Advantages and disadvantages of treatments for farsightedness
Type of correction Advantages Disadvantages Eyeglasses
- The simplest, safest way to correct farsightedness
- Most people can wear glasses.
- Accurate and predictable vision correction to within 0.50 dioptres of the desired result
- Less expensive than contact lenses or surgery; easier to take care of than contact lenses
- Unlikely to cause side effects because they never touch the eyeball itself
- Available everywhere and can be changed easily as your vision changes
- Unacceptable in some types of work (such as firefighting) or in active sports (although some athletes wear prescription goggles during sporting events)
- You may feel they are inconvenient, uncomfortable, annoying (they tend to fog up in humid or cold environments, for example), or unattractive.
- Can be broken or lost
Contact lenses
- Predictable vision correction
- Eliminate the need to wear eyeglasses all the time
- Provide better peripheral (side) vision than eyeglasses
- A wide range of lens types is available to meet individual needs.
- Cost more than eyeglasses but less than surgery (though surgery may be less expensive in the long run if it allows you to go without glasses or contacts)
- You may prefer the way you look wearing contacts rather than eyeglasses.
- Cleaning and disinfecting your contact lenses can be complicated and inconvenient; you need good hand-eye coordination to clean, insert, and remove the lenses.
- Increased risk of corneal infections, scratches, and scrapes
- Can be easily damaged or lost
- Some people cannot wear contact lenses comfortably.
- Can cost at least $150 per year, including the costs of cleaning and disinfecting solutions; people who have to replace their lenses or change prescriptions regularly may spend much more
Surgery
- You may no longer need to wear corrective lenses (glasses or contacts) after surgery.
- You will not have to bother with the daily cleaning and care of contact lenses.
- May turn out to be less expensive than glasses or contact lenses over the long term, if you don't need corrective lenses after surgery
- Some people still need corrective lenses after surgery.
- Long-term risks are still unknown.
- Risk of complications (though complications that threaten vision are rare)
- Skilled surgeons may not be available in all areas.
- Surgery and follow-up care are expensive.
| Author: | Alison Allen Jeannette Curtis | Last Updated: January 22, 2008 |
| Medical Review: | Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Christopher J. Rudnisky, MD, FRCSC - Ophthalmology | |
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