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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Next >> Matt Kotsovolos worked for the Duke Eye Center when he had a more sophisticated LASIK procedure in 2006, and said his doctors classified him as a success because he now has 20-20 vision -- something Kotsovolos called a deceptive industry practice, according to the AP.
"For the last two years, I have suffered debilitating and unremitting eye pain," Kotsovolos said. "Patients do not want to continue to exist as helpless victims with no voice."
LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) surgery involves cutting a small flap in the eye's cornea using a laser. With the flap held out of the way, the surgeon can then reshape the corneal tissue with another laser. The procedure can be used for nearsightedness (as in Tiger Woods' case), farsightedness and, in some cases, astigmatism.
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But, the much-touted procedure is not for everyone. Those who should rule it out include individuals who have a misshapen cornea or excessively thin cornea, who have early cataract formation or big pupils, who have dry eyes, or underlying conditions such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, said Dr. Norman Saffra, director of ophthalmology at Maimonides Medical Center in New York City.
Negative results can include glare and halos around lights at night. Some patients have actually had to have corneal transplants when LASIK went wrong, Starr said.
Surgeons may also rule out patients with unrealistic expectations. "I had a patient who said, 'I want to be able to see a license plate on a dark country road from a mile away,' so I didn't do it," said Cykiert, who estimated that he declines about 20 percent of patients who come to him.
Cykiert recommends that the surgeon who is going to perform the LASIK surgery also be the one to pre-screen candidates. "One of the things [the FDA] is probably going to find is that some of the people who have complaints that are valid may possibly have not been evaluated pre-operatively as thoroughly as they could have been," he said.
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