Professional Athletes and LASIK Surgery
Maybe you never really thought about it, but good eyesight is important to most athletes. How can the baseball player hope to hit the ball, the football player hope to catch that pass, or the golfer hope to make it in the hole if his vision is substandard? Maybe this is why it seems like more and more professional athletes these days are seeing their doctors about getting LASIK eye surgery. This procedure will ideally allow them to see better and improve their game without having to wear contact lenses or other lenses that could be damaged during game-play.
Consider, for instance, the San Diego Chargers. The news reported recently that many key players from the team have had LASIK surgery in order to improve their visual acuity and thus improve their game performance. Several football players have claimed that the LASIK procedure helped them improve their depth perception–which is one of the more important benefits that LASIK offers to athletes. In fact, the Chargers have gone so far as to appoint their own LASIK doctor who cares for all the teams’ players’ needs. The fact that you’re able to see more clearly is a benefit to anyone, and especially so when sports is your career. This is partly to explain why such a large number of athletes are requesting the procedure.
And it’s not just the Chargers. There are dozens of players in many different sports who are becoming part of this growing LASIK trend. There are basketball players, for instance, who are finding that a LASIK surgery has helped sharpen their own visual acuity.
Doctors advise that LASIK helps most when the player can’t see unless he wears contacts. Those who do wear contacts while playing, though, report irritation and discomfort. Plus with all the physical activity involved in most sports, there’s a high risk for injury involving the contact.
Trying to do anything without good vision is difficult. Imagine how hard it would be for you to write a letter, talk on the telephone, get to work, surf the Internet. All of these things depend on our visual acuity. Now imagine if your job depended on you being able to see other players or the ball or the goal. This is the situation that players with poor vision face, which is why so many seek out a LASIK procedure. Because of the importance of their vision, it’s nearly certain that more and more athletes will be taking advantage of this procedure for the foreseeable future. In fact, there is even evidence that some college athletes are trying to improve their vision through LASIK so that they have a better chance of being placed with a professional team upon their graduation.
If you feel LASIK might be for you, chances are there are dozens of doctors in your area who can perform the procedure. Just check the Yellow Pages or do a Google or Yahoo search online. Discuss the procedure with him first, both the pros and cons, and then decide if you want to proceed
Help answer the question about lasik news
Eye correction techniques?
A few years back I saw a news segment where there was a technique to correct bad eyesight not involving lasers. It somehow involved changing the shape of the eye (I think) and was only available in canada since the USDA wouldn’t approve the procedure. I may be mistaken about some of the details. Could you please list all available medical procedures for eye correction other than lasik? Thank you.