LASIK Safer than Wearing Contact Lenses

According to a Lancet study, LASIK is a much safer procedure than wearing contacts. This is because contact wearers have a one in 100 chance of developing infections. Bacterial keratitis is one eye infection that can lead to permanent blindness. Those who wear contacts overnight or do not take care of them properly are more likely to develop this kind of infection.

This one in 100 chance of developing bacterial keratitis translates to one in every 2000 eye patients getting an infection. However, a study that was published several years ago in the Archives of Ophthalmology showed that the chance of an eye infection developing in LASIK patients was closer to one in 10,000. This makes LASIK one of the safest overall procedures performed today.

Eye patients who are considering LASIK or contacts should consider the chance of infection, the lifetime costs associated with wearing contact lenses versus those of laser vision correction. While many people do not want to undergo LASIK for various reasons, it is becoming safer and cheaper as time goes on. Thinking about how finances play into this decision is important, but so is your vision.

If you would like to learn more about the benefits of LASIK, please contact an experienced ophthalmologist in your area today.