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When people with vision problems don’t want to wear glasses, they often turn to contacts to help them get the corrected vision they need. But why don’t they instead look into LASIK? One of the problems is simply with perception. LASIK is known as a surgery, and that sounds somewhat dangerous and expensive to someone who hasn’t done their research.
In fact, while LASIK may cost more upfront, you’re almost certainly going to spend more buying contacts for the next twenty years. And as the price of LASIK continues to fall, that difference is only going to increase. That’s not even mentioning the annual trips to the eye doctor to renew prescriptions and make sure you’re using the correct lenses.
But what about the dangers of LASIK you’ve heard about? When LASIK was first introduced, it was linked to a few different risks and side effects, but through improved screening and technology, those side effects have been greatly diminished. Halos and glare at night time sometimes occur, as does dry eye—usually within the first six months after having LASIK.
Contact lenses come with their own risks. There is always a risk for infection when using contact lenses, due to handling the lenses or pressure on the eye from rigid contacts or not replacing them often enough.
In a recent study presented at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting, researchers found that when compared with daily contact lens wear, wavefront-guided LASIK resulted in better binocular uncorrected visual acuity and comparable subjective outcomes.
The study used contact lens wearers and post-LASIK patients one month after the procedure, as well as 5 years after the procedure. The study found that after an initial spike in complaints at one month, LASIK patients’ complaints abated, and after 6 months, 96% of patients in the study were satisfied with the outcome.
Compare that with 52% of the contact lens wearers who had complaints about their lenses – mostly dry eye, irritation, and red eye. And that’s because almost everyone who has contacts is going to forget to wash their hands, store them improperly, or forget to take them out at some point.
Postoperatively, 79.5% of LASIK patients had no complaints, compared with only 27.8% of contact lens wearers. Additionally, 98.5% of LASIK patients said that the surgery had increased their quality of life, just one month post-operation.
This study really just confirms what most of us know—that LASIK is an affordable and comfortable procedure that eliminates the hassle of contact lenses.
And as laser vision correction technology continues to evolve, the already low risks of LASIK continue to diminish. At EyeCare2020, we offer custom LASIK that provides better, more accurate vision while reducing the complaint of night glare.
If you are interested in learning more about the many benefits that come with LASIK eye surgery, or you would like to know if you qualify for this beneficial procedure, be sure to sign up for OCLI’s free vision consultation today.
