Reading Glasses vs. LASIK

Many people develop a condition called presbyopia as they age, which impedes their ability to focus on near images. As a result, the vast majority of the population over the age of 50 relies on reading glasses to help with daily tasks requiring good near vision.

While reading glasses may solve your vision issues and enable you to see well enough to go about your daily routine, they are still somewhat of a hassle. Reading glasses become especially inconvenient for people who also have poor distance vision and as a result are forced to switch between two pairs of glasses on a regular basis.

While contact lenses provide a great alternative to reading glasses, they still can be a bit inconvenient and require daily care. Fortunately, advances in refractive surgery techniques now provide you with several excellent options to help you see well without the use of glasses or contacts. Options such as LASIK, PRK, and LASEK can provide you with excellent vision so that you can get rid of your reading glasses once and for all.

For many people, a major factor preventing them from getting LASIK is cost. The surgery is generally not covered by insurance, and it will cost several thousand dollars to complete. As a result, many people choose to stick with their reading glasses to save a few dollars.

However, when you compare the amount of money you spend on contacts or glasses over the course of several years, there is not that much of a difference between the two. When you add up the amount of money you spend each year on ophthalmologist visits, new glasses and frames, prescription sunglasses, and other accessories, you'll find that about three years of these costs will equal the price of your LASIK procedure. When you factor in the additional expenses involved with contact lenses and the cleaning solutions that accompany them, the breakeven point would probably be even sooner.

Furthermore, most ophthalmologists offer various financing options that will allow you to spread out the cost of your surgery over several years. You may actually find that you are spending roughly the same amount of money on your LASIK payments as you would on all of your eyeglass and contact lens accessories.

If you are tired of the hassle of glasses or contact lenses, don't let price deter you from having the excellent vision you have always wanted. You just might find that it is worth the investment.

You can use the links at the bottom of this page to find a qualified LASIK surgeon in your area.