Can I have laser eye surgery if I have diabetes?
Diabetes does not automatically rule out refractive surgery, but it changes the assessment: the retina is examined carefully, and stability of blood sugar matters because it affects both the measurements and healing.
- Subject
- Eye conditions
- Topic
- Diabetic eye disease
- Kind of question
- Can I…
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
In more detail
Some clinics ask for documented control and a recent retinal examination before proceeding. That is a reasonable request rather than an obstacle.
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Where this answer sits
It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under Eye conditions & diseases in Diabetic eye disease . The subject page carries the answers either side of it, and the hub is searchable.
Subjects this question touches
The pages that answer the subject behind the question, rather than the question itself.
- Condition Glaucoma
- Condition Keratoconus
- Condition Retina and macula conditions
- Condition Diabetic eye disease
- Condition Eye infections, allergies and injuries
This information is for educational purposes and does not replace an examination by a qualified eye-care professional.
General answers cannot tell you what is happening in your own eyes. Only an examination by a qualified ophthalmologist can do that.
Sources & further reading
We prefer primary sources. Where a claim comes from a manufacturer, a single study or a regulator, it is labelled as such below.
- The Royal College of Ophthalmologists
The UK professional body for ophthalmologists, which publishes standards and commissioning guidance for refractive surgery services.
Used for What good preoperative assessment and consent look like.
Link checked 22 September 2026
- Eye Health Information
Condition-by-condition eye health information from a US government research institute, written for patients rather than for clinicians.
Used for Plain-language explanations of eye conditions and their symptoms; Healthy vision and screening guidance.
Link checked 23 September 2026