Purpose of review: Refractive surgery procedures have been performed on children since the early 1980s. This article will review this history as well as current thoughts on treating children with large refractive errors.
Recent findings: Pediatric refractive surgery has developed slowly as very few children fit the criteria for treatment. For this reason, practice patterns are varied and publications are rare. Publications in recent years have focused on intraocular procedures over laser refractive surgery.
Summary: Pediatric refractive surgery is an evolving field as surgeons try to find the best long-term treatments for these young patients.