One decision that many people who need glasses take, especially those who dislike wearing glasses, is to switch to wearing use contact lenses instead, however, one question this raises is whether going a stage further to laser eye surgery or SMILE laser eye surgery would be better still.
Contact lenses are a hugely popular means of correcting vision, and anyone who has made the switch to them from glasses is usually delighted they have done so.
It might be they switched from wearing glasses to wearing contact lenses for practical reasons, such as their glasses regularly getting broken. Alternatively, it could have been the perfectly valid reason that they feel more confident and even more attractive by not having to wear glasses.
Now that they are wearing contact lenses, no doubt most contact lens wearers believe there are more positives to wearing them than negatives, especially when compared to wearing glasses.
If we take that thought process further, and compare the advantages of laser eye surgery to those of contact lenses, the former soon becomes an even better option for those who need corrected vision, be they currently wearing glasses or contact lenses. Also, laser eye surgery overcomes many negatives of contact lenses.
To outline that further, here are seven of those negatives which highlight reasons why laser eye surgery is usually a better choice than contact lenses.
Contact Lenses Take Time To Get Used To: The idea of placing something on their eyeball does not appeal to everyone. Even if you get over that, it can take weeks to get used to wearing contacts. Laser eye surgery patients have no such issues, and usually get back to their normal routine within days.
Contact lenses Require An Annual Eye Exam: To ensure that your contact lens prescription is still valid, you will require to have an eye check every year without fail. Although some follow-up visits might be required after laser eye surgery, there is normally no requirement for an annual eye check.
Contacts Lenses Can Be Lost Or Damaged: Ask 100 long-term contact lens wearers if they have ever lost or damaged a lens, and we are certain the percentage who say yes will be close to 100%. This is not a problem experienced by laser eye surgery patients.
Contact Lenses Need To Be Regularly Replaced: Apart from replacing lost or damaged lenses, it is also the case that to ensure healthy eyes, contact lenses need to be changed regularly. This can be daily, weekly, or monthly depending on the type of contact lens.
Contact Lenses Increase Risk Of Eye Infections: Extreme care and cleanliness are necessary when inserting and removing contact lenses. Even then, the risk of eye infection is far greater in those who wear contact lenses than those who have had laser eye surgery.
Contact Lenses Cannot Be Worn For Certain Activities: Whilst laser eye surgery places no restrictions on activities, the same cannot be said for contact lenses. Swimming is a prime example and activities such as scuba diving and sailing can also present difficulties when wearing contact lenses.
Contact Lenses Cost More Over Time: Whilst laser eye surgery has a much higher upfront cost than contact lenses, over time that is reversed. Adding up the total cost of examinations, replacement lenses, and contact lens solutions, eventually, the amount will undoubtedly surpass the cost of laser eye surgery.