What age can you get laser eye surgery?

If you’re thinking about laser eye surgery, you might be wondering if your age plays a role. It’s a common question we hear at Elite LASIK & Cataract in Indianapolis: “Am I too young or too old for LASIK?”

The good news is that many people—young and old—can benefit from laser vision correction. But age does matter when deciding which procedure is right for you, and when is the best time to have it.

Let’s walk through how age affects laser eye surgery and what you need to know before moving forward.

The minimum age for laser eye surgery

You need to be at least 18 years old to have LASIK, PRK, or SMILE.

Why? Your eyes are still growing and changing in your teens. The shape of your eye and your prescription may not have stabilized yet. Doing surgery too early can mean your vision continues to shift after treatment—reducing its effectiveness.

That’s why we also look for:

• A stable prescription for at least one year
• No major vision changes in your glasses or contact lens prescription.

In many cases, people wait until their early 20s before scheduling laser eye surgery to make sure their eyes have fully matured.

Ideal age range for laser eye surgery

Most people who have laser eye surgery are between 21 and 45 years old. This age range tends to offer:

• Stable prescriptions
• Good corneal health
• Fewer age-related vision changes.

During these years, LASIK, SMILE, and PRK all tend to give long-lasting results.

Can you be too old for laser eye surgery?

There’s no strict upper age limit—but by your late 40s or early 50s, your natural lens begins to change. This leads to presbyopia, or age-related loss of near vision. If you’re finding it hard to read without glasses, laser eye surgery alone may not fully meet your needs.

That’s why we may recommend:

• Lens replacement (RLE) – removes your natural lens and replaces it with a multifocal lens, helping with both distance and near vision
• Laser cataract surgery – if you already have early cataracts

We’ll guide you through the best option based on your eye health and goals.

When to wait

There are a few situations where it might be better to wait before having laser eye surgery:

• If you're under 18 or your prescription is still changing
• If you're pregnant or nursing (hormonal changes can affect vision and healing)
• If you have unstable medical conditions, like uncontrolled diabetes or autoimmune disease
• If you’re experiencing severe dry eye that needs to be treated first

In these cases, we’ll help you manage your eye health and revisit the procedure when it’s safe to proceed.

Can older adults benefit?

Absolutely. If you’re over 50 and want better vision, we might recommend lens-based procedures instead of laser surgery.

These include:

• Refractive lens exchange (RLE)
• Laser cataract surgery with premium lenses

These procedures not only correct your vision but also eliminate the need for future cataract surgery.

The bottom line

• You must be at least 18 years old to get laser eye surgery.
• The ideal age range is 21 to 45—with a stable prescription.
• If you’re over 45, you may benefit more from a different vision correction procedure.
• The best way to know? Take the next step and get assessed.

Want to know if you’re the right age for LASIK?

Take our quick suitability self-test to find out in just a minute.