Can you have LASIK with keratoconus?
Laser vision correction is generally avoided in keratoconus because removing corneal tissue from a cornea that is already thinning and unstable is likely to make matters worse. This is one of the clearest contraindications in refractive surgery.
- Subject
- Eye conditions
- Topic
- Keratoconus
- Kind of question
- Can I…
- Procedures
- LASIK
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
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It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under Eye conditions & diseases in Keratoconus . The subject page carries the answers either side of it, and the hub is searchable.
Subjects this question touches
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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
- EyeSmart: eye health information for the public
Patient-facing material from the largest ophthalmology professional body, covering conditions, tests and treatments outside refractive surgery.
Used for Cross-checking patient-facing explanations of non-refractive eye conditions; Describing what tests such as dilation and OCT involve.
Link checked 23 September 2026