Is Laser Eye Surgery Safer than Contact Lenses – What You Should Know?

Is Laser Eye Surgery Safer than Contact Lenses – What You Should Know?

If you wear contact lenses then this article is a must read for you. Yes, it’s well-known that number of contact lens users is more these days. With contact lens you won’t have to face the troubles of power glasses such as blurry vision during rain, constant slipping of the glasses on the nose, pain on the nose and more because it is placed directly over the eye lens. Although, it is handy and very useful but it has own set of risks and “Vision loss” is one of the serious risks among them.

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Risks with Contact lens

You will be surprised to know that Contact lenses carry higher risk than LASIK. Yep, you read it right! According to the studies all over the world, Contact lenses have more chances of eyesight loss than the normal LASIK. It has been found out that the patients who tend to have extended period of contact lens use or may have slept wearing them have more risk of vision loss compared to the patients who have gone through LASIK.

Why is LASIK considered less risky compared to Contact lens?

Both LASIK and Contact lens carry several risks but these also have been deemed safe and effective by the leading researchers around the world. Then where the problem lies?

Problems with LASIK and contact lenses appear only when the patient is not careful enough with its use or when the surgeon has not been careful enough with the study of the eyes during LASIK.

However, the recent advancement in LASIK procedures like use of high-tech precise Laser, all laser surgery procedure, expert Lasik surgeons etc. have made LASIK more effective and safe. On the other hand, the contact lenses are foreign material to the eyes, it needs touching by hand for proper placement which may cause infection in the eyes. Infections in the eyes are quite dangerous since it may lead to blindness. So, LASIK is comparatively safer than the normal Contacts! Read – Lasik surgery procedure & their risks.

What are the steps you should follow to reduce the risk of contact lenses?

  • Wear the lenses as per the instructions.
  • Avoid wearing them for longer period of time
  • Avoid re-using the contact lens solution
  • Don’t use any other cleaning agent such as tap water, lake water etc. to clean your lenses.
  • Rinse your lenses as per the instruction of your ophthalmologist
  • Don’t sleep with your contacts on.
  • Replace your lens regularly

What are the steps you should follow to lower the risk of LASIK?

  • Always try choosing the most experienced LASIK surgeon in your area.
  • Choose the centre or Surgeon who uses the latest technology.
  • Don’t go for the cheaper surgeries.
  • Provide all your medical history to your surgeon.
  • Don’t try to do anything on your own and follow each instruction given by the surgeon.

LASIK is one of the most safe and effective refractive error correcting surgeries in the world. Although using Contact lenses is a great alternative to LASIK, but according to studies it has been proved that Contact lens have much higher risk of vision loss compared to LASIK. The advancement in LASIK has helped it in becoming a safer and effective procedure. On the other hand, contact lenses may cause allergies or infections and some of these infections can even lead to complete blindness. Therefore it’s recommended for the contact lens users to follow up with the instructions given by the ophthalmologist to prevent the chances of infection. However, you may go for the permanent solution for the refractive correction that is the LASIK, which is safer and gives better results!

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