Most people start to require the assistance of some form of vision correction. It is important to get treatment for your vision or there will be problems that happen as a side effect of bad eye sight. Some problems that come from this can be headaches, worsening eye sight, and just overall eye strain. When you go to an eye doctor, you should know what your options are ahead of time so you can know what questions to ask your doctor.
There are more options than just eye glasses and you should know that there are benefits and drawbacks to almost every option. However, overall, the best option is contact lenses because of the freedom and flexibility they provide. The most popular method for correcting vision is to get surgery, but there are serious consequences that can happen. LASIK and other forms of refractive surgery do give results that are generally considered a good option for people, but not everyone even qualifies for this type of surgery. However, the risk of permanent blindness or even just having eye sight that gets a little bit worse are very real possibilities, affecting .4% to 2% of those who have undergone the procedure.
With contact lenses, the risk of vision loss or damage is about .006%, so it is there but it is significantly reduced. Plus, there is less damage caused by contacts than by surgery regarding other things such as reduced quality of night vision, an undesirable glare, and even dry eye syndrome. People who do not qualify for surgery almost always still qualify to wear contact lenses. There are even a couple of different options within the contact lens family to choose from, so you are very likely to find something that works for you.
When it comes to glasses, a lot of people find this a great option for them, but more people love contact lenses because they are less irritating. Glasses can fall off, need readjusting, and take some getting used to having frames getting in the way of your vision. This is something that can be adapted to, but when wearing contact lenses there are fewer restrictions blocking your vision path. The best thing about contacts is that they can help correct some vision problems such as astigmatism.
Choosing contact lenses should definitely be something that is discussed with your eye doctor because there are so many options within this option. Even though over 37 million Americans wear contact lenses, very few are familiar with GP, or gas permeable contact lenses. These are not new, but they are the middle ground between hard and soft lenses. Hard lenses are the original lenses that were offered to people and are not a common option any more. Soft lenses are the most popular type and are disposable. The main difference between GP and soft lenses is the way that they fit. Soft lenses are larger in diameter and tuck under the eyelids so they are not felt while blinking. GP Lenses are smaller so blinking will cause “lens awareness” which will take some getting used to. All of these options are up to you as an individual and should be discussed with your doctor.
