Our guide to Contact Lens, Glasses, and Laser Eye Surgery

You would possibly assume that the selection between contact lenses, glasses, and Laser Eye Surgical procedure is fairly easy. However, your opinion can vary primarily based on a variety of things.

Relying on who you ask, the information articles you learn, and even your stage in life, your opinions on Laser Eye Surgical procedure and the way it compares with glasses and call lenses can range considerably. So, right here at London Imaginative and prescient Clinic, we’re on a mission to set the file straight.

On this complete information, we can be overlaying the professionals and cons – and maybe busting some myths alongside the best way – of all these choices that can assist you make the best alternative for you.

A Fast Overview

This is usually a little bit of a long-winded and overwhelming matter; so, earlier than we get into the finer particulars, let’s check out a short overview of every of those three common choices.

Glasses: Handy however restricted imaginative and prescient correction

We now have been utilizing glasses for tons of of years, both to amplify textual content or as an answer to long-sightedness, short-sightedness, and myopia. There’s a good motive for this enduring recognition – they’re efficient!

Moreover, glasses are typically thought-about to supply a broadly out there and low-cost answer to visible impairments. But, few persons are underneath the phantasm that glasses are with out limits.

Most glasses wearers are effectively conscious of the shortcomings of their frames. They will forestall us from performing sure actions, sports activities and even some kinds of work. They’re additionally simply broken and misplaced and, though they could appear to be the most affordable choice initially, they’ll find yourself costing us rather more than we realise over a lifetime.

Contact Lenses: Clear imaginative and prescient, however at an surprising value

Since their commercialisation within the mid-late twentieth century, contact lenses have develop into an more and more common choice. This recognition can largely be attributed to their mixed attraction of being each efficient and discrete. In reality, contact lenses usually provide better enhancements in visible acuity and field of regard when in comparison with glasses. However once more, it’s not all clean crusing.

Many contact lens wearers are unaware of the excessive dangers posed by their chosen type of imaginative and prescient correction. However contact lenses might be related to eye infections, dry eyes, irritation and redness, and different harm to the eyes – even when used correctly and following rigorous hygiene practices. Moreover, regardless of their widespread availability, they aren’t appropriate for everybody and so they could also be the costliest type of correction when assessed over the long run.

Laser Eye Surgical procedure: The brand new(ish) method to enhance your imaginative and prescient

Whereas glasses and call lenses are momentary options to visible impairment, Laser Eye Surgical procedure addresses refractive errors on the supply. The adjustments made throughout a Laser Eye Surgical procedure process are everlasting and might enhance your imaginative and prescient for years to come back – usually to a fair increased diploma than contact lenses or glasses! The brief restoration time additionally implies that most sufferers can get again to their favorite actions (together with sports activities and driving) shortly after their remedy.

Nonetheless, Laser Eye Surgical procedure can have its drawbacks. For many individuals, the excessive upfront value is usually a deterrent (although it might truly be cheaper than glasses and call lenses in the long run). Moreover, Laser Eye Surgical procedure presents some new dangers and the remedy is just not appropriate for everyone.

A Extra In-Depth Comparability

Whereas there are solely restricted selections in terms of imaginative and prescient correction, many individuals will discover that they by no means consciously selected their preliminary methodology of correction. This might need even been chosen for you – significantly in case you required visible aids as a baby. In different instances, you’ll have resorted to whichever choice was most accessible to you on the time. Others could have moved from one type of imaginative and prescient correction to a different. For instance, some glasses wearers could convert to contact lenses as a result of they dislike the looks of glasses or contact lens wearers could develop into fed up with the maintenance of their lens routine and go for glasses as a substitute.

Others will finally realise that there’s one other different – Laser Eye Surgical procedure. You probably have discovered your self on this place, you should still be a little bit unsure of the professionals and cons of Laser Eye Surgical procedure when put next with glasses and call lenses. So, the place do you go to get all the data you want?

Whereas on-line boards might be helpful and insightful in terms of some subjects, it is very important do not forget that they’re usually anecdotal and unreliable. Equally, information web sites are likely to characteristic sensationalized and inflated tales, and blogs are sometimes written with the ulterior motive of promoting you one thing.

Is it an excessive amount of to ask to discover a clear, neutral overview and comparability of the primary strategies you should use to enhance your imaginative and prescient?

It seems it’s. So we determined to make one.

Okay, let’s deal with the elephant within the room. Sure, we’re a Laser Eye Surgical procedure clinic. Nevertheless, in contrast to another suppliers, we purpose, at the start, to be advocates for the overall development of imaginative and prescient correction. We’re pushed by an ambition to carry clear imaginative and prescient to all – whether or not that be with Laser Eye Surgical procedure or not.

To this finish, our imaginative and prescient correction specialists are on a mission to make correct info extra accessible – even when this might affect our enterprise.

We all know that Laser Eye Surgical procedure isn’t all the time the best answer. Whereas it’s now appropriate for extra folks than ever earlier than, there are nonetheless many for whom glasses or contact lenses (or different refractive surgical procedures) stay the most suitable choice. Nonetheless, we really feel that try to be as knowledgeable as doable about each choice, so that you might be assured you make the best determination for you.

So, let’s prevent the time of trudging via plenty of information, opinions and sensationalist information articles and get to the info. Particularly, let’s take a more in-depth have a look at how glasses, contact lenses, and Laser Eye Surgical procedure actually evaluate. 

In fact, it is very important do not forget that everyone seems to be completely different and, as such, this must be taken as a common information. For a extra particular understanding of your choices, why not e-book a session with one in all our professional clinicians?

So, save your self a while trudging via plenty of information, opinions, and information tales, and keep on studying this text. We’re going to check out how glasses, contact lenses, and Laser Eye Surgical procedure evaluate to 1 one other underneath completely different circumstances.

Glasses – Low-cost Imaginative and prescient for the Plenty

Whereas they could have been round for a very long time, glasses stay the commonest type of imaginative and prescient correction – and if you check out the advantages, it’s simple to see why.

The professionals of choosing glasses can embody:

• Correct imaginative and prescient correction at a low value;
• Large out there and appropriate for most individuals;
• They’re secure and unlikely to trigger any unwanted side effects;
• They will defend your eyes from harm;
• There are a number of kinds of glasses to assist handle presbyopia;
• At the very least over the brief time period, glasses are the most affordable type of imaginative and prescient correction.

A easy look at this listing could be sufficient to persuade you that glasses might come out on high nearly throughout the board. In any case, they are appropriate for nearly everybody, no matter age, gender, prescription, and even private model! The very fact is that glasses stay a easy, handy, and accessible answer for most individuals with refractive errors.

A secure answer

Glasses are additionally the most secure choice for imaginative and prescient correction. They aren’t typically related to unwanted side effects as, being an exterior visible support, they by no means contact your eyes in any respect. In distinction, the contact between contact lenses and the eyes can open the door to eye infections, whereas Laser Eye Surgical procedure presents potential dangers related to present process a surgical process.

Moreover, glasses may even add safety to your eyes, making a barrier between them and out of doors parts that might trigger harm or have an effect on your imaginative and prescient, resembling air air pollution, mud and particles, and wind.

Large scope for imaginative and prescient enchancment

However maybe one of many best advantages of glasses is their vast scope of imaginative and prescient correction. Not solely are glasses appropriate for corrective widespread refractive errors like myopia (short-sightedness) and hyperopia (long-sightedness), however in addition they provide an efficient answer for presbyopia to enhance studying imaginative and prescient. Glasses might be made with quite a lot of completely different lenses, together with bifocal, trifocal, multifocal, and varifocal progressive lenses to go well with every particular person.

Glasses – An Overt & Restricted Resolution?

At this stage, you would possibly assume that there’s little level in wanting into the opposite choices for imaginative and prescient correction. However whereas glasses are little question nonetheless choice, they do have some vital drawbacks.

The cons of glasses can embody:

• Their unsuitability for a lot of actions and kinds of work;
• They’re simply broken and misplaced;
• Some folks discover glasses inconvenient, irritating, and/or unattractive;
• Studying glasses are a restricted answer to presbyopia;
• They will value greater than Laser Eye Surgical procedure over the long run.

Maybe the obvious flaw of glasses is their vulnerability to wreck and loss. Not solely is it simple to overlook the place you’ve put them, however their lenses might be simply scratched and scuffed whereas their protruding arms are fast to come back unfastened and simple to by accident snap.

Life-style Restrictions

Conventional glasses also can place restrictions on sure features of your life-style. For instance, they’re unsuitable to be used in nearly all types of train and sports activities, from working to yoga. Avid swimmers could discover they should put money into a pair of prescription goggles and excessive sports activities resembling skydiving and bungee leaping are merely out of the query – no less than in order for you to have the ability to see whereas doing them!

However glasses can get in the best way in different areas of your life, too. Some folks would possibly discover that their impaired imaginative and prescient can forestall them from pursuing sure careers, and in terms of day-to-day life, there are a shocking variety of potential annoyances to be loved. Your lenses will fog up in chilly or humid environments, appeal to mud and dust, and develop into obscured at any time when it rains.

These inconveniences won’t sound like a lot however over time, they’ll start to have an affect in your stress ranges and even your high quality of life; and these issues can appear much more vital to those that are usually not used to carrying glasses – for instance, these starting to note the consequences of presbyopia. When “ageing eyes” start to set in at across the age of 40, the brand new want for studying glasses can really feel like a significant life-style change that’s simply inconceivable to get used to.

Not as low-cost as meets the attention

On the face of it, the price of glasses could not appear that vital – no less than in case you go for low-cost to mid-range frames. But when the typical glasses wearer had been to take a seat down and work out how a lot they’ve spent on glasses and related prices, they might nearly positively be stunned. To provide you an concept of the true potential value of your glasses, we’ve damaged down the everyday prices over ten years.

For our calculation, we’ve got not included the price of eye examinations. That’s since you ought to have an examination each two years no matter whether or not you put on contacts or glasses, or have Laser Eye Surgical procedure.

Utilizing an estimated value of £250 per pair of glasses, being changed each two years, the typical every day value is calculated at 34.2 pence per day. Over ten years, this places the price of your glasses at £1,523.74 (assuming an annual inflation fee of 4.5%).

In line with this calculation, glasses do are available cheaper than contact lenses, which isn’t shocking; nonetheless, what’s shocking is simply how shut this might be to the price of Laser Eye Surgical procedure. That is much more vital once we account for the years of glasses-free imaginative and prescient that you could possibly take pleasure in with the everlasting outcomes of the process.

The underside line is, that the price of paying for replacements if you’ve misplaced or damaged your glasses can rapidly add up – particularly on high of the price of common check-ups, in addition to the potential further prices of prescription sun shades and prescription sports activities eyewear.

Contact Lenses: Clear Imaginative and prescient within the Blink of an Eye

Having assessed the professionals and cons of glasses, contact lenses could seem to deal with lots of the drawbacks related to the oldest type of imaginative and prescient correction. For instance, among the key advantages of contact lenses embody:

• Providing doubtlessly higher visible acuity when put next with glasses;
• Providing a better and clearer field of regard than glasses;
• They permit wearers to participate in lots of sports activities and types of train;
• Some folks desire the discrete look of contact lenses to glasses.

Elevated Accuracy

Maybe one of the vital advantages of contact lenses over glasses is their elevated accuracy. Not like glasses, contact lenses are fitted immediately onto the attention, permitting them to bend mild extra precisely to right your prescription. Many individuals who change from glasses to contact lenses are stunned that their visible acuity improves barely.

It is usually doable to get monovision or multifocal lenses, that are designed to scale back the necessity for studying glasses – an choice that many individuals with presbyopia could profit from. However that’s not the one method contact lenses can present clearer imaginative and prescient…

Obstruction-free Imaginative and prescient

Being utilized on to the attention implies that contact lenses are usually not uncovered to exterior parts resembling these talked about earlier. Whereas glasses lenses can develop into obstructed by steam, rain, and potential harm, contact lenses are stored protected behind your eyelids. So, you might be positive they are going to stay secure from greasy fingerprints, scratches, and even glare from mild sources!

The dearth of restrictive frames that may restrict peripheral imaginative and prescient additionally means that you could profit from your imaginative and prescient in all instructions. However maybe the best good thing about the obstruction-free imaginative and prescient supplied by contact lenses is the potential to participate in a complete vary of sports activities and workouts with much less disruption or hindrance.

To some folks, glasses could be thought-about one other type of obstruction – an obstruction of private model. Whereas with glasses you would possibly fear about them matching your outfit or having the ability to discover a appropriate model of frames, contact lenses are utterly unnoticeable to anybody however the wearer!

Contact Lenses: Rented Imaginative and prescient with an Surprising Price

The factors laid out above paint a fairly rosy image of contact lenses – however is that as a result of we’re wanting via rose-tinted glasses? (Sorry). Sadly, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows in terms of contact lenses both. In reality, they’ll include some fairly severe downsides:

• Contact lenses put wearers at a excessive danger of an infection and eye harm;
• Wearers could expertise dryness, irritation, and redness within the eyes;
• Contact lenses require strict and inconvenient hygiene practices;
• Not everybody can tolerate contact lenses;
• Contact lenses could not be capable of totally right astigmatism;
• Contact lenses usually value greater than glasses and Laser Eye Surgical procedure over the long run;
• The plastic waste generated by the thousands and thousands of lenses discarded on daily basis is unhealthy for the surroundings.

An Elevated Threat of An infection

Most of the execs related to contact lenses are owed to the truth that they sit immediately on the attention, however this may occasionally even be the supply of their most important cons. The very fact is that, whereas discrete and handy, putting a international object in your eye is just not a very hygienic choice. Consequently, carrying contact lenses – significantly over the long run – can put you at a considerably increased danger of an infection and eye harm.

Contact lenses have been linked to a number of doubtlessly extreme and even vision-threatening issues, together with corneal infections. In line with the British Contact Lens Affiliation (BCLA), round 6 in 100,000 contact lens wearers expertise imaginative and prescient loss yearly. Compared, imaginative and prescient loss associated to glasses is sort of nil. Moreover, imaginative and prescient loss because of LASIK (a standard Laser Eye Surgical procedure process) is extraordinarily uncommon.

In fact, these dangers are exacerbated in case you put on your glasses for too lengthy or fail to observe the beneficial hygiene practices. Different life-style habits, resembling sleeping in your lenses, also can improve your danger of an infection by as much as 4 occasions!

Restrictions

As we talked about within the execs part for contact lenses, one of the interesting qualities of contact lenses is their relative lack of restrictions. Many wearers can participate of their favorite sports activities and pastimes with none issues; nonetheless, in terms of something involving excessive exercise or water, this isn’t the case. That features swimming, saunas, and even having a shower! All of these items can show troublesome for contact lens wearers.

And the restrictions don’t finish there. Sitting immediately on the attention implies that contact lenses disrupt the pure lubrication of the floor cells of the cornea. Primarily, contacts act as a barrier, stopping tears from successfully hydrating the eyes – an issue that may be additional exacerbated in case you work on a pc or spend numerous time in your digital units. This may result in vital irritation.

These mixed causes imply that, whereas usually handy, contact lenses are solely thought-about secure and appropriate as a brief type of imaginative and prescient correction.

“Beauty” Contact Lenses

The overwhelming majority of contact lenses are designed as medical aids particularly to be worn by those that require them as a visible support. Nevertheless, there’s a rising trade of “beauty” or “novelty” contact lenses. These lenses are hardly ever manufactured to the identical requirements as prescription lenses and, consequently, can have some worrying penalties.

In line with laser eye surgeon Mr Glenn Carp, such lenses, that are significantly common round Halloween, “are typically bigger in measurement and have a a lot decrease oxygen transmission fee”. As well as, many of those lenses are designed to cowl a part of the whites of the attention, growing the possibilities of issues like acute purple eye and an infection.

The True Price of Contact Lenses

It most likely gained’t shock you to study that contact lenses are a dearer choice than glasses. Nevertheless, they could even be a pricier choice than Laser Eye Surgical procedure. In fact, the precise value can rely upon numerous components, together with your prescription age, and the way usually you employ them. Nonetheless, let’s check out an instance value of contact lenses primarily based on every day use.

In line with Specsavers, the price of contacts usually ranges from £24 to £55 monthly for 30 pairs – and multifocal and toric lenses can value much more. Which means that the typical every day contact lens wearer can count on to pay between £288 and £660 per yr. Assuming an annual inflation fee of 5.2% your refractive error might find yourself costing you between £4,780 and £10,030!

Moreover, many individuals are more and more acknowledging the environmental value of contact lenses. The quantity of disposable plastic required to satisfy the worldwide demand for contact lenses is usually a concern as many people look to restrict our waste as a lot as doable.

Laser Eye Surgical procedure: A Revolutionary Technique to Enhance & Personal Your Imaginative and prescient

So, that brings us to the ultimate choice on our listing: Laser Eye Surgical procedure. However might it actually be all it’s cracked as much as be?

Let’s begin with among the most important advantages of the process:

• Not like glasses or contacts, Laser Eye Surgical procedure is a everlasting repair;
• Laser Eye Surgical procedure presents clear and limitation-free imaginative and prescient – even to probably the most lively people;
• Laser Eye Surgical procedure is among the most secure elective procedures on this planet;
• Over the long run, Laser Eye Surgical procedure stands out as the most cost-effective type of imaginative and prescient correction.

A Everlasting Resolution

Arguably the most important disadvantage of each glasses and call lenses is that they’re merely a brief repair to your refractive error. However with Laser Eye Surgical procedure – that isn’t the case. The outcomes of Laser Eye Surgical procedure are everlasting, which means that you could possibly be having fun with clear, glasses- and contacts-free imaginative and prescient for years to come back!

By altering the construction of the attention itself and subsequently eliminating the refractive error, Laser Eye Surgical procedure also can free you from all the downsides related to the alternate options. Repairs, replacements, journeys to the optometrist, danger of an infection, dry eye, irritation, train restrictions – all of those might be averted with Laser Eye Surgical procedure. For the overwhelming majority of sufferers, this implies when you’ve had it executed, you may overlook about it and get on together with your life!

Even Higher Outcomes

The outcomes of Laser Eye Surgical procedure are usually not solely everlasting however, in lots of instances, they’ll truly be higher than these achieved by glasses and call lenses. For instance, at London Imaginative and prescient Clinic, 100 per cent of our sufferers achieved 20/32 imaginative and prescient or higher, with 93% attaining 20/ 20 imaginative and prescient! Relating to short-sightedness, 98% of sufferers obtain 20/20 imaginative and prescient!

Clear Imaginative and prescient with out Restrictions

Should you’re an lively particular person, whether or not you take pleasure in a weekly run or pursue a sports-related profession, visible aids is usually a specific headache. However whereas glasses and call lenses include some vital limitations on this respect, Laser Eye Surgical procedure presents an efficient different.

Many sportspeople go for Laser Eye Surgical procedure for this very motive, from swimmers to F1 drivers! Not too long ago, paralympic hand-cycling champion, Karen Darke opted for Laser Eye Surgical procedure to enhance her imaginative and prescient throughout her races. Following her remedy, Karen defined: “I really feel to be rather more ‘in’ the world once more, safer once I trip my bike, and grateful for the intense new world I see on daily basis.”

Excessive Suitability

Since its introduction within the late Eighties, Laser Eye Surgical procedure has develop into more and more out there – and more and more appropriate for increasingly more folks. At present, Laser Eye Surgical procedure presents an efficient answer to the overwhelming majority of individuals, together with those that can’t tolerate contact lenses or have very excessive prescriptions! At London Imaginative and prescient Clinic, we’re proud to have the ability to provide remedy to as much as 98% of the sufferers we see.

However Laser Eye Surgical procedure isn’t simply an choice for sufferers with hyperopia (long-sightedness), myopia (short-sightedness), and astigmatism. With the event of PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Imaginative and prescient we’re additionally capable of deal with the pure deterioration of imaginative and prescient that comes with ageing. This lets you eliminate these pesky studying glasses for good! PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Imaginative and prescient is extremely secure and simple to adapt to (particularly in contrast with alternate options), due to this fact appropriate for practically all sufferers.

Tens of thousands and thousands of individuals world wide have now been efficiently handled with Laser Eye Surgical procedure. It has develop into one of the widespread – and most secure – elective surgical procedures, making it an more and more common choice.

Laser Eye Surgical procedure: An Rising & Typically Tough to Navigate Market

Laser Eye Surgical procedure is probably the most vital growth within the area of imaginative and prescient correction in historical past. However whereas the process might need come alongside method since its inception, there are nonetheless some limitations to the remedy.

Among the potential cons of Laser Eye Surgical procedure embody:

• The excessive upfront value;
• Some sufferers are usually not appropriate for Laser Eye Surgical procedure;
• The related dangers as a surgical process;
• The market might be troublesome to navigate.

Affected person Suitability

At present, Laser Eye Surgical procedure is an appropriate remedy for extra folks than ever earlier than – however there are nonetheless some exceptions. Regardless of the numerous growth in know-how and experience, there are nonetheless some people who find themselves merely not appropriate for this process. This may be for a variety of causes, from being too younger to having an underlying well being situation or an ocular situation resembling keratoconus.

Relying on the precise trigger, chances are you’ll be both briefly or completely unsuitable for remedy. For instance, people who find themselves pregnant or breastfeeding ought to postpone remedy because the related hormones could cause variations of their prescriptions. Nevertheless, possible, they are going to as soon as once more be appropriate for remedy as soon as they’ve completed breastfeeding.

The Upfront Price

One of the vital urgent considerations folks have in terms of Laser Eye Surgical procedure pertains to the fee. It should be acknowledged that the price of Laser Eye Surgical procedure is just not low-cost by anybody’s requirements. Nevertheless, as we’ve got demonstrated on this article, this value can usually work out to be equal to – and even cheaper – than the alternate options over the long run. Moreover, many clinics provide finance choices so you may unfold the price of your remedy!

Our Finance Plan means that you can pay for the price of Laser Eye Surgical procedure via numerous reasonably priced instalments. For extra info, go to our Costs web page.

Related Dangers

As we’ve got talked about, Laser Eye Surgical procedure is now thought-about one of many most secure elective procedures on this planet. That is an unimaginable feat; nonetheless, it is very important do not forget that this doesn’t imply the process is with out its dangers.

As with all surgical process, there may be all the time the slight likelihood that issues could not go 100 per cent as deliberate. Fortunately, as a result of minimally invasive nature of Laser Eye Surgical procedure, mixed with our use of cutting-edge know-how, this danger is extraordinarily low.

Regardless of all of the developments in Laser Eye Surgical procedure, there stays an enormous quantity of misinformation and unclear recommendation surrounding this life-changing remedy. A lot of this misinformation derives from competitors between clinics and a lack of regulation inside the trade.

The excellent news is, that is slowly altering. With the RCOphth tips revealed in April 2017 and the up to date Certificates of Laser Refractive Surgical procedure, there may be now extra regulation within the Laser Eye Surgical procedure area. Moreover, extra coaching is now out there, together with the Postgraduate Diploma in Cataract and Refractive Surgical procedure at Ulster College, with our very personal Professor Dan Reinstein on the educating school.

Nonetheless, within the majority of instances, it sadly nonetheless falls on the person to be discerning when informing themselves about Laser Eye Surgical procedure. Being positive to select a high-quality clinic may give you peace of thoughts that you’ll obtain the easiest info and care at each step of your journey.

We hope you discovered this sensible information to glasses, contacts, and Laser Eye Surgical procedure helpful. Should you’d like to seek out out if Laser Eye Surgical procedure might be the most suitable choice for you why not get in contact? Alternatively, Ebook a Session immediately.

This text has been up to date for 2024.