Ancillary question: are there any benefits to Lasik eye surgery other than not needing to wear glasses anymore?
I wanted Lasik years ago but decided to wait a decade or so until it was a foolproof process. But now my glasses have become a part of my personal "brand" and I don't want to give them up unless eye surgery perhaps goes "better than glasses"?
The ophthalmologist that I went to said that some people experience better than 20/20 vision after the surgery.
The information that I received from the doctor mentions a clinical trial in which "70% of patients could see better than 20/20" after the surgery. However, the pamphlet does not provide information on how to locate that clinical study.
I would say that if glasses have become part of your "brand" and you actually enjoy wearing them, then definitely do not get the procedure. Some of my main motivations for getting the procedure (keep in mind I have not undergone the procedure yet) are: wearing glasses is annoying, glasses get dirty/scratched/bent/etc, contacts are a pain to put in when I wake up, contacts dry out my eyes sometimes, playing sports with glasses is difficult (I snowboard quite a bit; glasses and goggles don't go too well together) so I have to wear contacts.
You aren't going to get clearer than glasses for your main focal point--both glasses and the surgery are going to get the image properly focused onto your retina--there's no improving past that.
The main question is, how bad is your vision currently?
I would say that for me, lasik is unquestionably better than glasses. But I had horrible eyesight and even with the smallest frames my lenses were almost a 1/4 inch thick at the edges. At that much correction they really skewed things at the edges of the vision and my peripheral vision was practically non-existent because I just couldn't see anything when not looking through the lenses. I was pretty much a non-functioning human without my glasses on. I hated them and wished to get rid of them at all cost.
Thanks for the replies, guys! Seems I might not benefit much (yet) then. I wear my (quite thin and light) glasses from seconds after waking to getting into bed and have no issues with them so it sounds like my advantages are few, especially as I don't play sports or swim.
I know even with just contacts the increased field of vision was a huge advantage when driving, playing tennis, and some other common activities for me over glasses, but this may have been partially because of my very strong prescription. I'd say this, coupled with the ability to instantly have vision whenever you wake up and so forth are the only real advantages..
I wanted Lasik years ago but decided to wait a decade or so until it was a foolproof process. But now my glasses have become a part of my personal "brand" and I don't want to give them up unless eye surgery perhaps goes "better than glasses"?