LASIK surgery is often advertised as an alternative to glasses and contact lenses. And for many people, it is exactly that. So, you may be surprised and even a bit turned off if a surgeon tells you that you'll still need to wear glasses after LASIK surgery. Many patients just walk away and figure LASIK is not for them after getting this news. However, LASIK can still be worth it, even if you need to wear glasses afterward. Here's why.

You may be able to do away with bifocals or trifocals

If you currently wear bifocals or trifocals, LASIK should be able to correct your vision to the point that you only need single lenses. It's really good at correcting nearsightedness, but not farsightedness, so you may just need glasses with the lens that helps you see close-up. While you will still need to wear glasses, the single-lens glasses you'll need are much cheaper than bifocals or trifocals. You won't constantly have to adjust which lenses you're looking through depending on what you're looking at, which will make your life a lot easier.

You might only need glasses for reading

Depending on how good your close-up vision is, you might not need to wear glasses all of the time after surgery. You may just need to wear them when you're reading, looking at a screen, or doing other close-up work. The idea that you'll have to wear glasses at all after LASIK may be a little off-putting at first, but consider how much less of an encumbrance on your life glasses will be if you only need to wear them now and then. You still won't have to deal with wearing them in the rain or when driving.

You may be able to at least see somewhat decently without glasses

Maybe your surgeon does not think you'll be able to achieve 20/20 vision with LASIK. But ask what level of vision they do think you'll be able to achieve. If they tell you that you can probably get to 20/40 vision or 20/60 vision, then this is decent. You will still need glasses to see perfectly, but with vision of this level, you will at least be able to see where you're going when you're walking around without glasses in the morning or at night. You may be able to go without glasses here and there, even if you do usually need them. If you currently have horrible vision and can't see anything without your glasses, then this can still be a huge improvement.

LASIK has allowed many people to do away with glasses. However, some patients do still need glasses afterward. This does not mean LASIK is a bad option, though, so spend some time thinking before you decide whether to pursue it.