For people with vision impairments this is a dilemma of Shakespearean sort. You could admit, with just a tiny exaggeration, that it is worthy those ancient tragedies. Every option has its pros and cons. Medical arguments clash with aesthetic ones, practical with financial, cultural (fashion) with personal preferences. What kind of correction and treatment to choose? Glasses – intuitively seem to be the best choice, but hey, there are contact lenses. Yeah, lenses, but the doctor mentioned laser correction, right? Let’s see. We do not aspire to settle this for you but it’s like in a court – the judge needs to listen to all of the parties involved. Here we go.
Glasses
Boys and young men are particularly bothered with those. Glasses mean weakness for them, they are unmanly and generally speaking they are a pain in the neck. Additionally, a decade or two ago you would have been stigmatized as “four eyes”. Today, with an increasing prevalence of vision impairments, the stigma becomes less and less significant and children rarely use it to point out each others’ imperfections. Glasses are associated with maturity, with an old age. They suit professors or writers but not sportsmen. Is that right? Today glasses are an element of one’s style. Designer glasses form a part of clothing. They can spice up both men and women. They have also been a subject to remarkable technological improvements, which went beyond imagination. Forget about obsolete, heavy, thick glasses. Today glasses are light, durable, magnificently profiled, ideally corresponding with one’s looks. Moreover you don’t need to use several pairs any more: bifocals and progressive glasses solve many practical problems. Today glasses protect you from UV light and they have anti-reflective coating. It’s healthy and trendy. How comfortable are they? Well, forgetful fellows will still be bothered by a popular poem about blind Mr Hilary, who lost his pair.
Contacts
They draw attention of those who don’t like carrying anything on their noses. Who think, right or wrong, that no model of glasses will meet their expectations as far as the look and attractiveness are concerned. Fans of contact lenses frequently underscore that in contrary to glasses they don’t tend to slip off the nose and they don’t restrict the field of view. Moreover they don’t cover your face and they don’t immediately reveal your vision problems. They are less prone to mechanical damage and you can harmlessly change your eye color and enjoy your free time more actively. They don’t get misty with a change of temperature – as mentioned by contact lenses enthusiasts. Their cost is comparable to that of decent glasses, so the choice is obvious. They leave no space for doubts.
Laser correction
Sometimes it’s not just a question of prefererence to undergo this procedure. If the doctor does not recommend it, it might have something to do with health issues. Everyone who is qualified for the procedure is more and more often advised to give it a chance as a durable and effective method of treatment. Shortsightedness and farsightedness are successfully treated with laser. Enthusiasts say that apart from health the best argument to undergo the procedure is elimination of glasses or contact lenses wearing necessity. It’s a safe, painless and effective method. Recovery is quick as well. Although one needs to wear dark glasses for at least a week and frequently use eye drops the effect leaves you with no doubts. You see definitely better. A single expense in comparison to those abovementioned is several times higher, but if you take into account the durability of the method it pays.
What should you choose then? As with any kind of treatment there is no way to make an unassisted decision. The opinion and recommendation of attending physician should be conclusive in this case. If all methods are available for you and there are no medical contraindications you should ask doctor for advice and follow his suggestions.
