Contact lenses, glasses or laser eye procedure?

This is a question that most people suffering from short-sightedness will ponder. Eye glasses can be a stylish accessory, but their range of vision can be limited. Contact lenses enable more freedom, but they are more harmful to the eyes. A laser eye procedure seems expensive and frightening. What to do? The founder of KSA Vision Clinic, eye surgeon Dr Ants Haavel, gives advice.

Piiratud nägemisega inimesi on rohkem, kui arvata võiks. Ameerika Ühendriikides tehakse igal aastal miljoneid lasersilmaprotseduure ning igal aastal müüdavate kontaktläätsede ja prillide arv ulatub samuti mitme miljonini. Tehnika arenedes muutuvad prillid moekamaks, kontaktläätsed mugavamaks ja laserprotseduurid veelgi turvalisemaks. Arvestades igasuguste elektrooniliste seadmete sagedasemat kasutamist meie igapäevaelus, on aga üha rohkematel inimestel nägemisega probleeme. "Kontaktläätsede kandmine on suhteliselt mugav, kuid paljud arstid on nende suhtes skeptilised. Ma ei oleks nii radikaalne, kuna need sobivad paljudele," ütleb Ants Haavel.

However, based on his experiences he can tell that many people are careless with contact lenses, wearing them for too long, leaving them on overnight or cleaning them with tap water. “All those things make the eyes more sensitive which can make the eyes start to reject the contact lenses,” he warns. However, for some people, the eyes may not be able to tolerate contact lenses even with proper usage. “We get many patients who choose laser eye procedures as they don’t want to wear glasses anymore and their eyes don’t tolerate contact lenses.”

Fashion versus inconvenience

Paljud inimesed ei suuda kontaktläätsede panemiseks isegi mõtet "sõrmed silma panna". Selle asemel valivad nad prillide või lasersilmaprotseduuri kasuks. "Täna saadaval olevad prillid on lahedad ja trendikad ning paljud kannavad neid moeaksessuaaridena. Kuid parem on kanda prille omal valikul, mitte vajadusest," muigab dr Haavel, jutustades, kuidas mõned patsiendid paluvad retseptita läätsi panna oma lemmikprillide sisse, et neid ikka aeg-ajalt kanda. .

Kuigi prillid on moes, võivad need kergesti puruneda, liikuda treeningu ajal või higistades nina alla libiseda. Samuti ei saa neid kanda saunas ega ujudes. Paljud leiavad, et prillid on reisimisel ebamugavad. "Prillid on silmale õrnemad kui kontaktläätsed, kuid nägemisulatus on piiratud. Inimese nägemine on piiratud prillide suuruse tõttu ja tema perifeerne nägemine on fookusest väljas," selgitab dr Haavel.

Laser eye procedure patients have high demands

Once your eyesight has stabilised, your overall health is fine and the pre-procedure consultation has given the green light, you can choose a laser eye procedure to get rid of vision problems. Decades ago these operations were performed with a knife, followed by laser surgery which involved a cut on the cornea. Now the procedure can be done totally free of contact. “Correct, eye surgery has evolved leaps and bounds and today you can get perfect vision quickly, safely and with minimal discomfort,” Dr Haavel tells. In order to get the expected outcome there is a thorough pre-procedure examination. In addition to healthy eyes, a patient’s physical and mental health must be in order.

«Oleme protseduure teinud aastakümneid ja teame, et patsiente tuleb hoolikalt läbi vaadata ja valida. Optimistlikul suhtumisel ja ilmavaatel on otsene seos heade tulemuste ja taastumisaegadega," selgitab Ants Haavel KSA Vision Clinicu kogemusele tuginedes. "Seetõttu teostame protseduure vaid ideaalsetele kandidaatidele. Kui ütleme patsientidele, et nad sobivad Flow protseduuriks, oleme kindlad, et saavutame häid tulemusi. Umbes 40 protsenti esmasele konsultatsioonile tulijatest ei sobi protseduurile. Kuigi see arv võib tunduda kõrge, ei soovi dr Haavel patsienti vastu võtta, kui kahetseb seda hiljem.

To summarise, there is no single answer as to what is the best – eye glasses, contact lenses or laser eye procedure. It all depends on your lifestyle and expected quality of life. Some people are happy wearing contact lenses, others would never get rid of their glasses whilst many would do anything to get rid of their limited vision. Each to their own.