Can I Have Laser Eye Surgery if I Have High Blood Pressure?
High blood pressure – also known as hypertension – is a common condition affecting blood pressure inside the arteries. Having high blood pressure can increase your risk of experiencing other health problems such as heart disease or stroke. Moreover, it can often occur without the presence of obvious symptoms.
Thankfully, modern technology no makes it relatively easy to check whether or not you have high blood pressure. We are also now aware of many things we can do to help manage and reduce high blood pressure.
However, high blood pressure can also be linked to other underlying health problems. In most cases, there’s no one underlying cause, with factors such as age, race, family history, pregnancy, diet, and stress all potentially playing a role.
Having high blood pressure can also have implications on other areas of your life. For example, the presence of hypertension can affect your suitability for surgery – including Laser Eye Surgery. However, this distinction is not as black-and-white as it may appear.
In fact, having high blood pressure is not in itself a contraindication for Laser Eye Surgery. Patient suitability is determined on a case-by-case basis through a comprehensive pre-operative assessment. We take into account your full medical history in order to assess your suitability for treatment.
High blood pressure and your suitability for Laser Eye Surgery
The screening process is one of the most – if not the most – important parts of Laser Eye Surgery.
It is during this assessment that your suitability and eligibility for Laser Eye Surgery treatment is determined. This depends on a number of factors, including your medical history, your prescription, and your general health, but it may also depend on the standard of the clinic’s technology and resources, and their capability in safely delivering the treatment in a range of circumstances.
At London Vision Clinic, we are able to treat around 98% of the patients we see. However, some clinics – such as those with less sophisticated treatment and assessment methods — turn away up to 20 percent of candidates as they believe they are not suitable for Laser Eye Surgery. In reality, though, these clinics are simply not able to treat them.
Therefore, if you have a condition like high blood pressure and have been told that you will not be suitable for Laser Eye Surgery, it is important to always get a second – or third – opinion. This is also the reason that many people choose to have treatment, not at a high street clinic, but at a private clinic or hospital which is not just operated by medical experts, but run by them too.
If you would like to learn more about how High Blood Pressure could affect your suitability for Laser Eye Surgery, get in touch with one of our friendly clinic coordinators. Alternatively, Book a Consultation today.