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Breaking News
6/12/2009: LASIK surgeon Philip Gabriele found dead of self-inflicted gunshot wound after being indicted on criminal charges: Read article
6/11/2009: $5.6 Million LASIK Medical Malpractice Verdict: Read press release
6/11/2009: LASIK Activist Tells GAO, IG About 20-fold Injury Excess: Read article
5/22/2009: FDA Acting Commissioner, Joshua Sharfstein, investigates LASIK patients' complaints. Source
5/21/2009: Letter sent to U.S. Congress seeking moratorium on LASIK. Source
5/19/2009: Professional golfer, Peter Lonard, having vision problems after two LASIK surgeries. Source
What's New on this site
Legal News: Deposition of LASIK defense expert, Dr. Jonathan M. Woolfson, published by plantiff's attorney. Read more on Lawsuits.
Industry News: An auditor plans to raise “going concern” about TLC Vision Corp.’s ability to continue... TLC lost $95 million in the fourth quarter of 2008. Read more on News.
New color topographies: Post-LASIK Ectasia, Corneal Transplant, Radial Keratotomy (RK).
New pages: Patient undergoes multiple surgeries after failed LASIK, Patient Letter: Post-LASIK Floaters, LASIK in the Military, Email From Grateful Reader.
Updated pages: LASIK Complaints Filed With FDA
Quote of the week
Dr. Gary Conrad, Kansas State University Biology Professor: "It was once believed that the flap would re-adhere permanently. However, the unique connective tissue of the cornea and a lack of blood vessels limit its ability to fully heal even years after the procedure." Source
Depression and Suicide after LASIK
Patients with bad outcomes after LASIK may experience diminished quality of life, depression, and thoughts of suicide.
More: LASIK-related depression and suicide »
In response to public outcry of widespread problems with LASIK, the FDA held a public meeting on April 25, 2008 to hear from a panel of experts and patients harmed by the surgery. Watch testimony of LASIK-related suicide and depression:
Help for LASIK patients - LasikContactLenses.com
Lasers can certainly remove corneal tissue, but no technology can replace it. LASIK is irreversible. LASIK patients may suffer permanent visual impairment which glasses and soft contact lenses cannot correct.
Is there hope? We believe there is hope with specialty contact lenses. Dr. Edward Boshnick has devoted his career to helping patients who have lost visual quality after LASIK and other forms of refractive surgery.
You Know Big Tobacco, Now Meet Big LASIK
• Big Tobacco said that drinking one to two glasses of whole milk a day was riskier than second-hand smoke. Big LASIK says that wearing contact lenses is riskier than having LASIK surgery.
• Big Tobacco advertised low-tar cigarettes as "the cigarette that takes the FEAR out of smoking". Big LASIK currently advertises blade-free LASIK as the technology that takes the FEAR out of LASIK.
• Big Tobacco said that "unhappiness causes cancer". Big LASIK says that patient personality factors are to blame for LASIK dissatisfaction.
Make Your Voice Heard!
If you experienced problems after LASIK, such as starbursts, halos, multiple images, night vision difficulty, chronic dry eyes or other complications, you should report it to the FDA: File a report
A citizen's petition asking the FDA to inspect LASIK clinics to ensure compliance with FDA's medical device adverse events reporting regulation was posted on 6/4/2009. Post a comment in support of the petition: Go to petition
The FDA is re-examining LASIK safety and has announced a new study on quality of life after LASIK. In September, 2008 the FDA opened a public docket to receive comments on LASIK. Tell the FDA about your bad experience with LASIK: Comment
Many injured LASIK patients feel they are victims of deceptive LASIK ads that imply risk-free, perfect vision without glasses. Read the FTC guidelines for LASIK advertising. File a complaint with the FTC for false or misleading advertising of LASIK. Advertising complaint
You can verify a LASIK surgeon's license to practice medicine, check for state disciplinary action, or file a complaint with your state medical board. Click here to find contact information for your state medical board: Medical Boards
20% complication rate six months after LASIK
in FDA clinical trials
From the report: "In [FDA] studies, ~15% of patients experienced night vision symptoms that were worse or significantly worse than preoperative night vision symptoms. Approximately 20% of patients experienced dryness symptoms that were worse or significantly worse than preoperative dryness." View complication table from report. Source: Bailey MD, Zadnik K. Outcomes of LASIK for myopia with FDA-approved lasers. Cornea. 2007 Apr;26(3):246-54.
Editor's note: A September 2008 update to the FDA website states, "halos, glare, night vision problems and dry eye from LASIK should be reported to FDA". Patient groups would like to know how a device with a 20% complication rate received FDA approval, despite the FDA guidance requiring an adverse event rate of <1% for approval.
The Flap Never Heals...
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Emory University researchers discover that the LASIK flap is only 2% as strong as normal cornea. Read source
"Another aspect of LASIK surgery is that during this procedure, a corneal flap is made, which will create lifelong lamellar corneal potential
space." (Galal et al, 2006)
"The LASIK flap once cut may contribute little to the mechanical stability of the cornea and probably never completely adheres to the underlying stromal bed..." (O'Brart et al, 2007)
"I was in the middle of trephining a donor cornea, when it fell apart... Later, back at the eye bank, researchers examined the ruined cornea and determined that it had had LASIK." Source
Tiger Woods, “My vision started slipping”
Several professional golfers have reportedly experienced problems after LASIK including Kenny Perry, Retief Goosen, Kevin Na, Paul Stankowski, Ian Leggatt, Vijay Singh, John Jacobs, Peter Lonard, and Scott Hoch.
In May, 2007, USA Today quoted Tiger Woods as saying, "My vision started slipping". The article states that Woods had a re-operation after the 2007 Masters tournament.
Golfer, Padraig Harrington is reported to have had repeated laser eye surgeries. Source Harrington was seen using eye drops at a tournament in Orlando, Florida on March 29, 2009.
In November, 2008, Tiger Woods' surgeon, Dr. Mark E. Whitten, was ordered by a jury to pay $850,000 in a LASIK malpractice lawsuit brought by a patient who claims permanent eye damage as a result of LASIK. Read more on News.
Editors note: This is not the first time Tiger Woods' surgeon has been sued. Read how LASIK surgery performed by Mark Whitten turned out to be a LASIK disaster for a young woman with large pupils. View lawsuit and article.
Some link depression, failed lasik by Sabine Vollmer
The News & Observer 2/3/2008
From the article: "Frustration and even sorrow can follow any unsuccessful surgery, but when the procedure leaves a patient with unremitting eye pain or permanently impaired vision, the emotional toll can be particularly severe... Scientists at the Emory Eye Center in Atlanta reviewed suicides among organ donors who had had laser eye surgery. Preliminary results suggested the suicide rate might be four times as high among cornea donors who had had lasik as among cornea donors who had not."
What about the latest custom bladeless technology?
iLASIK / IntraLASIK / IntraLase femtosecond laser-created flap:
The latest LASIK industry hype is 'blade-free' or 'all-laser' LASIK. Beware of serious risks and complications of this technology:
Patient damaged by latest technology testifies at April, 2008 FDA hearing. The New York Times: "Matt Kotsovolos worked for the Duke Eye Center when he had a more sophisticated Lasik procedure in 2006, and said doctors classified him as a success because he now has 20-20 vision — something Mr. Kotsovolos charged was a deceptive industry practice. “For the last two years I have suffered debilitating and unremitting eye pain,” Mr. Kotsovolos said." Link to article
LASIK complaints reported to the FDA
by LASIK patients with bad outcomes
In 2008 FDA medical device chief Dr. Daniel Schultz said the agency needs to study the reasons for LASIK dissatisfaction. Yet, the FDA seems to ignore the complaints reported by LASIK patients. In 2008, several hundred LASIK problems were reported to the FDA. Unfortunately, most LASIK patients with complications never file a report simply because they are not aware of the FDA's consumer reporting program. We have republished some of the more recent LASIK complaints on this site. As you read the reports you'll notice a common theme -- chronic dry eyes, night vision problems, halos, and starbursts. These complications are dismissed by LASIK surgeons as "side effects" or "symptoms", even though the FDA LASIK website states: "halos, glare, night vision problems and dry eye from LASIK should be reported to FDA".