-- Lasik vs. Contact Lenses --
Contact lenses have offered a certain amount of freedom for many people who wore glasses before. For many, they have been a good solution. Now, lasik eye surgery offers freedom of a different sort.
So, how do lasik surgery and contact lenses compare?
Safety:
Both lasik surgery and contact lenses are safe alternatives for vision correction. Some people are too fearful to go through with eye surgery. Yet, lasik is generally successful and seldom causes any damage to the eye. People who have had the surgery generally have some problem with dry eyes and nighttime glare at first. However, these effects usually wear off fairly quickly.
Contact lenses are fairly safe as well. You do have to be careful not to get any dirt or debris under your contact, as this can scratch your eye. People using contacts designed for longer wear have to worry about oxygen getting to their corneas. Failing to do so or failing to clean the contacts properly can lead to infections.
Costs:
The costs of lasik eye surgery and of contact lenses are difficult to compare. With contact lenses, you have to get an eye exam every year that includes a fitting for contacts. You have to purchase the contacts regularly. Cleaning solution is needed. Furthermore, it is recommended that contact wearers have a pair of glasses for backup.
The costs for lasik eye surgery come mostly upfront. You will pay between $1300 and $2500 per eye for the operation in most cases. That ends most of the expense for years to come. However, you still need yearly eye exams and as you get older, you may need reading glasses.
Successful Vision Correction: There′s no doubt about it, when you put in your contacts, you will know immediately whether or not your vision is corrected. If the prescription isn′t right for you, for some reason, all you have to do is take them out and be refitted. As you get older, you can change to bifocal contact lenses, which are now available.
Lasik eye surgery is becoming more and more accurate. Patients are often going away with vision that is better than 20/20. In the vast majority of cases, the uncorrected vision of those who have had lasik is at least 20/40.
If you have presbyopia, you can have a lasik procedure called monovision which corrects one eye for distance and one eye for near vision. If you don′t have this procedure, you can still use reading glasses.
There is much to consider when comparing lasik to contact lenses. You need to know yourself as much as you need to know about the vision correction methods. You have to decide what is right for you.