LASIK vs. Contact Lenses

Until recently, most people – including many eye doctors – assumed laser vision correction surgery was riskier than wearing contacts. This is partly because surgery is very different from wearing contact lenses. Problems caused by contact lenses usually take a long time to develop, while complications from LASIK often appear soon after the procedure.

What the study found

OHSU Casey Eye Institute doctors recently compared the chance of complications from contact lenses with the risks of vision correction surgery. Specifically, we studied how often people who wore contacts lost some vision, compared to people who had LASIK surgery.  The information tells us that contact lenses are not always a safer choice than LASIK surgery. Both contact lenses and LASIK are very safe, although there is a small risk of complications from both of them. 

Just the facts

When OHSU Casey Eye Institute doctors studied the risk of vision loss after refractive surgery, we reviewed a recent study of more than 16,000 soldiers and almost 32,000 LASIK procedures. Patients had vision loss in one (1) surgery in approximately every 1,250 people. The vision loss was less than people lost from infections related to contact lenses. We also studied 18,000 procedures done at Casey Eye Institute over a 10-year period. We found that even when there were complications, no patient lost more than a small amount of vision, about 2 lines’ difference on a standard eye chart.

We found that the risk of an eye infection called bacterial keratitis was 1 in 100 for people who wore daily wear contacts for 30 years. One (1) in 2000 people lost some vision because of infection. The risk of another disease that sometimes affects contact lens wearers, Acanthamoeba keratitis, was about 1 in 1000 for people who wore daily wear contacts for 30 years. The risk of losing some vision was about the same for both infections. One (1) in 2000 people lost some of their vision.

Choosing LASIK

Many people choose to have laser vision correction surgery because of the lifestyle benefits this procedure offers. They are able to pursue everything from their favorite hobbies to everyday tasks free from contacts and glasses.

Learn more about LASIK and laser vision correction at the Rochester Eye and Laser Center.

Learn more about LASIK and laser vision correction surgery

• LASIK and laser vision correction
• Attend a free seminar about LASIK
• FAQs about LASIK
• Take the quiz - Is LASIK right for me?