It depends on what eye condition you have.
Laser surgery is available on the NHS for eye conditions that can lead to loss of vision, and can’t be treated with glasses or contact lenses.
However, laser surgery is not available for eye conditions that can be treated successfully in other ways, such as short- or long-sightedness, which can be treated with glasses or contact lenses.
Which conditions can be treated on the NHS?
Laser surgery is available on the NHS for eye conditions that, without treatment, can lead to loss of vision, including blindness.
These conditions include:
- diabetic retinopathy (damage to blood vessels on the retina, at the back of the eye)
- thickening of the lens capsule (the "pocket" that the lens sits in) after cataract surgery
- some types of age-related macular degeneration
- glaucoma and ocular hypertension
- some specific diseases of the cornea, such as recurrent corneal erosions
Which conditions cannot usually be treated on the NHS?
Laser eye surgery is widely used to help treat refractive errors such as:
- short-sightedness (myopia)
- long-sightedness (hyperopia)
- astigmatism, where the cornea (front surface of the eye) is not perfectly curved, causing blurred vision
But these conditions are not available for treatment by laser surgery on the NHS if other successful treatments are available, such as wearing glasses or contact lenses.
Finding a clinic for laser eye surgery
If you decide to have laser eye surgery to correct a refractive error, get advice from an opticians first. They can advise you on the procedure and recommend clinics in your area.
Guidance is also available from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE): Laser surgery for the correction of refractive errors
Find out more about having laser eye surgery for refractive errors.