New York – Doctors, clinics and others promoting LASIK corrective eye surgery need to make sure their advertisements tell consumers about possible risks, regulators said yesterday.
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The Food and Drug Administration, which has been investigating patient complaints over the procedure, told health-care providers that commercials and other promotions that do not convey necessary warnings, side effects and other precautions are deceptive.
“Advertising and pro- motional materials for FDA-approved lasers used during LASIK procedures must be truthful, properly substantiated and not mislead- ing,” wrote agency official Timothy Ulatowski.
The letter comes more than a year after the FDA held a public meeting that drew dozens of unhappy patients who complained of blurriness, double vision, depression and other problems after undergoing LASIK.
Surgeons and other industry groups said the procedure is safe and effective when done properly and that most patients are satisfied with their vision afterward.
LASIK involves cutting a flap in the surface of the eye and then using a laser to reshape the cornea, aiming to improve patients’ vision so they can avoid glasses or contact lenses.
About 700,000 Americans have undergone the procedure since it was approved in 1998, industry estimates have shown.
Diana Zuckerman, president of National Research Center for Women & Families, said the FDA could have done more than send a “vague” letter that does not help patients “in any meaningful way.”
“The problem is there are certain people who are unlikely to benefit [from LASIK] and they don’t know who they are,” she said. “At this point, many people think LASIK is some kind of miracle . . . and that’s just not true.
It is a miracle i did it 8 years ago and its great!
I had it done a year & a half ago & if ur ready for a lot of post-op appointments & u have a bit of extra $$ its def. worth it.
…Sometimes the numbers (of patients who had Lasik surgery) that are cited in the commercials are not very credible. According to the ads, large segment of the population had the corrective procedure, when the majority of people have near-perfect vision, anyway!!!
Guyes, whatch out! Its only good if your eye prescription is 700, less you woudnt need it. The higher it is the riskeir it is.
lasik is great, i had it done 3 years ago. a few mornings later, i woke up, and for te first time in many years, i could see everything clearly, no fumbling around for glasses. but it has to be done right; you need to go to a real eye doctor who can tell if you’re a good candidate for the surgery, and be willing to spend quite a bit of money (i hear the ‘clinics’ that do it for $100 are really bad). also, there are some side effects. for me, my eyes now tend to dry out fairly easily, though it’s nothing that over-the-counter eye drops can’t fix. If you fit the criteria, feel you can handle the minor side effects, and you have the money, go for it! i am so grateful to hashem every day that this procedure exists, and that i was privileged to be able to have it done.
when u say expensive what do u mean 5 grand 10 grand and how is it?
I had LASIK done in 2003. Ever since I’m happy!
Did it 2003 and thrilled
i had it done 4years ago and i am not happy