Military Supports LASIK
WASHINGTON – A panel of medical advisers – mostly eye doctors wearing glasses – listened to tales of woe and wonder Friday [April 25, 2008] from people who sought to get rid of their specs through LASIK surgery.
What was clear by day’s end: The vast majority of people undergoing laser eye surgery benefit and are happy, but a small fraction, perhaps fewer than 1 percent, suffer side effects: worse vision, dry-eye, glare and inability to drive at night.
About 700,000 American’s a year undergo the elective laser surgery. Like golf star and famed LASIK recipient Tiger Woods, they’re hoping to throw away their glasses, just as the ads say. LASIK is marketed as quick and painless: Doctors cut a flap in the cornea – the eye’s clear covering – aim a laser underneath it and reshape the cornea for sharper sight.
The FDA agrees with the eye surgeons’ studies that only 5 percent of patients are dissatisfied with LASIK. What’s not clear is exactly how many of those suffer lasting problems and how many just didn’t get quite as clear vision as they had expected.
The most meticulous studies comes from the military, where far less than 1 percent of LASIK recipients suffer side effects, said Dr. David Tanzer, the Navy’s Medical Corps commander.
The research promoted LASIK to be cleared last year both for Navy aviators and NASA astronauts.
“The word from the guys that are out there standing in harm’s way, whose lives depend on their ability to see, are asking for you to please not take this away,” said Lt. Col. Scott Barnes, a cornea specialist at Fort Bragg who described soldiers seeking LASIK after losing their glasses in combat.
No one’s actually considering restrictions on LASIK – but the FDA is pairing with eye surgeons to begin a major study next year to better understand who has bad outcomes.
“Millions of patients have benefited” from LASIK, said Dr. Peter McDonnell of Johns Hopkins University, a spokesman for the America Academy of Ophthalmologists. “No matter how uncommon, when complications occur, they can be distressing… We’re dedicated to doing everything in our power to make the LASIK procedure better for all our patients.”
Copyright 2008 – The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon, USA
On April 25th, 2008, USAEyes CORE conducted a Vision Correction Surgery Patient Survey. Here are their results.
- 99% report quality of life as expected, better or much better.
- 98% day vision as expected, better or much better.
- 98% would recommend surgery to friends and family.
- 98% reported no complications, resolved complications or seldom problematic.
- 97% would have surgery knowing what they know now.
- 96% wear corrective lenses as often as expected, less or much less than expected.
- 96% report postop vision without lenses as expected, better or much better than expected when compared to preop vision with lenses.
- 91% currently have no complications at any time.
- 91% night vision as expected, better or much better.
- 91% who report having seldom complications, would have surgery again.
Copyright 2008 – The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon, USA