What German Consumers Think About Laser Eye Surgery and ICL

Findings from The Future of Refractive Surgery, a STAAR Surgical survey of 1,000 glasses and contact lens wearers in Germany.

In STAAR Surgical’s Future of Refractive Surgery survey of 1,000 glasses and contact lens wearers in Germany, 71% want to be free of glasses and contact lenses, yet only 17% register as open to laser vision correction; 53% are not open.1 72% would be interested in an alternative to laser, and more than half (54%) would prefer a reversible procedure.

¹ Sentiment splits are each category’s share of total selections in the multi-select laser sentiment question (“What do you think of Laser Vision Correction Surgery? Select all that apply”). Because the question is multi-select, shares reflect selections rather than respondents. Source: STAAR Consumer Survey, Germany (n=1,000), March 2026.

Who took part in the German survey?

STAAR Surgical surveyed 1,000 adults in Germany who currently wear glasses and/or contact lenses, in March 2026. Half of respondents were female (50%), and 62% were aged 21-45.

Source: STAAR Consumer Survey, Germany (n=1,000), March 2026.

How do German consumers feel about laser eye surgery?

Most German respondents want to be free of glasses and contact lenses (71%), but far fewer are open to laser: 53% are not open to laser vision correction, 30% are undecided and 17% are open.¹

Laser Vision Correction Sentiment in Germany

53% of German respondents are not open to laser, three times the 17% who are open.

Table: Laser Vision Correction Sentiment in Germany