LASIK Vs Contacts
LASIK Is Safer Than Wearing Contacts
Millions of Americans have already had LASIK surgery and the number is increasing. Experienced LASIK surgeons report a less than 1% complication rate. *Many ophthalmologists believe the long-term risk of wearing contact lenses can exceed the one-time risk of LASIK by a factor as high as 5 times in past studies, including an Advisory from the FDA, suggest that contacts represent a serious risk to eye health.
Hygiene is more important ever now with the COVID-19 epidemic, especially since the virus can enter through the eye. When you wear contacts, you are constantly using your fingers to touch your eyes and surrounding areas. Excessive touching of the eye is to be avoided at all costs due to the bacteria or viruses that can be on your fingers throughout the day especially if hand washing is not occurring constantly. If you wear contacts, every time that you take them in or out you are exposing your eyes to the bacteria that lay on your fingers. Especially during this time, it is important to be aware a virus can be spread by touching and rubbing your eyes, face, and mouth.
LASIK and SMILE are safe and effective procedures that correct visual errors in patients who have to wear glasses and/or contact lenses. Here at NY LASIK we have multiple different types of LASIK including bladeless LASIK, Contoura, and SMILE LASIK. LASIK at our surgery center in Manhattan is the safest and has the most advanced technology for our patients. For patients over 45 who may not be candidates for LASIK, RLE for patients over 45 offers a permanent vision correction alternative.
Recovery from LASIK surgery requires no touching of the eyes, which in turn keeps all germs away. Once your eyes have healed, you are then able to maintain a normal daily life and no longer have the need to touch your eyes in the morning and at night.
1 Mathers, W.D. Archives of Ophthalmology, October 2006; vol 124: pp 1510-1511. William Mathers, MD, professor of ophthalmology, Oregon Health & Science University Casey Eye Institute, Portland, OR.
The content on this page was authored and medically reviewed by Dr. Leonard M. Bley, MD, FACS, founder of NY LASIK and Surgical Director of Laser and Microsurgery Institute. Dr. Bley is an internationally recognized, board-certified refractive and cataract surgeon with over 35 years of clinical experience and more than 30,000 vision correction procedures performed across our Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens offices. A Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and member of the American College of Eye Surgeons, he trained at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital and completed fellowship training at New York University Hospital, with hospital affiliations at NYU Langone and Staten Island University Hospital. By combining decades of surgical expertise with a commitment to evidence-based, patient-centered care, our team ensures all content on this site reflects the most current and accurate information in refractive surgery, cataract care, and advanced eye health.