There are a lot of misconceptions about cataracts and laser eye surgery and this article will try and explain how the two are related. The first thing to mention is that laser eye surgery is carried out on the cornea which is at the very front of the eye, whereas cataracts are formed within the lens, which is deeper inside the eye. There are lots of questions that are asked about cataracts and laser eye surgery and below are the most commons ones:
Can laser eye surgery treat cataracts? No, laser eye surgery cannot treat cataracts as laser eye surgery treats the surface of your eye, whereas cataracts are inside your eye.
Can I have laser eye surgery if I have cataracts?The answer to this is a definite no. The reason for this is that cataracts blur your vision and this gets worse the longer you have them. As well as this, cataracts can change the prescription in your glasses or contact lenses meaning your laser eye surgery would not be accurate or long lasting.
Can laser eye surgery cause cataracts? The answer to this is almost certainly no. You can read more about this in the following article: Does laser eye surgery cause cataracts?
Can I have laser eye surgery if I have had cataracts removed? The simple answer to this is yes. If you have had cataracts removed but you still need to wear glasses for distance vision then you could still be a candidate for Lasik or Lasek eye surgery.