In short: Contoura topography-guided LASIK reshapes your cornea with the WaveLight EX500 excimer laser after a bladeless femtosecond flap is created. What sets it apart from standard LASIK is that it treats the measured shape of your cornea — up to 22,000 mapped points, reconciled with your prescription by the Phorcides Analytic Engine — not just your glasses numbers. That raises the ceiling on visual quality and night vision. Private UK cost in 2026 is typically £2,200–£2,950 per eye, or £4,400–£5,900 for both eyes all-inclusive.
What Contoura LASIK is and who it suits
All LASIK works by lifting a thin hinged flap in the cornea, reshaping the tissue beneath with an excimer laser, then laying the flap back down. Standard wavefront-optimised LASIK treats your spectacle prescription with a fixed aberration-control template. Contoura goes further: it captures a detailed topographic map of your cornea’s surface and corrects its actual irregularities alongside your prescription. In regular, healthy corneas this consistently produces a higher proportion of eyes seeing 20/16 or even 20/12.5 unaided, with lower induced higher-order aberrations — which is why the difference is most obvious in night-vision quality, with less glare, halo and starburst.
Contoura is best suited to stable short-sightedness and myopic astigmatism in a regular, healthy cornea with adequate thickness, and it is particularly worthwhile for people with demanding visual needs — night drivers, pilots, photographers — or where the astigmatism axis on your cornea differs from your spectacle prescription. It is, honestly, a quality-raising treatment for good corneas, not a rescue procedure for irregular or weak ones.
It is not for everyone. Thin or irregular corneas, any sign of keratoconus, very high prescriptions or large pupils may be better served by an implantable contact lens (ICL) or a flapless SMILE Pro, and over-40s wanting reading vision may prefer PRESBYOND blended vision or refractive lens exchange. A full diagnostic assessment with topography, tomography and pachymetry is the only way to know.
Your laser & lens options
Contoura leads on customised visual quality for regular corneas. Here is how it compares with the main alternatives your consultant may discuss.
Topography-guided LASIK, flapless SMILE Pro or an implantable lens? The best choice depends on your cornea, prescription and lifestyle. A consultant assessment with corneal scans gives you a clear, personalised answer.
Book your assessmentHow Contoura LASIK is done
Contoura LASIK is a quick day-case procedure under anaesthetic eye drops only — no needle, no general anaesthetic. There is a sensation of pressure during the few seconds of flap creation, but no pain. Total operative time is around 10 minutes for both eyes, with laser-on time of only seconds per eye.
First, iris registration captures your eye’s orientation so the topography-guided plan is placed precisely. A femtosecond laser then creates a thin, uniform, planar flap (bladeless, all-laser LASIK). The surgeon lifts the flap and the WaveLight EX500 delivers the topography-guided (T-CAT) ablation under high-speed eye-tracking, removing a precisely calculated pattern that corrects both your prescription and your cornea’s measured irregularities. The flap is floated back into exact alignment and adheres naturally without stitches, antibiotic and steroid drops are instilled, and the second eye is treated in the same sitting. You go home the same day with an escort and protective shields for the first week.
Recovery and what to expect
First 4–6 hours
Eyes water, sting and feel gritty as the anaesthetic wears off, with hazy vision. Take simple painkillers, keep the eyes closed and sleep.
Day 1
Discomfort has usually gone and vision is functional. Most people meet the DVLA driving standard at the day-1 review and return to office work within 24–48 hours.
Weeks 1–4
Avoid swimming, hot tubs and eye make-up for 2 weeks, and contact sport for a month. Night-vision symptoms steadily settle.
1–3 months
Vision sharpens to its final result as corneal nerves regenerate and the tear film normalises. Any residual prescription can be enhanced once stable.
How much Contoura LASIK costs
In 2026 Contoura topography-guided LASIK in the UK typically costs £2,200–£2,950 per eye, or £4,400–£5,900 for both eyes all-inclusive of the topography and Scheimpflug tomography work-up, the bladeless femtosecond flap, the topography-guided ablation, all post-operative drops, the review schedule to three months and a defined enhancement window. It sits at the premium end of LASIK pricing because of the extra topography, ectasia screening and Phorcides planning; standard wavefront-optimised LASIK without the topography-guided profile is typically £3,800–£4,800 for both eyes. Most CQC-registered centres offer regulated interest-free finance over 12–24 months. Be cautious of headline per-eye prices that exclude the diagnostic work-up, the femtosecond flap or the aftercare.
The NHS does not fund elective laser vision correction, and standard private medical insurance generally excludes it, so Contoura LASIK is a private fee. Compare your options on the laser eye surgery hub or see the full price list.
Contoura LASIK FAQs
How much does private Contoura LASIK cost in the UK in 2026?
Self-pay Contoura topography-guided LASIK costs £4,400–£5,900 for both eyes (£2,200–£2,950 per eye), all-inclusive of the topography and tomography work-up, the bladeless femtosecond flap, the topography-guided (T-CAT) ablation, all post-operative drops, the review schedule to three months and a defined enhancement window. Standard wavefront-optimised LASIK without the topography-guided profile is typically £3,800–£4,800 for both eyes. Most CQC-registered centres offer regulated interest-free finance over 12–24 months.
Is Contoura better than standard wavefront-optimised LASIK?
For eyes with regular, healthy corneas, topography-guided Contoura tends to deliver a higher proportion of eyes seeing 20/16 and 20/12.5 unaided, with lower induced higher-order aberrations, because it corrects the measured corneal surface shape (up to 22,000 mapped points) in addition to your prescription. The benefit is most noticeable in night-vision quality — less glare, halo and starburst — and in eyes where the topographic astigmatism axis differs from the refractive axis. Wavefront-optimised LASIK remains an excellent option for regular corneas with modest prescriptions; Contoura raises the ceiling on visual quality but is not a rescue procedure for irregular corneas.
What prescriptions can Contoura LASIK treat, and am I suitable?
Contoura is best suited to stable short-sightedness and myopic astigmatism within the licensed range, in eyes with adequate corneal thickness to leave a safe residual bed and a regular, healthy topography with no sign of keratoconus. Low to moderate prescriptions are ideal. Very high prescriptions, thin corneas, large pupils or irregular topography are often better served by an ICL or surface ablation, and patients over about 50 or with early lens changes may be better served by refractive lens exchange. A full diagnostic assessment including topography, tomography and pachymetry is the only way to confirm.
How quickly will I recover and get back to work after Contoura LASIK?
Visual recovery is fast. Vision is typically functional by the next morning, most patients return to office work within 24–48 hours and resume driving once they meet the UK legal standard, which the surgeon confirms at the day-1 review. The first day is best spent resting with the eyes closed. Avoid swimming pools, hot tubs and eye make-up for two weeks and contact sport for a month, and wear protective night shields for the first week. Vision continues to sharpen and any night-vision symptoms settle over one to three months.
Will I still need reading glasses after Contoura LASIK?
Distance-corrected Contoura LASIK corrects your distance vision but does not prevent presbyopia — the natural, age-related loss of near focus from the mid-to-late forties. Under 40, you will typically enjoy spectacle independence for distance and near for some years, then gradually need readers as presbyopia develops. Over 40, if reading vision matters too, distance-only LASIK may leave you needing readers sooner; in that case PRESBYOND laser blended vision or refractive lens exchange with a multifocal or extended-depth-of-focus lens may suit you better. This trade-off is discussed in detail at your assessment.
Is Contoura LASIK available on the NHS or covered by insurance?
No. The NHS classifies laser refractive surgery done to reduce dependence on glasses or contact lenses as elective lifestyle surgery, so it is not NHS-funded — it is available privately. Standard private medical insurance also generally excludes elective laser vision correction, though a small number of corporate or premium policies offer an optical or laser benefit or a negotiated discount, so always check your policy schedule. In practice most patients self-fund, frequently using the regulated interest-free finance most clinics offer over 12–24 months.