LASIK is so profitable that the industry hides serious complications from the public. Patients are enticed into a risky, unnecessary surgery by aggressive and deceptive marketing. 
Breaking News 4/25/2008
FDA Advisory Panel Chairman rejects LASIK
Reported by CNN: "That's a big reason that Weiss, the ophthalmologist, won't get LASIK even though she offers it to her patients. "I can read without my glasses and ... operate without my glasses, and I love that," she said. "The second aspect is I would not tolerate any risk for myself." Source
LASIK "flaps cause a considerable reduction in
corneal biomechanical stability"
Researchers report that LASIK eyes have a 48% reduction in corneal biomechanical strength. This leads one to wonder how many patients will eventually develop post-LASIK ectasia.
What about the latest technology?
iLASIK / IntraLASIK / IntraLase femtosecond laser-created flap:
The latest LASIK industry hype is 'bladeless' or 'all-laser' LASIK. While a thinner, more uniform flap may be better in some important respects, we caution that this technology is associated with serious complications: Learn more.
Read reports submitted to FDA of patient injuries associated with Intralase / iLASIK technology: Link
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-Flap.com
Unhappy LASIK patients have a place to talk about their experiences on the patient bulletin board. People considering LASIK can learn how LASIK damages healthy eyes. From the bulletin board:
LASIK patient: "My Lasik doctor/clinic hid this fact from me because it would prevent making a sale; this is unconscionable behavior from any human being, and quite alarmingly from any doctor."
Thankful reader: "I am just dumbfounded that these aggressive marketing tactics would be used for a medical procedure... I have decided to continue wearing my glasses... I'm glad that I found this site!"
An Inconvenient Truth - The LASIK Report
The LASIK Report is a comprehensive review of the medical literature on LASIK. The report concludes that LASIK is an inherently harmful procedure and should be abandoned. From the report:
"In 1998, when the first laser received FDA approval for LASIK, little was known about complications and long-term safety of the procedure... It is now widely reported in ophthalmic medical journals that complications such as dry eye and visual disturbances in low light are common, and that creation of the corneal flap permanently compromises tensile strength and biomechanical integrity of the cornea."
"The Cool Laser Beam Gently Sculpts Your Cornea..." or so the sales pitch goes.
An actual photo of a laser shot fired at a cornea. Looks more like a nuclear bomb, doesn't it? As it turns out, some people don't like the smell of burning flesh...
Notable Quotes
"Indeed, the long-term problems created by laser refractive surgery are not yet a major issue, but soon will be".
Refractive surgery: lessons to be learned.
Clin Experiment Ophthalmol. 2005 Apr;33(2):115-6. Mantry S, Shah S.
Thomas R. Quackenbush, Vision Educator: "A primary tenet of orthodox medicine has been never to perform surgery on healthy tissue. It appears this tenet has now changed. Obviously, many people have better acuity soon after these surgeries--but what about the long-term consequences?" Source: Relearning to See
Arthur B. Epstein, O.D.: “... many of us in the contact lens community have spent untold hours trying to help patients who have had their lives literally destroyed by LASIK.”
Review of Optometry, November 2006
Some link depression, failed lasik by Sabine Vollmer
The News & Observer 2/3/2008
From the article: "Patients who undergo vision-correcting laser eye surgery sign a release form with an extensive list of risks, but some researchers and former patients say a potential complication is not mentioned: depression that can lead to suicide. In response to patient complaints, the Food and Drug Administration plans to convene a large, national study to examine the relationship of lasik complications and quality of life, including psychological problems such as depression..."
"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..."