US professor claims refractive surgery is safer than contact lens wear

Refractive surgery is safer than wearing contact lenses, according to a US professor of ophthalmology writing in the October edition of the Archives of Ophthalmology.

In a letter, Professor William Mathers from Oregon Health & Science University, reviewed several large-scale studies and concluded that the chance of suffering vision loss is greater for contact lens wearers than patients of refractive surgery.

Citing a study published in The Lancet in 1999, Mathers reported the rate of bacterial keratitis to be 3.5 cases per 10,000 persons per year for daily wear contact lenses and 20 cases per 10,000 persons per year for extended-wear contact lenses.