There's another option for those who are tired of constantly putting in and cleaning contact lenses or having to wipe the water spots off their glasses every time it rains -- laser eye surgery.
This method of vision correction, the excimer laser, was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1995 for the purpose of correcting refractive disorders such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. This laser was originally invented by IBM for its computer chips, according to eyecentergroup.com.
Refraction problems are caused by the abnormal shape of the cornea -- either being too long, too short or abnormally shaped -- according to the site.
Nearsightedness is caused by the cornea being too long or too curved, and because of this far away objects are blurry.
The opposite is true for farsightedness. The cornea is too short or too flat, blurring objects close to the eye.
Astigmatism occurs when the cornea is not uniformly curved. This causes light to focus in multiple points on the retina, resulting in blurry and distorted vision at both far and near distances.
According to eyecentergroups.com, there are two types of laser surgery. One is Laser in-Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK), and the other is photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). LASIK is a surgery where the cornea is sliced leaving a flap, and then the laser makes the corrections to the eyeball. PRK only uses the laser to reshape the cornea.
Kent Bullis, medical director for the Ball State Health Center, had laser eye surgery last April. Prior to the operation, he was nearsighted.
"Before the surgery, I was blind as a bat," he said. "I couldn't see someone's face from across the room."
Bullis could see perfectly with his glasses, but now that he's had the surgery he can see fine without them.
"Ninety-nine percent of people who have this done get good results," he said.
According to FDA Consumer Magazine, the procedure brings only mild discomfort during the surgery, but the amount varies with each person. Most people can go back to work after one to three days of their surgery, but are urged to wait until they feel ready.
"It was about three or four days before I felt like getting up and doing normal things," Bullis said.
The procedure only takes a few minutes for each eye, Bullis said. Vision starts to improve within months after the surgery.
An obvious benefit of having this kind of surgery is the end result -- not having to wear eye glasses or contacts, but there are also some disadvantages and risks with having this done.
One disadvantage is the cost. Bullis said to have this procedure done in town would cost between $3,200 and $3,500.
There is also a chance something could go wrong during the surgery that would permanently damage the eyes.
"The big danger is blindness," Bullis said, "but that is very rare."
He said some of the more likely side effects are vision impairments while driving at night.
Though this procedure can be done for people in their early 20s, Bullis said most college students shouldn't have it done until they are older because their eyes are still changing and will continue to change until they reach 25.
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