Am I suitable for laser eye surgery?

Here’s a broad outline of the criteria that clinics will usually ask for when assessing patients for laser eye surgery. Every case is individual, however, and many of these factors can be managed, so it’s always worth having a consultation to discuss your own treatment and whether laser eye surgery will be suitable for you.

Criteria for laser eye surgery suitability

Are you over 18? Surgery isn’t advisable unless you are. That’s not just down to consent; young eyes are often still changing, so it’s wise to wait until your eyesight has settled down before committing to surgery. There is no upper age limit for laser eye surgery, however.
Pre-existing conditions. There’s a higher risk of infection with some eye conditions like blepharitis. Other medical conditions like diabetes and epilepsy may mean you are unsuitable for for laser eye surgery procedures like LASIK if they are not under control. Pregnancy can also affect eyesight, so women are advised to wait until after they have given birth before presenting having laser eye surgery.
Your prescription. Laser eye surgery is most simple for prescriptions within a range of -10D and +7.25D and should ideally have remained stable within the last two years. That’s because, within this range, the corneas are thick enough to shape with the laser. Beyond this, the procedure can be a little more tricky. However, even if your high prescription affects your suitability for laser eye surgery, other options may be open to you. Bioptics is an effective treatment path that may be worth considering.

Contraindications making you unsuitable for laser eye surgery

A contraindication is a factor in your own particular medical circumstances that makes you unsuitable for surgery. That might be because for you, laser eye surgery is unlikely to be particularly effective, or because the risks are too high to carry out surgery safely. Some of the symptoms and conditions that may that may mean you’re not suitable for laser eye surgery include:

Keratoconus or thin corneas
Blindness or partial sightedness in either eye
Uncontrolled glaucoma
Uncontrolled diabetes
Uncontrolled epilepsy
Uncontrolled rheumatoid arthritis
Uncontrolled Crohn’s disease

It’s important to book an appointment with your specialist to discuss your suitability for laser eye surgery and to discuss the options for alternative treatments. With the latest modern advances in eye surgery, it may be possible to treat patients who were previously told they were unsuitable for laser eye surgery or there may be a new alternative that you are eligible for.