How do I know if I am eligible for refractive surgery?

Eligibility depends on four main criteria: your age, the prescription of each eye, the thickness of your cornea and your activities. Our online simulator gives you a first orientation in five questions. Only a complete preoperative assessment can then confirm the indication.

Does my prescription need to be stable before surgery?

Yes. Your prescription must be unchanged for at least two years. A myopia that is still progressing exposes you to a relapse after surgery. This is why surgery is rarely proposed before the age of 25.

My myopia is too strong for laser treatment, is there an alternative?

Yes. Beyond about -8 dioptres, the laser would have to remove too much corneal tissue. The ICL implant, placed between the iris and the natural lens, then becomes the reference solution. It does not touch the cornea and it is reversible.

Does a thin cornea rule out refractive surgery?

No. A thin cornea first rules out LASIK, which uses up thickness with its flap. PRK, which spares more tissue, sometimes remains possible. Otherwise the ICL implant takes over, since it does not touch the cornea.

Can I still have surgery after the age of 55?

Yes. After 55, lens surgery (PRELEX) often becomes the best option. It corrects both distance and near vision in a single procedure, and it definitively prevents cataract.

Can I have surgery if I practise a contact sport?

Yes, but the technique must be adapted. Once healed, the LASIK flap withstands impacts well. The ICL implant is however not recommended, because an impact can make it hit the natural lens. Depending on the prescription, PRK is often preferred.

Refractive surgery

Picture of the author Mamisoa Andriantafika by Mamisoa Andriantafika

July 19, 2026 - 1 minute to read - 211 words

Wondering whether your eyes can be operated on? Here are the key criteria, with an interactive simulator to get a first orientation.

The eligibility criteria

Eligibility does not come down to a single number. The surgeon combines several parameters to propose the technique suited to your profile: Femto-LASIK, PRK, ICL implant or lens surgery (PRELEX).

Criterion	What it determines
Age	The stability of your prescription and the strategy regarding presbyopia.
Prescription of each eye	The choice between laser and implant depending on myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism.
Corneal thickness	The amount of tissue available for a laser treatment.
Activities	The optical strategy: full correction, monovision or implant.

To understand each criterion in detail, read our full article on eligibility or the dedicated refractive surgery page.

Test your profile

Answer the simulator's 5 questions. It combines your age, your prescription eye by eye, the stability of your refraction, your activities and your pachymetry if you know it. No data is stored or transmitted: everything is computed in your browser.

What happens next?

The simulator gives a general orientation, not medical advice. The preoperative assessment remains essential: cycloplegic refraction, corneal topography, pachymetry and dilated fundus examination. This assessment confirms eligibility and sets the optical strategy.

Want to know for sure? Book an appointment for an assessment with our ophthalmologists.

Refractive surgery

The eligibility criteria

Test your profile

What happens next?

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Dr. Mamisoa Andriantafika

Dr. Maïté Liénart