Wearing glasses can be a hindrance in daily life. Whether it's due to physical discomfort, a barrier to certain sports, or simply an aesthetic choice, many people wish to free themselves from them.

Today, ophthalmic medicine offers several effective alternatives to glasses: Contact lenses, refractive surgery, and in some cases, orthokeratology. Each of these options has specific advantages, but also limitations that should be clearly understood before making an informed choice.

Contact Lenses: Softness and Reversibility

Contact lenses are the most common solution for correcting vision without glasses. Worn directly on the cornea, they can treat myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and even presbyopia. There are different types of contact lenses, but the most commonly used are soft lenses, which are easy to handle and well tolerated by most patients. Other, more specialized lenses, such as rigid or semi-rigid lenses, are sometimes indicated for specific corneal pathologies.

The main advantage of Contact Lenses lies in their discretion and flexibility. They offer excellent quality of vision without altering the appearance of the face, and can be adapted to your lifestyle. However, they require rigorous hygiene and regular eye care. Their use may also be limited in cases of dry eye or excessive sensitivity.

Refractive surgery: a lasting correction

If you are looking for a permanent solution to no longer wear glasses or contact lenses, refractive surgery may be an option. This technique modifies the curvature of the cornea to correct refractive errors. LASIK is currently the most widely used method; it combines speed, effectiveness, and almost immediate visual recovery. Another technique, PRK, is indicated when the cornea is too thin or LASIK is not recommended. More recently, the less invasive SMILE method has also emerged, with very encouraging results.

In some cases, particularly in the presence of severe ametropia or advanced presbyopia, intraocular lenses are an attractive alternative. These are artificial lenses placed in the eye, either in addition to or replacing the natural lens.

Surgery offers the advantage of permanent correction. However, it requires a very thorough preoperative assessment to assess feasibility and rule out certain contraindications such as severe dry eye, corneal abnormalities, or certain retinal pathologies. It's also worth remembering that this procedure is not covered by Social Security.

Orthokeratology: an innovative nighttime method

Less well-known to the general public, orthokeratology involves wearing special rigid lenses overnight. These Contact Lenses temporarily reshapes the cornea while you sleep, allowing you to see clearly without correction the next day. This technique is completely reversible, non-invasive, and may be particularly suitable for children or adolescents with progressive myopia, as well as for adults who wish to avoid surgery.

However, the effects of orthokeratology are transient and require regular nighttime wear to maintain vision quality. It is generally less effective for significant or combined visual defects.

A decision to be made in consultation with a specialist

Choosing an alternative to glasses cannot be made without specialized medical advice. An ophthalmologist will perform a complete visual assessment and take several parameters into account: your age, your visual impairment, your general eye condition, your lifestyle, and your expectations. Based on these elements, they will guide you toward the most suitable solution, in complete safety.

Stopping wearing glasses is now a realistic prospect for many patients, provided that rigorous medical expertise is sought. Contact lenses, surgery, or orthokeratology: each of these options can improve your quality of life, if chosen carefully.