Laser eye surgery may be unsuitable or require modified techniques if you have thin corneas, because there must be enough tissue left to keep the cornea strong.
Risks with thin corneas
Removing tissue from an already thin cornea increases the chance of postoperative ectasia, where the cornea gradually bulges and vision distorts.
- Low baseline pachymetry values reduce the safe ablation depth
- Residual stromal bed thickness is critical in LASIK planning
- Thin corneas often coincide with steeper curvature or subtle ectatic patterns
- History of eye rubbing or allergy further heightens ectasia risk
- Standard LASIK may therefore be ruled out on safety grounds
Alternative strategies
Even with thin corneas, some patients can still achieve reduced dependence on glasses using different techniques.
- Surface procedures such as PRK which preserve more stromal tissue
- SMILE or combined cross-linking in selected borderline cases
- ICLs or lens-based surgery that avoid thinning the cornea
- Specialist contact lenses when surgery is not advised
- Individualised risk assessment using tomography and ectasia calculators
