Everyday life with glasses isn’t normally an inconvenience, but for those who enjoy getting out on the court in the evening, or maybe hitting the climbing wall on the weekend, wearing glasses or contacts can present certain risks.

Imagine being able to improve your overall vision while also ridding yourself of your glasses. What would that do to your game? How would that improve your ability to explore, climb or swim? We know just how much this can improve your experience, especially if you’re an athlete, professional or amateur.

Here are five physical activities that can drastically improve or become easier with iLASIK.

Football

Football is one of Canada’s favourite past times while also being one of the roughest sports in North America. Many Canadian cities have high school football teams, private football clubs, and if they are lucky, a CFL team.

Players who need glasses often wear contact lenses on the field. Imagine having to look down and search for your contacts after a play. It’s as good as lost. Would you be able to play with one good eye and one without any correction?

Swimming

Obviously, swimming with glasses is not practical. Requiring vision correction can limit any sort of aquatic venture to mostly standing and playing it safe.

This is why most will either remove their glasses (to leave them safely by the poolside/on the beach) before getting in the water, or wear contacts. Contacts are a smart choice in some scenarios, but can also be dislodged by water. Some people are able to invest in prescription goggles, but these can be expensive, are easy to lose, and aren’t always on hand.

A pool can be a fairly safe place to wear contacts, but think about going in the ocean with the waves coming in at a fast pace. Sometimes you can get caught off guard, or hit by two waves at once, and when you do, your contacts can be plucked from your eyes and lost in the waves.

Climbing

Many climbers with vision problems tend to wear contacts while climbing. Why bother risking looking down and losing your glasses or breaking them with a minor impact. Climbing is a physically taxing activity and generates a lot of sweat. Sweat can get in your eyes and make your contact lenses uncomfortable or make glasses slip down your nose.

When you’re sweating, up in the air, and potentially in a scenario that could be quite dangerous, you can avoid adding that extra layer of difficulty that is worrying about your vision problems.

Dodgeball

Dodgeball is on the rise in Manitoba and is a high contact sport. Though players don’t physically collide with each other, the entire point of the game is to throw balls at other players to remove them from the court. Many dodgeball players with glasses have at least one story when their glasses were taken off their face by a dodgeball travelling fast across the court.

Headshots are a part of dodgeball in Manitoba, and as a result they happen with relative frequency. Imagine the ability to move freely on the court without worrying about getting into a position where your glasses could break, or where you could lose a contact on a gymnasium floor.

Rugby

Rugby is one of the toughest sports in the world with players and fans regularly balking at football, deeming it just like their sport, but with pads. In the world of rugby, players don’t wear much in the way of protection, but the hits are just as big as football.

Imagine getting hit by a 200-pound individual running full tilt. It wouldn’t make sense to wear your glasses in the first place, but contacts don’t even stand a chance from that hit. Life on the pitch could be much safer for you and your eyes with laser vision correction.

Alternatives

Not every athlete is going to need the same procedure. Some procedures have different healing regimens with less risk, and less healing time.

iLASIK is the preferred vision correction procedure for most people, not to be confused with a similar procedure known as LASIK. Where iLASIK uses blade-free technology called IntraLase to make the corneal flap, LASIK uses a microkeratome blade. With IntraLase, the cornea strength may return to 90% of its original strength, far greater than occurs with blade flaps.

Though iLASIK is preferred for most, it may not actually suit certain lifestyles. For example, individuals who regularly participate in fighting sports, especially boxing and MMA fighting, should likely receive PRK treatment. PRK doesn’t use a corneal flap, thus eliminating the associated complications that may arise from physical impact. Hockey players may also want PRK over iLASIK unless they wear a full cage, and for those who play racquet sports, if you don’t receive PRK, definitely wait a full month before play.

VISIAN is also approved for military use as well as sport, and is great for those with very strong prescriptions.

The best way to ensure your vision stays healthy is to follow the directions set out by your surgeon and optometrist, such as: keeping up with your drops, staying out of smoky places, avoiding eye rubbing, and avoiding lifting extra-ordinarily heavy items. We also have some tips for post-op care.

Explore living life without boundaries at Image Plus. Join us for a free assessment to see if you’re eligible, meet Dr. Wiens, and realize your goal of going frameless is right around the corner.