Can I have laser eye surgery if I wear contact lenses?
Yes, and wearing lenses does not disqualify you. You do have to stop wearing them for a period before the assessment and before surgery, because lenses change the shape of your cornea.
- Subject
- Glasses & contacts
- Topic
- Lenses before assessment or surgery
- Kind of question
- Can I…
- Procedures
- Contact lenses, LASIK, SMILE
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
In more detail
The period depends on the lens type and on how long you have worn them, and rigid lenses need longer than soft ones. Tell the clinic what you wear when you book.
Related guides
People also ask
The questions readers move to next from this one: the closest subjects first, from either question bank.
Where this answer sits
It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under Glasses & contact lenses in Lenses before assessment or surgery . 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.
- Non-surgical option Contact lenses
- Non-surgical option Glasses
- Comparison Glasses vs contact lenses
- Procedure SMILE
- Comparison LASIK vs SMILE
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