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If you are an athlete, you already know the highly important role sharp eyesight plays in your performance.

Ironically, that important role is what makes LASIK surgery both so exciting and so intimidating for athletes. After all, following LASIK, an athlete generally stands to improve his or her visual performance substantially without the need for glasses or contact lenses. But complications from the surgery certainly could pose a problem as well.

The good news is that with the development of Custom LASIK and other laser vision correction procedures, more athletes than ever are turning to these procedures without the fear and hesitation of the past. In fact, professional athletes like Tiger Woods have emerged as big proponents of what LASIK can do for your athletic performance.

Benefits of LASIK for Athletes
Athletes who have been diagnosed with nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism typically have had to use prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses to correct their vision. Glasses are problematic because they can be easily knocked off and broken, and they tend to limit peripheral vision. Contact lenses can dry out, fall out, tear, or capture dirt and sweat beneath them, causing eye irritation during the game.

LASIK offers a long-term way to improve athletic vision without all of these hassles.

Risks of LASIK for Athletes
Athletes who choose to undergo LASIK vision correction need to keep in mind one very significant factor in their recovery: they are at a higher risk of complications and infection after LASIK. That’s because athletes are at a higher risk for eye injury, which can be a real problem if the eye has not healed properly prior to the injury.

Those who play full-contact sports, such as football, hockey, boxing and wrestling, have the highest risk for LASIK complications. Athletes who participate in low-impact sports, like golf, tennis, soccer, baseball and basketball, are at a much lower risk for problems, since their risk of injury is much lower, as well.

How to Reduce the Risks
The risk to athletes, even those in high-impact sports, can be greatly reduced by allowing the eyes to heal completely after the LASIK procedure is performed. Experienced LASIK surgeons recommend avoiding sports for two or three weeks, at the very minimum. An even better option is to have LASIK performed during your game’s off-season so that there is a long period of recovery.

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If you live in the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma area and would like to learn more about the possibilities of LASIK surgery, please contact the Oklahoma LASIK specialists at Hummel Eye Associates today to schedule a consultation.