I’m 18 years old. Since I was a child I have been dreaming to stop wearing glasses. I suffer from astigmatism OS: 1.25; OD: 2.25. I would really like to have the surgery earlier and not have to wait until I am 20. I should probably add that my refractive error has been stable for past couple years. Is there any possibility that I could have the surgery before my 20th birthday? Thanks in advance for your reply.

Thank you for your question. I completely understand. We do usually say that one has to be 20 to have the surgery, as it is the age at which the physical development stops and the refractive errors stabilize. However, growing up is a very individual thing and the errors may stabilize earlier in life. The main criterion is that the error is stable for at least one year.