The Benefit of Lasik for Athletes
Wearing glasses or contacts can be a hassle for anyone. What is the benefit of Lasik for athletes? When it comes to athletes, eyewear can really put a damper on performance. Eliminating the risk of having to step aside in order to remove or adjust eyeglasses or contact lenses will better your game, and focus. Professional athletes and weekend warriors alike are going under the laser, and benefiting from having flawless vision.
Athletes face more potential irritants than anyone. Moving at rapid speeds, and juxtaposed against snow, dirt, grass and sweat, getting unwanted debris lodged in your eye is at odds-on.
Swimmers know that glasses don’t stay in place while in the water, and contact lenses will cause problems if you accidentally get water in your eye. Wearing glasses while playing a contact sport such as football or basketball, can be dangerous. If hit, you risk having your glasses break and causing eye or face injury. Sports require mental focus, and fiddling with your corrective lenses during a meet is a distraction.
LASIK Recovery Time
For those practicing sports professionally, the recovery period needed can be a cause for concern. However, LASIK recovery time isn’t too bad at all. Most people are able to return to work the following day, and low levels of exercise are usually possible within the week.
Marathoners can resume their usual running routine after just a few days, and most contact sports can be resumed after just two or three days. The second longest recovery time for LASIK is swimming, with only a two-week required hiatus.
It’s recommended that protective goggles be worn a month after LASIK while playing all sports, in order to avoid any sudden jabs to the eye that could cause corneal displacement, and other complications. With these, players need not miss any training or playing time while recovering.
In the case of high-contact sports where person-to-person contact is highly anticipated, such as karate or kung-fu, a much higher injury risk is posed–these sports should be avoided for at least a month.
5 Sport Celebrities Who Have Had Lasik
Lebron James
Does LeBron James wear glasses? Nope. Already on the top of his game, Lebron James underwent LASIK and brought his game up to his full potential. After his surgery in 2007, he had the most efficient season ever, shooting his highest overall percentage, and best highest free throw percentage. During the next few seasons after LASIK, Lebron was making 50 percent of his shots. Due to LASIK, Lebron’s performance significantly improved, and by the 2009-10 season, he had obtained a career high of 8.6 assists per game.
Tiki Barber
NFL superstar had LASIK surgery in 2002, and pulled better stats in the years that followed than ever before. Barber affirms: “I had the procedure at a time when many people were still scared about it. Now, a lot of guys I play ball with either have had LASIK, or are strongly considering it. I think people, in general, feel more confident about LASIK now more than ever. It’s been four years since my surgery and I’ve had no complications and remain thrilled with my vision.”
Lindsey Vonn
Lindsey Vonn, world champion alpine skier and long-term contact lense wearer, had LASIK done in 2010. “I decided to have LASIK because I noticed that it was becoming more difficult to see the gates and judge the terrain as I was skiing. I couldn’t clearly see the terrain on the mountain and the slightest miscalculation could mean the difference between winning and losing,” said Vonn. After surgery, Vonn went on to win her fourth World Cup overall championship.
Dwyane Wade
Following in the footsteps of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade underwent LASIK IN 2011. Shortly after the surgery he commented: “It’s kind of an amazing thing to see your eye wide open and to see something go right by it, see things touching it and you can’t even feel it.” After LASIK, Wade went on to get his second and third championship ring.
Greg Maddux
Eight-time All-Star, World Series Champion Greg Maddux used to wear wide-frame glasses on the field. “The doctor said it would be a speedy recovery, plus everybody I’ve talked to that’s had it, they’ve all said it’s one of the greatest things that’s ever happened to them,” Maddux said. After the procedure, Maddux claimed to see better, and a lot wider. He went on to pitch for another 9 years after the procedure, throwing fewer than a 1,000 walks during an entire 22-year career. He is also the only player to record 300 wins, and 3,000 strikeouts.
Want to learn more about the benefits of LASIK eye surgery?
CorrectVision Laser Institute is one of Florida’s most advanced practices for vision impairments with extensive experience in LASIK. Our goal is to open your eyes to the world of great vision by offering unparalleled expertise and the most advanced technology available.
Contact us today for a consultation with one of our South Florida eye specialists, located in Hollywood, Weston and Pembroke Pines!