneous surgery because it would be too debilitating. “These patients have a tougher recovery, so you do one eye at a time,” says Dr. McDonald.

Because the RK cornea can take more time to stabilize after PRK than a virgin cornea, surgeons usually recommend that patients not get bilateral simultaneous surgery because it would be too debilitating. “These patients have a tougher recovery, so you do one eye at a time,” says Dr. McDonald.

Can a cataract surgery be done in a post RK eye?

One of the key oddities about performing cataract surgery in the post-RK eye, say surgeons, is the effect the incisions have on the cornea postop. “With post-LASIK patients, the flap incision doesn’t change much after you do intraocular surgery, so you get a stable effect soon afterward,” says Dr. Waltz.