When is surgery indicated?

Refractive eye surgery is an elective procedure.

It is not a requirement for health or survival. Corrective surgery is a benefit of modern technology and medicine, a contemporary option that can enhance the quality of life. The following are reasons why some patients elect to have refractive surgery:

• Some patients requiring vision correction wish to be independent of their spectacles, contact lenses, or are unable to wear their contact lenses due to dry eye problems or contact lens solution allergies.

• Some select surgery to enable them to participate in certain sports such as windsurfing, swimming, mountain climbing, scuba diving, water skiing, or for certain occupations, such as the police force.

• Others feel visually and socially restricted by spectacles or contact lenses.

Your ophthalmologist will be able to answer any questions concerning the advantages and disadvantages of spectacles, contact lenses, radial keratotomy and contact lens implant compared to laser surgery.