Lasik Surgery vs. Contacts?

Question

I have a little over $3k sitting in my bank account, and I'm trying to decide whether to go out, spend the $50 on an eye exam and the $25 every other week for contacts, or go ahead and take the plunge into lasik surgery. I will barely be spending any money at all this summer, and in fact will be making a lot of it so I can purchase a car at the end of the summer (a value car, though, so nothing about $5k). What do you guys think I should do? Any advice is most appreciated!

Answer 1

LASIK is not something to be taken into lightly. It is a surgery that includes risks. While a very small percentage of people have serious loss of vision, even blindness from the procedure, glare and sunbursts around bright lights is more common, along with dry eye.

What you need to do is to find a good surgeon. Every medical journal article I read said the one variable in whether or not you have a good outcome is the surgeon. Find one with experience and a low rate of complications. Don't be afraid to ask him directly how often his patients experience complications.

Personally, I did it a month ago because I wasn't tolerating contacts anymore, and I didn't see well with glasses. I see 20/20 out of both eyes with occaisonal mild dryness, but at night i get some glare around lights and sunbursts as well, but I can still drive. I wouldn't recommend it unless you aren't tolerating contacts anymore. While I am generally happy with the results, it isn't perfect.

Answer 2

Lasik. Cos u dont have to depend on the contact anymore after lasik.

Answer 3

You sound young. Being young is not the best thing for lasik patients. This is what I would reccomend. Go ahead and get the contacts and have the lasik consultation. You will need the eye exam anyway. Get your car and keep saving your money. Next year if you still think you wnat the lasik and you have th moneyl in the bank then get it done if your doctor thinks it is a good idea at your age. Most of the time they want your eyes to be stable for a couple of years. This means that the best time for lasik is in the early to mid twenties, so if you are less than 25 years old it might not be the greatest idea yet to do it. See?