The promise of LASIK laser eye surgery seems irresistible, doesn't it?
Walk into a LASIK surgeon's office after a lifetime of glasses or contacts and 15 minutes later, after a pain-free, risk-free surgery, walk out with perfect vision - and no more glasses, no more contacts.
Many have fallen for the promise. But not all are happy.
LASIK laser eye surgery permanently changes the shape and size of your cornea, possibly damaging your sight for the rest of your life. Are you ready to take that risk?
What's Your Point of View?
LASIK laser eye surgeons claim a 95% success rate. That makes LASIK laser eye surgery sound pretty safe and risk free.
The truthfulness of that success rate has come under question lately (more about that in future parts of this report), but even if we accept it for the moment, consider this:
There have been nearly 12 million LASIK laser eye surgeries in the United States over the last 12 years, meaning that at least 600,000 people have suffered complications from their surgery - many permanent and sight-threatening.
Complications like:
Severe dry eyes
Halos and double vision
Vertigo and dizziness
Distorted vision
Difficulty driving
Diminished vision
Repeated surgeries
Blindness
Nowadays, the risks and hazards of LASIK laser eye surgery are coming into greater focus.
As recently as April 2008, WebMDHealth said reports suggested that doctors weren't doing enough to inform patients about the potential risks and called for “clearer LASIK warnings.”
The Food and Drug Administration is looking into the issue of under-reported complications.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology is cracking down on surgeons who over-promise their results, or who don't screen properly.
And people just like you are taking a second look: the number of LASIK laser eye surgeries has dropped by more than 30% in the last year alone.
Your Eyes Are Precious
Your eyes are precious. One result of LASIK laser surgery is that it permanently changes the shape and size of your cornea.
No doctor knows for certain whether you'll be a success or whether you'll suffer from a potentially sight-threatening complication.
As the head of the Duke Eye Center says, "It's imperfect surgery in an imperfect world."
Abby Ellin thought she did her homework before she had LASIK laser eye surgery.
She interviewed different doctors. She waited for her friends to have the surgery first - and then rave about it.
But she wasn't so lucky.
You'll hear more about Ms. Ellin's experience in your report, The Real Risks of LASIK.
Watch your inbox for the next four parts of this report and you'll see how to separates these myths from the facts:
LASIK is risk-free
You'll get perfect vision with LASIK
LASIK results last forever
LASIK monovision is harmless
Learn what the risks really are - even if you eventually decide to go under the knife.
Better Vision Without the Risks
Health insurers don't pay for LASIK, so complications are not reliably tracked and long-term risks are not closely followed.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn't require reports from doctors. Lack of regulation and reporting makes it impossible to accurately know how many patients develop post-surgery complications.
LASIK laser eye surgery permanently changes the shape and size of your cornea, possibly damaging your sight for the rest of your life. Are you ready to take that risk?
More Than Half a Million Complications
But the fact is that at least 5% of the 12 million people who've undergone LASIK laser eye surgery have experienced complications. That's 600,000 people! (Other estimates put the percentage even higher.)
And the odds that you won't need glasses and contacts after surgery are only about 50-50.
But whether you're one in a thousand or one in a million, do you really want to take the chance that you might suffer complications like these:
A Few Examples
"I traded in my glasses for permanent head pain, eye pain and these things,” said Matthew Kotsovolos, of Raleigh, North Carolina, pointing to his goggles. Kotsovolos, 38, was head of finances at the Duke Eye Center, one of the leaders in the LASIK laser eye surgery field. As an employee, he was promised "red carpet treatment" and that the procedure would be free. Even though the surgery gave him 20/20 vision, it left him with intensely dry eyes and excruciating facial pain. He wakes up with sore eyes every morning and puts on special goggles to preserve eye moisture.
“I went to another doctor who said my corneas look like shattered windshields. I've had four more surgeries in my left eye, but it can't be fixed,” said Leslie Woodlock, of Huntington Beach, Calif. She thought that if her surgery didn't work, she could always return to wearing glasses. But her eyes are so bad that she has trouble seeing. "Now I can't drive at night because it's so bright it's like putting your head in a bag of Christmas lights. It's important people know this can happen."
"I often have to wake up every night to lubricate my eyes and put ointment in. It's made me a whole different person. I find no joy in anything. I had never envisioned it could be this bad," said Phyllis Knapp, of Kalamazoo, Mich. Ms. Knapp had her LASIK laser surgery eight years ago and now sees double in her left eye. At work, she suffers from such painful dryness she spends breaks on a cot in the lounge putting ice on her burning eyes.
Making a Mountain Out of a Mole Hill?
Defenders of LASIK laser eye surgery say: “Don't let a vocal unhappy minority convince you that LASIK laser eye surgery is terrible any more than you should let slick marketing campaigns convince you that it's risk-free.”
But records of clinical studies from the FDA show that six months after surgery, up to 28 percent of patients complain of eye dryness, up to 16 percent have blurry vision and up to 18 percent difficulty driving at night.
Ultimately, you're the one who has to decide if you're willing to gamble with the only pair of eyes you have.
The FDA warns that LASIK laser eye surgery can cause serious complications that cannot be corrected. Here's the risks the FDA says you should be aware of:
Some patients lose vision that cannot be corrected with glasses, contact lenses or surgery.
Some patients develop debilitating visual symptoms - glare, halos, double/triple or distorted vision - that can seriously affect nighttime vision.
Patients may be under treated or over treated. Only a certain percent of patients achieve 20/20 vision without glasses or contacts.
The level of improved vision experienced after surgery may diminish with age.
Some patients develop severe dry eye syndrome, which not only causes discomfort, but blurring that reduces the quality of one's vision. This condition may be permanent.
Is This Success?
Some LASIK laser eye surgeons even have their own definition of success. A patient who can read the bottom line on the eye chart is considered successful even though he or she may be doomed to a life of burning, dry eyes.
Industry ads promise "results you'll love," tout the operation as a "miracle," "safe and effective" and "revolutionary."
But the FDA warns you to be wary of "slick advertising" and "deals that sound too good to be true."
Don't you think that these people now wish they had given LASIK laser eye surgery a closer look?
Paula Cofer, 49, of Tampa, Florida, now has to use special contact lenses in the hope that she'll get some relief from dry, itchy eyes and night vision so distorted that she sees up to eight moons.
Cathy Bishop-Clark, 37, a professor at Miami University says, “I cannot read for any amount of time without experiencing substantial pain. I cannot go outside without wearing goggles because the wind is too much to tolerate. I have to close my eyes when people walk by me because I can feel the breeze they create in my eyes, and it is painful."
Cutting the Cornea Is Risky Enough
In LASIK laser eye surgery, a device cuts a flap in the cornea at the front of the eye and peels it back. A laser then reshapes the cornea. The flap is placed back over the cornea. Here are some more potential complications from LASIK laser eye surgery:
Corneal swelling, retinal detachment, blindness and loss of eye
Corneal infection, weakening and bulging of the cornea
Corneal scarring, irregular astigmatism (permanent warping of the cornea), inability to wear contact lenses
Thinning of the cornea (leads to bulging of the eye and blindness)
Flap problems (irregular flaps, incomplete flaps, flaps cut off entirely, in-growth of cells under the flap)
Discomfort, pain, scratchiness, light sensitivity
Ghost images
Loss of visual sharpness
Small pink or red patches on the white of the eye.
More Sufferers
Millard Stahle, of Fairfax, Virginia, says, based on the advertisements, he believed the surgery would improve his vision. Instead, it has dismantled his life. The procedure left him with such dry eyes that he says he must awaken every few hours, peel his lids open and apply lubricating drops.
He doesn't drive much because the lights of an oncoming car can be almost blinding. "I didn't know this could happen or be this severe," says Stahle. "For me, the night is the worst part. I wake up every hour, and the pain is like someone threw acid in there. I keep thinking, 'Millard Stahle, you ruined your life!' The ads, they're all hype."
Even advocates of the procedure have lodged complaints. Michael Henderson, the former president of Canadian-based Lasik Vision, sued the company claiming his eye surgery led to vision problems.
"We've learned the limitations of LASIK laser eye surgery," says Dr. Stephen Pflugfelder, an expert in laser eye surgery for more than 15 years and a professor of ophthalmology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Whatever the promise and whatever the hope - or hype - of LASIK laser eye surgery, it's just a fact that LASIK can cause life-altering complications that sometimes can't be fixed.
Better Vision Without the Risks
The promise that you'll get 20/20 vision is probably the most prevailing myth about LASIK laser eye surgery.
But even the most skilled and experienced surgeon cannot promise that you'll have 20/20 vision after LASIK laser eye surgery.
LASIK laser eye surgery permanently changes the shape and size of your cornea, possibly damaging your sight for the rest of your life. Are you ready to take that risk?
Which means, that even after the surgery, the odds are strong that you'll still need to use glasses and/or contacts.
So, why take the risk on LASIK laser eye surgery in the first place?
According to a study by the American Association of Professional Eyecare Specialists, about half of the people who undergo LASIK laser eye surgery get 20/20 vision - and half don't.
The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery says that 2 out of 5 patients do NOT get 20/20 eyesight.
Even those that get 20/20 - and are considered a statistical “success” - aren't necessarily free from disturbing problems.
Is This Success?
Listen to Amy Ellin describing her post-LASIK laser eye surgery problems in a March 13, 2008, New York Times article: “True, I no longer wear glasses. But the 20/20 line on the eye chart is blurry. I can make it out only if I squint, and it takes about a minute to read. My doctor views this as proof of the surgery's success. … But I see my slow-squint reading as a sign of failure. It's one thing to say that dry eye is 'annoying' … it's another to explain how feeling as if your eyes are coated in Vaseline may make every waking moment a chore.”
Or Joseph Schnell, 48, of Philadelphia, who had LASIK laser eye surgery over two years ago: "If I look to the extreme left, I see double. It's hard for me to focus."
Once a very confident driver, Schnell has trouble with night vision (among the more common complaints after LASIK laser eye surgery). Now, he says, “just the sight of oncoming headlights disorients me.”
This Government Warning Makes Sense
On its web site (www.fda.gov/cdrh/lasik/risks.htm), the Food and Drug Administration cautions patients to “Be wary of eye centers that advertise '20/20 vision or your money back' or 'package deals.' ”
Most any consent form you're asked to sign before undergoing LASIK laser eye surgery suggests only “reduced dependency on eyewear,” not 20/20 eyesight.
"What is attempted surgically is not always what people get," explains Brian Chou, O.D., F.A.A.O., a San Diego optometrist who specializes in refractive-surgery care. "One of the things inherent in any surgery is that there is no guarantee of the final outcome. While there is some predictability in it, everyone heals differently."
Some patients may still need distance glasses after surgery, for instance, and patients who wore reading glasses before LASIK laser eye surgery (and most people find a need for reading glasses after age 40) will still require them after LASIK laser eye surgery.
According to Miss Ellin's inquiries, unhappy LASIK laser eye surgery patients said they kept telling their doctors that they couldn't see, and that their doctors kept telling them that they could.
20/20 Isn't Always Perfect
The fact is that 20/20 eyesight doesn't mean perfect vision - or freedom from annoying, and disturbing, complications.
Sure, you may be able to read the bottom line on the chart, but, like Ms. Ellin, it may not mean that you will see clearly.
Or you could have debilitating problems like Barbara Berney, 53, of Rockford, Ill., who had LASIK laser eye surgery in 2001 and again in 2008 and hasn't needed glasses since, who reports suffering from dry eye, night blindness, dimmed vision, halos, and star bursts. “Unless you see what I see,” she says, “You have no frame of reference.”
If patients have unanswered questions before surgery, Kerry Solomon, co-chairman of the Joint LASIK Study Task Force and professor of ophthalmology at the Medical University of South Carolina, says they should hold off.
Ellin thought she asked all the questions, and thought she was being prudent. She didn't rush in. She did her research, interviewed doctors - and was told by three of them she was an excellent LASIK laser eye surgery candidate - and then not only waited for her friends to have their LASIK laser eye surgery, but also for them to rave about how it had changed their lives - before she went ahead.
It's an undeniable fact:
A certain percentage of LASIK laser eye surgery patients encounter problems - some merely annoying and others sight threatening.
Even if your friends are happy, even when your doctor claims you're an “excellent” candidate, that's still no absolute guarantee that your LASIK laser eye surgery will be a success.
The most compelling promise of LASIK laser eye surgery is the promise that it'll give you 20/20.
But, your chances of getting 20/20 are only 50-50.
Better Vision Without the Risks
Is LASIK laser eye surgery worth gambling your eyesight on - if you'll still have to wear glasses or contacts afterwards?
There's another way to get better vision and reduce your dependency on glasses and contacts.
It's not risky LASIK laser eye surgery.
It's what helped Donna Sanders to pass her driver's test in only five weeks:
"Before I started I wore my glasses 14-15 hours every single day. Now, I never need glasses at all. I passed my driver's test without them only five weeks after starting. I feel much more confident and free!"
Click here to see what it is - and how it can help you get the benefits of LASIK laser eye surgery - without the risks.
Of all the myths about LASIK laser eye surgery this could be the most baffling.
Why? Because the information is right there - when you know where to look.
LASIK laser eye surgery permanently changes the shape and size of your cornea, possibly damaging your sight for the rest of your life. Are you ready to take that risk?
If you read your pre-op contract and disclaimer that you have to sign before your LASIK laser eye surgery (which many people don't), you'd see that the cost of the follow-up surgery - euphemistically called an “enhancement” - is built into the original fee.
Can you think of any other branch of medicine where another surgery is required to fix what went wrong the first time, and they call it an “enhancement”?
It's another surgery, plain and simple, with all the risks of the first.
What Are Your Chances?
The chances of needing another surgery could be as high as one in ten.
Of the approximately 835,000 annual LASIK laser eye surgery patients in the U.S., 5.8 percent -- more than 48,000 people -- will need to have surgery more than once, to correct surgical error or to treat complications, according to Market Scope, a Missouri-based consulting firm that keeps tabs on the refractive-surgery market.
According to other reports, good surgeons have a 3 percent or less enhancement rate while some LASIK laser eye surgery outfits have a rate of 10 percent or more.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology says that additional surgeries are needed by a significant number of LASIK laser eye surgery patients.
Specific statistics on how many of those touch-up surgeries are due to surgical error and which are attributable to unanticipated patient outcome are difficult to find, however, because such numbers are not tracked. Indeed, all findings on LASIK laser eye surgery enhancements (including those used by industry analysts) are gathered through voluntary doctor surveys.
The reality is that the possible need for enhancement always exists. It's just a matter of when - three months later, or eight years.
Tiger Woods, one of the world's greatest athletes, had LASIK laser eye surgery in October 1999, but had problems again in 2007.
"My vision started slipping," Woods said. "I was getting headaches from squinting all the time."
Woods, now a pitchman for LASIK laser eye surgery, had this attitude: "What is it, eight years now?" Woods said. "That's pretty good."
But for some, the “enhancement procedure” is no more successful than the original surgery.
"It's imperfect surgery in an imperfect world," said Dr. Alan Carlson, head of the Duke Eye Center, one of the leading centers in the country. Even LASIK laser eye surgery at Duke - the surgeons are among the best-trained and best-equipped in the field - has damaged a few patients' eyes beyond repair.
Even Duke University Makes Mistakes
Like the eyesight of former Duke medical researcher Lauranell Burch, 47, whose eyes sting and burn all the time, ever since her LASIK laser eye surgery more than four years ago. Her eye tissue is wrinkled and her night vision distorted. "[The damage] is noticeable and on the front of your mind all your waking hours. There's no escape," said Ms. Burch, who has been forced to take anti-anxiety medication before driving at night.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, there are two primary reasons why less-than-optimal results occur.
One, the eye is undercorrected, meaning that not enough corneal tissue is burned away by the laser to bring the eye to 20/20 vision. The worse your vision, the higher your level of nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism - the more likely you'll get undercorrected, and need re-surgery.
Other re-surgeries are necessary because of adverse "wound healing," or how the eye responds to the laser.
"Everyone heals differently, and there's some LASIK laser eye surgery patients whose wound healing is such that their vision undergoes a regression," says Ernest W. Kornmehl, M.D., medical director of Kornmehl Laser Eye Associates in Boston.
As the eye recovers, unintended visual shifts can take place that could leave a patient with progressively weakening vision over time. Some patients have even lost their sight altogether, though this extreme degree of vision loss is the rarest of complications.
Better Vision Without the Risks
Even if you seriously consider all the risks, and are willing to take the chance, LASIK laser eye surgery should be your last resort, not your first choice.
There's another way to get better vision and reduce your dependency on glasses and contacts.
It's not risky LASIK laser eye surgery.
It's what New York City optometrist Dr. Richard Kavner, F.A.A.O., calls “a must try for any person interested in improving their vision.”
Click here to see what it is - and how it can help you get the benefits of LASIK laser eye surgery - without the risks.
Mono-vision is a particular type of LASIK laser eye surgery.
The laser burns each eye differently so that one eye is corrected for farsightedness, and the other eye corrected for nearsightedness.
LASIK laser eye surgery permanently changes the shape and size of your cornea, possibly damaging your sight for the rest of your life. Are you ready to take that risk?
The result: When you are focusing at near, you use only the eye corrected for near vision; when looking far away, you use the other eye that's corrected for distance vision.
Is Becoming a One-Eyed Cyclopes
Really Good for Your Vision?
The promise is that your brain will easily adjust to this unnatural way of seeing, with no side effects or problems.
But that promise is not the fact for everyone.
Like Charlotte Maier:
“I had LASIK laser eye surgery in 2007 for mono-vision. It was a disaster! I had both eyes redone for distance in 2008. I am very uncomfortable with my vision now, even though on the chart I am reading 20/25 or so. I lost my near vision and now I need reading glasses, which I hate too. I have stinging strain and blurriness all the time.”
Or K. B. Lamphier:
“I had the mono-vision LASIK laser eye surgery. I notice that my eyes have weakened again, as I age. It's becoming harder and harder for me to see really clear much beyond 20-30 feet. I am now beginning to struggle to see the overhead signs in grocery stores and road signs. At night, my vision is so poor, I wear distance correction glasses.”
Because of the LASIK laser eye surgery, the two eyes cannot work together anymore. Since each eye is corrected for different distances, poor depth perception often results, and overall quality of vision can decline.
Mono-Vision Has It's Own Risks
In addition to all the other risks associated with LASIK laser eye surgery, mono-vision correction has it's own list of potential problems and negative side-effects.
People with mono-vision can have decreased depth perception.
Vision may be worse in low light.
It might become more difficult to read small print for long periods of time.
Many patients have a hard time tolerating one eye blurred at all times.
Driving at night can become more difficult.
You might fail your vision test at the Department of Motor Vehicles because some state driver's license requirements cannot be met with mono-vision.
Additional LASIK laser eye surgery will be required to reverse the mono-vision effect if you can't tolerate it.
You may have to wear glasses anyway: It is highly recommended that someone with mono-vision have a pair of glasses made that provide full distance vision correction for those situations where excellent distance vision and/or depth perception are desirable. For detail activities such as prolonged reading, have a pair of reading glasses made that provide balanced near vision.
If you're still determined to get mono-vision LASIK laser eye surgery, it's recommended that you go through a trial period with mono-vision contact lenses to make sure your eyes can tolerate it - before having the actual LASIK laser eye surgery.
Better Vision Without the Risks
Even if you seriously consider all the risks, and are willing to take the chance, LASIK laser eye surgery should be the last resort, not the first choice.
There's another way to get better vision and reduce your dependency on glasses and contacts.
It's not risky LASIK laser eye surgery.
It's what Albert Rioux used to pass his driver's test without glasses:
"At 55 years of age, I passed my driver's test without glasses for the first time in 35 years. I no longer need glasses for reading, either."
Click here to see what it is - and how it can help you get the benefits of LASIK laser eye surgery - without the risks.
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"In hindsight, I wish I knew about this before my eye surgery."
"It's imperfect surgery in an imperfect world..."
~ Prominent LASIK Laser Surgeon
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Real Risks of LASIK:
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