Posted by: Missouri Eye Institute in Blog on July 2, 2025
Is LASIK still an option after 40? The short answer is that it’s not always the best choice due to presbyopia and other age-related eye changes. However, several advanced vision correction procedures are specifically designed to address the unique needs of adults over 40, offering excellent alternatives to traditional LASIK.
Keep reading to learn more about LASIK after 40 and what other vision correction procedures are available to help you gain greater visual freedom!
Like any other part of your body, your eyes change as you age. They may produce fewer tears, react more slowly to changes in light, and develop age-related eye conditions, such as cataracts or glaucoma.
Age can also affect the eye’s natural lens. Over time, the lens can become less flexible, making it more difficult to see clearly at multiple distances, specifically near vision.
Presbyopia, also known as age-related farsightedness, is extremely common among older adults. After developing presbyopia, many adults begin to consider having vision correction surgery in order to reduce their dependence on reading glasses.
Traditional LASIK cannot treat presbyopia because LASIK works by reshaping the cornea at the front of the eye, while presbyopia affects the natural lens inside the eye. Even if you’ve had LASIK earlier in life and enjoyed years of clear vision, presbyopia can still develop and may require you to use reading glasses for close-up tasks.
This is why many eye care professionals recommend waiting to address vision correction until after presbyopia has stabilized, typically in the mid-40s or later, or choosing an alternate procedure that can help correct presbyopia.
While people over 40 can technically be candidates for LASIK, it’s generally not the most effective long-term solution. One of the main concerns is that the onset of presbyopia often means that even after successful LASIK, you may still need reading glasses within a few years.
Additionally, your prescription may continue to change as presbyopia progresses, potentially requiring additional procedures or corrective lenses. Most ophthalmologists prefer to recommend procedures that can address both distance vision and presbyopia simultaneously, providing more comprehensive and lasting results.
However, there is one variation of LASIK that may be suitable for some adults over 40, called monovision LASIK.
If your ophthalmologist has determined that your age might not make you a good candidate for LASIK, other procedures can improve your vision and reduce or eliminate your need for corrective eyewear.
As mentioned above, both refractive lens exchange and implantable Collamer lenses might be better options, particularly if you have already developed some degree of presbyopia.
During an RLE procedure, the natural lens of the eye is removed and replaced with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL). The IOL prevents both presbyopia and cataracts, another common age-related eye condition.
Depending on your choice of IOL, RLE can significantly improve your vision at multiple distances. Once implanted, IOLs rarely need to be replaced, providing many years of stable, clear vision.
One LASIK procedure that can be an option for older adults is monovision LASIK. In this procedure, one eye is corrected for near vision and the other is corrected for distance vision.
After the procedure, the brain adapts to the changes in each eye, typically within a few weeks. It is the only LASIK procedure that might be suitable for a person whose vision is already affected by presbyopia.
Monovision is not right for everyone, and an ophthalmologist will use contact lenses of different strengths to test a person’s ability to adapt before approving the procedure. Some people are not able to adjust to monovision and find that it affects their depth perception or causes eye strain.
While LASIK is generally not recommended for people over 40, other options can help older adults meet their vision goals. Do you want to learn more about surgical vision correction options after the age of 40? Schedule an appointment at Missouri Eye Institute in Springfield, MO, today!
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Springfield, MO 65804
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