Contact Lenses v Laser Eye Surgery – Which is Better?

Contact Lenses v Laser Eye Surgery

If you regularly use contact lenses or other visual aids, you’ve probably considered taking the leap to get laser eye surgery performed instead. There are many who do. Who hasn’t dreamt of tossing away their contact lenses once and for all? At the very least, having laser eye surgery would mean not having to rush to the late-night chemist to pick up a bottle of contact lens solution after running out unexpectedly. And one would never again having to fumble around under a restaurant table for a lens that came out without warning. Usually on a first date!

What the Medical Research Says

Laser eye surgery can seem a daunting procedure to undertake. But before committing, let’s see if laser eye surgery is actually the right treatment for someone who wears contact lenses. After all, there are those who say that laser eye surgery is risky, or that there may still be some long-term deterioration of one’s vision after the operation. Contact lenses on the other hand, are often considered to be the “safer route” to correct one’s vision impairments, as they don’t require any invasive procedures.

Yet the actual truth of the debate is quite astonishing.

In 2006, U.S.-based ophthalmologist, William Mathers, MD, and his research team conducted an analysis of the data collected from several previous, large studies. They discovered that those who wear contact lenses have a far greater potential risk of damaging their long-term vision than those who do not.

Mathers found that, on average, 1 in 2,000 contact lens wearers ends up with long-term vision difficulties or damage from consistent use.

But how does that compare with those who have had laser eye surgery?

As it turns out, it compares very poorly. Because for those who chose to have laser eye surgery carried out, the incidence rate of long-term vision difficulties, according to Dr. Mathers’ study, dropped sharply to just 1 in 10,000.

This can come as quite a shock, as the eye laser surgery neigh-sayers persistently cling to the belief that contact lenses are safer than laser eye surgery. Yet the results of Dr. Mather’s study proved this hypothesis to be inaccurate.

It’s always worth keeping in mind that contact lenses only manage to reduce the symptoms of vision impairment, whereas laser eye surgery actually stops the downward slide into vision loss, and improves vision on a long-term scale. LASIK eye surgery in particular has allowed 90.8% of patients to achieve 20/20 vision, and 99.5% to attain 20/40 vision[1]. Which is nothing short of remarkable.

Laser Eye Surgery is the Perfect Choice for Improving Your Vision

Laser eye surgery, and LASIK in particular, has been performed on more than 10 million eyes worldwide. Adopted into practice way back in 1989, the technique and the technology supporting it have continued to evolve in the last decade and a half. And today the procedure is not only totally safe, but surprisingly simple and non-invasive.

To book your obligation free appointment with Australia’s leading ophthalmologists, simply call the Macquarie Street surgery on: 02 9230 0010.

Click here for more Laser Eye Surgery Sydney information.

References: [1] Straub, L. in Donnenfeld, E. D. (2016). “Debunked: LASIK Myths and Misconceptions”. Cataract and Refractive Surgery Today.