Laser eye surgeryLaser eye surgery FAQs

There are no specific laser eye surgery qualifications

How can I choose a reputable laser eye surgeon?

Unlike NHS surgery, there are no specific qualifications in laser eye surgery, which is 99% private. The only legal requirement for doctors performing laser eye surgery is that they are registered with the General Medical Council, the UK organisation regulating doctors.

However, The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (eye doctors) recommends that refractive (laser) surgeons should be fully trained ophthalmologists and should have undergone additional specialist training in laser eye surgery, such as their recently developed certificate of competence.

For the laser eye surgery treatment recommended for your eyes, ask how many the surgeon has performed and their success and complication rates (including need for re-treatment), preferably for a similar prescription to yours.

Should I pay for the initial laser eye surgery consultation?

The high-street laser eye surgery clinics generally don’t charge for consultations, but some others do. This may be because you’re paying to see the ophthalmologist (eye doctor) rather than the optometrist (optician) you’d usually see for a consultation, so it’s up to you to decide whether it’s worth it.

Under 18s are likely to be unsuitable for laser surgery

Who is unsuitable for laser eye surgery?

Laser eye surgery clinics may deem people under 18 or 21 unsuitable for laser eye surgery, as their prescriptions are unlikely to be stable. 

Those who have had a prescription change of 0.5 dioptyres (+ or –0.5) or greater over the last two or three years, women who are pregnant or breast-feeding, and those with some eye diseases or medical conditions, or on certain prescription drugs such as steroids are also unsuitable for laser eye surgery.

Suitability criteria will vary between laser eye surgery clinics, too. For instance, Optimax would not treat one researcher with diabetes and another with a high degree of long-sightedness (over +4), whereas other laser eye surgery clinics would.

Would an older person be able to have laser eye surgery?

In older people, it’s important to exclude other eye diseases such as cataracts and glaucoma, as you would in all laser eye surgery patients.

People typically need reading glasses in their forties, and this does not change after laser eye surgery, so you’re unlikely to ditch your bifocals or reading glasses. 

Some people try and get around this by having laser eye surgery to achieve ‘monovision’. This means making one eye long-sighted and one short-sighted so reading glasses aren’t needed, except perhaps for very detailed, prolonged tasks. However, around 25% of people can’t tolerate this and need a re-treatment – you can be tested using contact lenses before you sign up.

Dry eye is also more common as we age, so it’s important to be tested for this before laser eye surgery, as age increases the risk of dry eye being a problem after laser eye surgery .

Are there advantages or disadvantages to the different types of laser used for laser eye surgery?

All lasers commonly used in laser eye surgery clinics in the UK are very similar and give good results.

Can both eyes be given laser eye surgery on the same day?

Yes, but you should be told about the very small risk of complications, such as infections in both eyes, which can be minimised by the two eyes being treated as separate laser eye surgery procedures.

What are the chances of still needing to wear glasses to achieve perfect sight after laser eye surgery?

Although it’s not uncommon for patients to have vision as good as they did in glasses, up to 15% will still need glasses after laser eye surgery for some purposes, such as night-driving. 

Generally, the higher your prescription, the less likely you are to achieve perfect vision through laser eye surgery. The laser eye surgery procedure may result in the eye being slightly over or under-corrected. Most laser eye surgery clinics offer needed additional treatment as part of the package, but bear in mind that on rare occasions it’s not possible because of your eyes.

If you're looking for corrective eyewear, read our guide to buying glasses and contact lenses.

Some people need more than one laser eye treatment

Will I need more than one laser eye treatment?

It’s difficult to know how an individual’s eyes will react or heal after laser eye surgery. You can ask the laser eye surgery clinic about the statistical possibility of achieving your desired goal or the probability of needing more than one procedure. Re-treatment rates vary between 5 and 15% but you can ask about those at the individual laser eye surgery clinic.

What sort of care will I need after the laser eye surgery?

You should generally have a follow-up check at the laser eye surgery clinic shortly after surgery, and for six months to a year following the laser eye surgery, as well as going to your optometrist (optician) for regular eye examinations to check the health of your eyes. The College of Optometrists recommends getting your eyes checked at least every two years. Find out if there will be emergency access to support from the laser eye surgery clinic itself if you need it in the days following surgery.

Does successful laser eye surgery lead to an increase (or decrease) in any kinds of eye problems during the following decades?

No, but successful laser eye surgery can make it more difficult to detect glaucoma and take accurate measurements prior to future cataract surgery unless the person taking the measurements has access to your records from the laser eye surgery clinic.

Who monitors laser eye surgery clinics, and what can I do if I have a complaint about a laser eye surgery clinic?

Three of the four UK countries each have a regulator registering independent (private) laser eye surgery clinics, monitoring and inspecting them against national standards. In England, this is the Care Quality Commission from April 2009, in Wales the Healthcare Inspectorate, and in Northern Ireland the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA). Scotland does not currently have a regulator, but the Care Commission may take this responsibility on in future.

If you have a complaint about the service you received at a laser eye surgery clinic, try and resolve it with the clinic, using its complaints procedure. If you are dissatisfied, you can contact the regulator.

Remember, you do have a contract with the laser eye surgery clinic, so if this is breached, for example if the laser eye surgery treatment is done badly and you don’t get the agreed benefit, you could claim under the Supply of Goods and Services Act (common law in Scotland). If your complaint is specifically about the conduct of a medical practitioner, you can contact the General Medical Council (GMC), which is responsible for ensuring that doctors in the UK meet the standards of good practise that the GMC sets for them.

If you have suffered harm (personal injury) as a result of the laser eye surgery treatment, make sure you see a doctor immediately so the harm is documented, and consider seeking legal advice.