LASIK and contact lenses are the most recent ways of vision correction. Both allow a person to be free from the need of wearing glasses and are often ideal for people with active lifestyles. LASIK has been proven safe and effective at treating most forms of near-sightedness, far-sightedness, and astigmatism.
With the recent increase in fungal keratitis that has been linked to contact lens wear, many patients are beginning to wonder which is safer, LASIK or contact lenses. That can be a difficult question for eye doctors to answer. Statistically both LASIK and contact lenses are considered safe in correcting vision problems, such as near-sightedness, far-sightedness, and astigmatism. Complications rarely occur with either type of correction.
Contact lenses are known to cause increased incidences of eye infection, including bacterial, fungal, and viral. Eye infections increase in frequency during contact lens wear and problems with allergic reactions to both the contact lenses and the solutions can occur.
LASIK has similar risk. Many people are comforted by the fact that with laser vision correction, many risks are a once in a lifetime, in contrast with contact lenses which must be worn every day. A person who is interested in LASIK or contact lenses must be aware of the risks and make an informed decision. Millions of people are satisfied with both methods of vision correction.