A: There are many advantages of both the Visian ICL and Lasik over contact lenses. I
will answer this as a series of answers.
Contact lenses continually move around on the eye with each blink. Contacts
have to move on the eye in order for tears to get under them and keep the tear fluid
under them intact and nutrients moving into and waist products out of the cornea
under the contact lens. This movement causes some blurring of the images seen
through the contact lenses. Neither the Visian ICL or Lasik move on the eye with
blinks so the images seen are more clear and steady than with contact lenses. The
Visian ICL has the added advantage of not inducing or causing any dry eye issues as
both contact lenses and laser refractive surgery can.
Astigmatism correction is problematic with contact lenses. Not only do
contacts move with each blink, but the contacts rotate, or turn either clock wise or
counter clock wise on the eye with each blink – the direction depends on which eye
it is left or right. Since astigmatism corrections need to be in a particular alignment
relative to a particular clock hour on the surface of the eye, the rotating of the
contact with each blink causes the astigmatism correction move out of the proper
alignment. Some contacts try to minimize this distortion by putting a ballast or a
heavier portion in the lens so it moves back after the blink rotates it. Other lenses
have special shapes so the lids tend to push the lens back in position. No matter
what is done though, the contact lenses move back and forth causing some
distortion for astigmatic corrections. With Lasik, the astigmatism correction is
permanently etched onto the eye so that blinking causes no distortion and the vision
is always clear with astigmatic corrections.
Both the Visian ICL and Lasik can be more cost effective than contact lenses,
as well as greener. No more wasteful packaging for contact lens solutions or contact
lenses after Lasik or Visian ICLs, one has a permanent correction that should last for
years. Visit our website for information on the time it takes for these surgeries be
more cost effective than contact lenses.
Safety: while both Lasik and the Visian ICL involve surgery, once the surgery
is done, there is no more handling of contact lens solutions or removing and
inserting contact lenses. While contacts are great, infections do routinely occur with
them from either a breakdown of the necessary hygiene needed to keep them clean
or from contamination with water or contaminants in the air. Contact lenses are the
most common reason adolescents have emergency room visits. Extended wear
contact lenses are the ones most commonly associated with increased rates of
infections related to contact lens wear.