There are undoubtedly many unique, personal reasons for getting LASIK eye surgery, but after many years of doing the operation doctors have found a handful of common reasons. You may or may not agree with every item on the following list of the top five reasons why people get LASIK surgery, but chances are one or more will ring a bell.

1. There are a lot of people in the world who wonder what it would be like to wake up in the morning and see everything clearly without having to look for their glasses. It's that simple for some folks. They just want to have normal vision, period.

2. Some people just don't like the look of glasses, and cannot adjust to contact lenses, either. They want to look good, and not have to worry about coordinating their eyewear with their wardrobes. More women than men may have this reason for vision correction surgery, but in this day and age men are just as fashion- and clothes-conscious as women are-some even more so!

3. It's often quite hard to play sports wearing glasses or contact lenses, and certain activities make it nearly impossible. It's bad enough just playing a casual game of weekend volleyball, having the ball crash into your face and hearing (and feeling) your glasses break. But it's worse if you are a semi-professional athlete. Swimmers and other aquatic sports athletes are great candidates for LASIK eye surgery, for instance, as they would never again have to worry about losing their glasses or contacts underwater.

4. Think about this: You never have to worry about your eyesight again for the rest of your life. This is a prime motivator for a lot of people, especially those needing vision correction early in life. What is normal vision for others is a wonder and a blessing for you. With LASIK eye surgery, you can enjoy the world in true, bright and beautiful clarity-for your whole life-without slipping on specs or popping in contacts.

5. Many people work in occupations requiring above average, unaided vision in environments where it would be dangerous or otherwise problematic to lose your contacts, have your glasses fog up or misplace either one. Everyone, from jewelers and photographers to baseball players and NAVY Seals, depends on good vision to do their best work, and corrective implements like glasses and contacts have a degree of risk involved in their use. Clear vision really could be a matter of life and death in some occupations.

A great number of the people who choose are doing so because of one or more of these listed reasons, or something very close to them. People around the world have many things in common that transcend culture, nationality, politics and creeds, and everyone who gives it a moment of thought would agree that their vision is a very precious commodity.