A common indication is contact lens intolerance, where through foreign body sensation or contact lens related dryness, the patient experiences a reduction in contact lens wearing comfort. Spectacles may not be a suitable alternative in certain life style or work environments (policemen, firemen, sportsmen, actors etc.) as they amongst others restrict peripheral vision.

People who have a refractive error only in one eye or eyes with very different refractive errors (anisometropia) can in many cases not tolerate their full prescription strength worn in a pair of glasses. This is because the glasses lens sits at a distance around 15mm away from the eye and the diffrent lens thicknesses produce a magnification difference between the eyes which sends 2 very different signals to the brain which cannot be correctly interpreted (anisoconia). Laser surgery or contact lenses don't produce this extreme difference in signals and so are a very good solution. Some people have a high level of astigmatism in only one eye. Here contact lenses are also not able to fit well enough to provide an adequate correction and laser surgery remains the treatment which is most effective.

One should have a glasses prescription which has not changed more than 0,50 dioptre over the last 2 years.