I was considering getting lasik… but now I’m not sure. I have astigmatism (I think high), but my glasses prescription is relatively low. (I don’t know the exact number, I’ve just been told I don’t need a whole lot of correction.)

After talking to a doc (salesman?) about lasik (and researching online), I learned lasik mainly improves your distance vision. The doc said, I’ll probably still need glasses for up-close work.

But. Don’t we constantly do up close work? Read a message on my phone -> close up work. Read a menu -> close up work. Read a price tag -> close up work. Type on my computer -> close up work. Having to constantly put on and take off my glasses based on the task seems like a huge step backwards compared to today where I just have my glasses on all the time and don’t think about them. (Or lose them.) I heard I could get some glasses that let me see far and close… and I could wear them all day…

So… what’s the point of lasik in that case?

I’ve heard after lasik, my overall un-assisted vision would improve. I would only need minor corrective lenses. But. Why does major vs minor correction matter?

If I still need glasses (with minor correction), what’s the point of lasik?

Am I missing something here?

Why do tons of people online seem extremely happy with their lasik experience?

  • ptc075@lemmy.zip
    6·
    4 days ago

    Ever play with a pair of binoculars or an old camera where you had to manually turn knobs in order to focus on something in the distance? That’s the ‘focal point’. This is what LASIK changes. So, if you can currently see stuff up close but not far away, LASIK can move your focal point to make it easier to see things clearly at a different distance.

    What LASIK does not change is how wide your focus range is. That’s controlled by your eye muscles and how flexible your cornea is. As you get older, that range gets narrower and narrower.

    Using myself as an example, My LASIK set my focal point at around arm’s length. So I can see my computer monitor no problem. I had my surgery around 25, and for years I didn’t need glasses at all. When I reached my 40s, I realized I was having trouble reading very small print, and things very far away were a bit blurry. So I now keep a pair of distance seeing glasses in the car for when I’m driving, and I also have a couple of pairs of readers lying around the house. I still walk around without glasses, but there are times when I need to pull out a pair.