Recently, there have been many discussions at Los Angeles LASIK clinics about the environmental impacts of contact lenses. Many people have chosen LASIK for the convenience of not having to rely on glasses or contacts. However, new research and information on the discarding of contact lenses have proven that LASIK is an alternative that could also help reduce our carbon footprint.
According to recent studies, the United States has around 45 million people that wear contact lenses. This is quite a significant number of the population, which means that the environmental impact of contact lenses is much bigger. If you visit a LASIK eye center in Los Angeles, you might learn that contact lenses not only pose an inconvenience to contact-wearers but also threaten the world’s ecological health.
LASIK experts in Los Angeles have begun to learn how contact lenses are contributing to waterway pollution. Although contact lenses are biomedical, contact lenses are not biodegradable. Hydrogen peroxide and plastic elements make contact lenses hard to dispose of properly. In addition to this, contact lenses have to be replaced, which encourages a gradual build-up of waste material. About 20% of people who wear contacts will flush old lenses down the toilet or sink. When you do the math, that equals about 9 million pairs of contact lenses that are regularly contributing to waterway pollution. The United States, among other countries, is already dealing with enormous plastic waste every year.
When you think about contacts as a tiny transparent microplastic, then you’ll realize how dangerous this can be for the animals in our environment. Fish are likely ingesting these plastics, which could cause them to get sick and die. The seafood we eat may even contain trace amounts of plastics polluting our water and disrupting life cycles.
So, now that contact lenses have been found to contribute to global ecological problems, many LASIK professionals are predicting a shift in laser eye surgery patients. Young people, who tend to be more environmentally conscious than the generation before them, are seeking vision correction that will give them the most freedom and peace of mind. Glasses and contacts are no longer cutting it. With LASIK eye surgery, patients can often achieve better vision than they ever experienced with their prescription lenses. LASIK is a long-term solution and investment that benefits the individuals who get it and contributes to a more eco-conscious world.
LASIK can help people with nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. The procedure includes reshaping the cornea in order to allow light to focus better and achieve clarity of vision. Some patients are able to gain 20/20 vision or better as a result of this. LASIK has one of the highest patient satisfaction rates of any elective surgery. Both the procedure and the recovery process are quick and efficient.
LASIK is a great vision correction alternative that can help you achieve clarity of vision, freedom, and peace of mind. Your decision to get laser eye surgery could impact the world as we know it by promoting a healthy, eco-conscious way of living.