Какие заболевания глаз может исправить лазерная хирургия глаза?

Laser eye surgery can correct several of the most common reasons people depend on glasses or contact lenses, including short-sightedness, long-sightedness and astigmatism. For suitable patients over 40, advanced laser blended vision may also reduce dependence on reading glasses. However, laser treatment cannot cure every eye condition. Cataracts, glaucoma, retinal disease and other causes of sight loss require different treatment pathways. The first step is therefore to understand what is causing your blurred vision and whether the problem begins in the cornea, the natural lens or another part of the eye.

In this updated 2026 guide, we explain what laser eye surgery in London can correct, which procedure may be considered and when a lens-based alternative might be more appropriate.

What Does Laser Eye Surgery Actually Change?

The cornea is the transparent front surface of the eye. Together with the natural lens, it helps focus incoming light onto the retina at the back of the eye.

When the eye has the correct focusing power, light reaches the retina accurately and produces a clear image. When the shape or focusing power of the eye causes light to meet in front of, behind or unevenly across the retina, vision becomes blurred. This is known as a refractive error.

Laser eye surgery makes microscopic changes to the shape of the cornea. This adjusts its focusing power so light can be directed more accurately towards the retina.

Eye Conditions Laser Surgery May Correct

The table below provides a clear overview. Treatment suitability cannot be determined from prescription alone, so the final recommendation may differ after diagnostic testing.

1. Myopia: Short-Sightedness

Myopia causes distant objects to appear blurred while closer objects may remain clear. It commonly occurs when the eye is longer than average or the cornea has too much focusing power. This causes light to meet in front of the retina rather than directly on it.

You may notice difficulty reading road signs, recognising faces across a room, watching television or seeing a presentation without glasses.

SMILE Pro is particularly associated with the correction of myopia and astigmatism. It uses a femtosecond laser to create a small, precisely shaped lenticule within the cornea. The lenticule is then removed through a small incision, changing the cornea’s focusing power without creating a LASIK-style flap.

People with very high myopia or unsuitable corneal measurements may be better suited to an implantable contact lens rather than laser treatment.

2. Hyperopia: Long-Sightedness

Hyperopia occurs when the eye has insufficient focusing power. Light would naturally meet behind the retina rather than directly on it.

People with hyperopia may find close work particularly tiring, although higher prescriptions can affect both near and distance vision. Symptoms can include headaches, eye strain, tired eyes and difficulty changing focus between different distances.

Long-sighted treatment requires particularly careful planning because the eye’s natural focusing ability changes with age. Someone in their twenties may need a different solution from someone in their late forties who has also developed presbyopia.

3. Астигматизм

Astigmatism occurs when the cornea or natural lens has uneven curvature. Instead of focusing light evenly at one point, the eye creates multiple or distorted focal points.

This can affect vision at every distance and may cause:

• Blurred or distorted outlines
• Glare or streaking around lights
• Difficulty seeing clearly after dark
• Headaches or tired eyes
• Frequent squinting to sharpen focus

Regular corneal astigmatism can often be treated effectively. Irregular astigmatism associated with keratoconus, injury or corneal disease requires more specialist assessment and may not be suitable for standard laser vision correction.

4. Presbyopia and Reading Vision After 40

Presbyopia is the gradual loss of near focusing ability that commonly becomes noticeable from the early to mid-forties. You may begin holding your phone further away, increasing screen text or looking for brighter light when reading.

Unlike myopia or corneal astigmatism, presbyopia originates within the natural lens. As the lens becomes less flexible, the eye finds it harder to change focus between distance, intermediate and near vision.

PRESBYOND Laser Blended Vision typically optimises one eye more towards distance and the other towards near vision. A personalised blend zone supports intermediate vision and helps the brain combine the images from both eyes.

Eye dominance, prescription, corneal health, reading requirements and the condition of the natural lens must all be considered. Patients with cataracts or significant lens ageing may achieve a more appropriate long-term result from lens-based surgery.

5. Residual Prescription After Cataract or Lens Surgery

Modern cataract and lens surgery can produce highly accurate outcomes, but no surgical calculation can guarantee that every eye will finish with precisely the intended prescription.

A small amount of short-sightedness, long-sightedness or astigmatism may occasionally remain after the eye has healed. If the residual prescription affects everyday vision and the cornea is suitable, laser treatment may be considered to fine-tune the result.

6. Can Laser Treatment Help Corneal Scarring?

Some superficial corneal scars, deposits and surface irregularities may be treated with a specialist procedure known as phototherapeutic keratectomy, or PTK.

PTK uses controlled laser energy to remove microscopic areas of abnormal tissue from the corneal surface. In selected cases, this may create a smoother surface, improve comfort or reduce visual distortion.

This is not the same as standard laser vision correction. Deep scarring, extensive irregularity and damage involving other structures may require a different treatment approach.

Can Laser Eye Surgery Improve Night Vision?

Night-vision difficulty is a symptom rather than one specific eye condition. It can be caused by an uncorrected prescription, astigmatism, dry eye, cataracts, retinal disease, pupil size or other optical irregularities.

If myopia or astigmatism is responsible for blur and glare after dark, correcting the underlying prescription may improve functional night vision. However, laser surgery cannot treat every cause of reduced night vision.

Glare, halos and visual fluctuation can also occur temporarily during recovery from laser eye surgery. These symptoms frequently improve as the cornea heals and the visual system adapts, but individual experiences vary.

Which Type of Laser Eye Surgery Treats Which Condition?

What Laser Eye Surgery Cannot Treat

Laser vision correction changes the focusing power of the cornea. It does not directly treat disease affecting the natural lens, retina, optic nerve, eye muscles or visual pathways within the brain.

Laser treatment also cannot directly repair amblyopia, commonly known as lazy eye. It may correct an accompanying prescription, but it cannot reverse visual-development limitations within the brain.

If cataracts are causing cloudy, faded or increasingly blurred vision, refractive cataract surgery removes the cloudy natural lens and replaces it with an artificial intraocular lens.

Is Laser Always the Best Vision-Correction Option?

No. The best treatment is the one that fits the complete eye rather than simply matching a prescription to a procedure.

How Age Can Influence Your Treatment Options

Age alone does not determine suitability, but the natural lens changes throughout life and can strongly influence the most appropriate treatment.

Your Laser Eye Surgery Suitability Roadmap

What Is Recovery Like?

Recovery depends on the procedure performed and your individual healing response. Most patients experience some early blur, watering, light sensitivity or visual fluctuation.

Your clinical team will tell you when it is safe to drive, exercise, wear eye makeup, swim and return to work. Follow-up appointments remain important even when your vision feels clear.

Часто задаваемые вопросы

Can laser eye surgery permanently correct my prescription?

Laser treatment permanently changes the shape of the cornea, but it cannot prevent future natural changes within the eye. A prescription can alter over time and presbyopia or cataracts may still develop with age.

Can laser eye surgery fix both near and distance vision?

It depends on the cause of the blur. Conventional laser treatment can correct suitable distance prescriptions. For selected patients with presbyopia, blended-vision treatment may extend the range of clear vision across distance, intermediate and near tasks.

Can laser eye surgery fix a very high prescription?

Some high prescriptions can be treated, but the decision depends on corneal thickness, shape and the amount of tissue that would need to be altered. An implantable contact lens may be more appropriate when laser treatment would place unnecessary demands on the cornea.

Can laser eye surgery remove cataracts?

No. A cataract develops inside the natural lens. Cataract surgery removes the cloudy lens and replaces it with an artificial intraocular lens. Corneal laser treatment may occasionally be used later to fine-tune a remaining prescription.

Can laser surgery stop my eyes ageing?

No. Laser treatment corrects focus but cannot stop the natural ageing of the lens, retina or other eye structures. Treatment planning should consider how your vision is likely to change in the future.

Can I have laser eye surgery if I have dry eyes?

Dry-eye symptoms require assessment before surgery. Mild or treatable dryness does not automatically rule out treatment, but the eye surface should be stabilised and the chosen procedure must reflect your individual risk factors.

How will I know which laser procedure is best?

The recommendation is made after reviewing your prescription, corneal measurements, eye health, age, lifestyle and visual priorities. There is no single laser procedure that is best for every patient.

Почему стоит выбрать EuroEyes London?

At EuroEyes London, treatment begins with detailed diagnostics and a personalised assessment rather than a one-size-fits-all recommendation.

Our experienced vision-correction surgeons offer multiple laser and lens-based procedures, allowing your recommendation to be guided by the anatomy and health of your eyes rather than the limitations of one particular technique.

From your first assessment to your scheduled aftercare, our London team will explain what each option can achieve, what it cannot change and what you should expect during recovery.

This article provides general information and does not replace an individual eye examination or medical advice from a qualified ophthalmic professional. Treatment suitability, recovery and results vary between patients.