A new study by the Oregon Health and Science University Casey Eye Institute has found that laser surgery is a good option for contact lens users. There are approximately 25 million contact lens wearers in the United States and approximately one million people who have laser surgery every year.

Dr. William Mathers, professor of ophthalmology in the OHSU School of Medicine, upon review of several studies found a greater chance of suffering vision loss from contact lenses than from laser vision correction surgery. His findings have been published in the recent issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.

Data drawn from a study in Lancet shows the lifetime risk of bacterial keratitis to be one in 100 for contact lenses worn daily. Bacterial keratitis is an infection that causes an inflammation of the cornea and can lead to vision loss. Wearing contact lenses overnight, improper care or improper cleaning can further increase the risk of infection. The risk has changed little over the years for contact lens wearers and it is the same worldwide.

Mathers, an eye surgeon with a background in contact lens issues and former president of the Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists, said he has seen patients who physically lose eyes due to complications from contact lens infections. "It's not that contacts aren't good, they're better than they've ever been, but one cannot assume contacts are safer," he said.

"Super-LASIK surgery is a SAFE OPTION because the flap created is so thin it can HEAL ITSELF, preventing the induction of dry eyes."

Vision loss from laser surgery, however, is easy to calculate. A study of more than 32,000 U.S. Armed Forces members receiving laser surgery found a loss of vision of one line on an eye chart was one in 1,250. A loss of two or more lines of vision, which would be more significant but less frequent, was not reported. Data from the OHSU Casey Vision Correction Center showed no cases of vision loss greater than two lines in 18,000 procedures performed over 10 years.

"Even with perfect care of your contacts, the risks for infection and vision loss are still there," Mathers said. "Our long-term results at OHSU confirm the experience of the U.S. military and show that laser surgery is as safe, and probably safer, than long-tern use of contact lenses."

Super-LASIK surgery is a safe option because the flap created is so thin it can heal itself, preventing the induction of dry eyes. While some doctors won't treat patients with astigmatism using LASIK surgery, there has been great successes. Conductive Keratoplasy, a procedure using radio waves to alter the shape of the cornea, is yet another method performed on patients over the age of 45 with reading vision problems.

Patients say they can see better after the surgery than they've ever seen in their lives.

The calculated risks of vision loss from contact lenses and laser surgery are approximate and subject to change. Highly oxygen-permeable contact lenses and advances in laser surgery should make both even safer.

"Data from these studies strongly suggest our intuition regarding these risks needs to be reassessed," Mathers said. "I, for one, look forward to further investigations of these risks."


Dr. Rajesh Khanna is the owner of the Khanna Institute and is certified by the American board of Ophthalmology and is fellowship-trained in Corneal and Refractive surgery. Super-LASIK surgery is one of his specialties.