Can you get LASIK if you have a lazy eye?

Hi, it’s Matt Russell from VSON Laser Vision Specialists. If you have amblyopia, you may be wondering if you are eligible for LASIK eye surgery if you have a lazy eye.

Yes, you can. But, your laser eye surgeon will stress that your lazy eye will stay the same. It will look just as it does with the right glasses or contacts.

This means that laser eye surgery should be considered equivalent to spectacles or contact lenses – it’s a third alternative – but it can’t be expected to cure your lazy eye.

With lazy eyes, some patients need an optical element termed a ‘prism’ built into their spectacles to achieve visual comfort.

Laser eye surgery cannot copy the effect of this prism and therefore, you may still require spectacles (a much lower power but including this prism) after the treatment.

The same applies to treating a patient with a ‘lazy eye’ from their childhood. If one eye has never been able to see as well as the dominant or leading eye even with the best spectacles or contact lens prescription the optometrist can supply, then it will not be improved beyond that level with laser eye surgery.

The laser cannot restore vision that wasn’t there in the first place – it can only provide the equivalent of the best vision possible with spectacles and/or contact lenses prior to the treatment.

To learn if you are a suitable LASIK eye surgery candidate and how best to free yourself from the hassle of glasses and contact lenses, please book online for a free laser vision assessment on our website today.