Survey shows over 80% of Europeans have reservations about having laser eye surgery

Article

Germany?s Professor Gerhard Auffarth.

A survey conducted by Opinion Health, 2010 on behalf of The European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons has revealed that 80% of Europeans have reservations about having laser eye surgery themselves despite 69% believing it to be a safe and established procedure.

Approximately, two out of three people cited some degree of fear at the prospect of laser vision correction as the reason for their caution, while about a third said that they would need more information.

ESCRS president José Guell of Barcelona said: “LASIK can be a life changing procedure, but these survey results show that people do not understand just how safe and effective modern LASIK is in the hands of a well qualified and experienced laser eye surgeon. We hope that our new campaign, LASIK Safe in Our Hands will help to bridge the information gap so that more people might benefit from good vision without glasses or contact lenses.”

The survey also highlighted that over 70% of Europeans think that wearing glasses or contact lenses makes it difficult to participate in some sports and nearly 75% think that wearing glasses is inconvenient in different weather conditions. Buying and replacing glasses and contact lenses is perceived to be expensive by 84% of people taking part in the survey (n=1000) but only about a third think that laser eye surgery provides a cheaper alternative if the cost is spread over a ten year period.

www.LASIKSafeinOurHands.com

Newsletter

Join ophthalmologists across Europe—sign up for exclusive updates and innovations in surgical techniques and clinical care.

Recent Videos
Christine Curcio, PhD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, shares histology update and revised nomenclature for OCT with Sheryl Stevenson of the Eye Care Network and Ophthalmology Times
SriniVas R. Sadda, MD, FARVO, shares key points from his retina presentation at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium
Robert Sergott, MD, describes fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy (FLIO) and the International SPECTRALIS Symposium – And Beyond (ISS) in Heidelberg, Germany.
Rayaz Malik, MBChB, PhD, a professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, spoke with Ophthalmology Times Europe about his presentation. It's titled "An eye on neurodegenerative diseases: Challenging the dogma" at the International SPECTRALIS Sympsoium. In conversation with Hattie Hayes, Ophthalmology Times Europe
Anat Loewenstein, MD, describes her presentation on remote imaging for age-related macular degeneration and geographic atrophy at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium, in conversation with Hattie Hayes of Ophthalmology Times Europe
Tyson Brunstetter, OD, PhD, a US Navy Aerospace Optometrist at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, shares key takeaways from his keynote at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium (ISS)
Rayaz Malik, MBChB, PhD, shares his presentation, titled An eye on neurodegenerative diseases: Challenging the dogma, at this year's International SPECTRALIS Symposium
At the Retina World Congress, Siegfried Priglinger, MD, speaks about ensuring the best outcomes for preschool-aged patients
At the 2025 ASCRS meeting, Robert Ang, MD said small aperture IOLs can benefit all patients, especially those with complex corneas or who have undergone previous corneal refractive surgery
Related Content
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.