LASIK vs Glasses vs
Contact Lenses
Three options for correcting myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism to each with genuine trade-offs. The right choice depends on your prescription, your cornea, your lifestyle, and what you are willing to accept long-term. This is the comparison your optician is unlikely to give you, because two of the three options are not things they sell.
What each option actually involves
Rather than a table of features, here is an honest look at what each correction method means in daily life.
LASIK / SMILE
Spectacles (Glasses)
Contact Lenses
LASIK vs Glasses vs Contacts to feature by feature
Not everyone is a LASIK candidate to and that is important
One of the most common mistakes patients make is assuming that because LASIK is widely available, everyone can have it. The screening examination before the procedure exists specifically to identify patients for whom LASIK would be unsafe or ineffective.
The key requirements are: a stable prescription for at least one to two years, sufficient corneal thickness for safe tissue removal, no signs of keratoconus or irregular corneal topography, no active dry eye disease, and an age of at least 18 to 21 years. Patients with certain corneal conditions may be better served by SMILE vision correction, which does not create a corneal flap and carries lower dry eye risk post-operatively.
Stable prescription (≥1 year)
If your power is still changing, LASIK now means a second procedure later.
Adequate corneal thickness
The cornea must have enough tissue for safe ablation with a healthy residual bed.
Normal corneal topography
Irregular or cone-shaped corneas rule out LASIK. Keratoconus requires a different treatment path entirely.
What patients from Perambur
actually choose to and why
The question I am most often asked at Aadithya Eye Care is some version of "is LASIK worth it?" and the honest answer is that it depends entirely on what the person values. For a young professional who wears minus six dioptre glasses and has been doing so since school, spectacle freedom genuinely changes daily experience in meaningful ways. For someone whose prescription is mild, the difference is smaller.
What I do tell every patient considering LASIK is this: the decision should not be based on cost alone, and it should not be rushed. The pre-operative screening tells us whether your cornea is suitable. The conversation with you tells us whether your expectations are realistic. Patients who come in wanting LASIK but have thin corneas or irregular topography leave with a different option to sometimes SMILE, sometimes contact lenses are genuinely better for them long-term.
Contact lenses are a perfectly valid choice, but patients who use them for years often develop chronic dry eye symptoms from the reduced oxygen permeability and physical irritation. This is worth knowing. Several patients who come to us for a dry eye consultation find that the contact lens habit is the primary contributor.
Aadithya Eye Care, Perambur
LASIK, glasses, contacts to
questions answered
Medical disclaimer: The information on this page is for general guidance only. Suitability for LASIK or other refractive procedures requires a full clinical assessment. Content reviewed by Dr Vasantha Gowri, MBBS, DO (Ophthalmology), FICO (UK), FRCS (Glasgow), Aadithya Eye Care, Perambur, Chennai.
Explore your vision correction options
LASIK Laser Vision
How LASIK works at Aadithya Eye Care, candidacy criteria, what to expect on the day and after.
Read moreSMILE Vision Correction
A flapless alternative to LASIK with lower dry eye risk to how it differs and who it suits.
Read moreContact Lens Clinic
Professional contact lens fitting, advice on lens types, and managing dry eye from lens wear.
Read moreCornea & Dry Eye Clinic
Dry eye is a common complication of long-term contact lens use. We assess and treat it at Aadithya Eye Care.
Read moreMyopia (Short-sightedness)
Understanding myopia progression and the options for correction and control at every age.
Read moreEye Checkup Frequency
How often you should have your eyes examined by age and risk factor.
Read moreMedical sources
- American Academy of Ophthalmology. Eye health information.
- National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health. Eye conditions and diseases.
- All India Ophthalmological Society. aios.org.
Ready to explore spectacle freedom? Start with an assessment.
LASIK and SMILE are both available at Aadithya Eye Care in Perambur. A pre-operative suitability assessment takes about 45 minutes and tells you clearly whether you are a candidate, and which procedure suits your cornea and prescription.