And for anyone who has needed glasses or contact lenses to see clearly, the results of laser eye surgery can be life-changing.

A/Prof. Chandra Bala, who specialises in cataract, cornea and refractive surgery at personalEYES clinics in Sydney, says people choose to have laser eye surgery for a number of reasons.

Some contact lens wearers experience dryness or discomfort. For others, laser vision is a more convenient alternative to glasses or contacts.

“It is often a lifestyle choice,” he says. “If you play sport or you're an active person, or it might be a hassle to wear glasses or contact lenses on a day-to-day basis.”

Patients may also have financial reasons to choose surgery, especially as the cost of purchasing and upgrading glasses accumulates over time.

“A lot of people just want to be spectacle-free,” Bala says.

“You can get up in the morning and you don't have to put on your glasses. You can see the clock at the end of the bed. It’s a matter of convenience,” he adds.

Bala says the type of eye surgery you choose depends on your age, preferences and budget. Laser eye surgery is an umbrella term to describe a number of patented procedures to improve eyesight, including LASIK, PRK and LASEK, which use a laser to reshape the cornea, or the clear layer at the front of the eye.

Think of the cornea as a window to the retina, the light-sensitive tissue that connects your eye to your brain. Reshaping the cornea allows light to focus through to the retina more accurately.

Laser eye surgery has been available for decades. But Bala says eye treatment has progressed leaps and bounds from the early days of surgery. 

To find out more about laser eye surgery, talk to the team at the Goulburn personalEYES clinic, located at The Goulburn Health Hub at 37 Ross Street.

Call the clinic on 6281 1688 or visit the website:

This advertising feature is sponsored by the following businesses. Click on the link to learn more: