LASIK Eye Surgery: Corrective Surgery Risks

Special Alert: July 2008

LASIK Surgery Adverse Effects

In the spring of 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began to evaluate whether or not its warnings about LASIK surgery were strong enough. The agency had received reports of adverse side effects in patients who had undergone the surgical procedure, including severe eye pain, fuzzy vision, and dry eyes.

After hearing from a dozen patients, a panel of FDA advisors decided that the agency needed to issue clearer warnings about the risks associated with LASIK surgery. The panel recommended that more clearly stated warnings be added to informational brochures and that the FDA include more safety warnings and information on its web site.

What is LASIK eye surgery?

LASIK surgery is a corrective procedure done by ophthalmologists to treat myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. During LASIK surgery, doctors cut a flap in the cornea, the clear covering of the eye, and reshape it with a laser for improved vision.

Approximately 700,000 patients undergo LASIK surgery every year, as an alternative to wearing glasses or contacts.

Possible Side Effects of LASIK Eye Surgery:

• Blindness
• Dry eyes
• Overcorrection or undercorrection
• Halos around light sources at night
• Light sensitivity
• Ghost images or double vision
• Wrinkles in the cornea's flap
• Debris or growth under the flap
• Induced astigmatism
• Decentered ablation
• Thin or buttonhole flap
• Corneal Ectasia
• Floaters
• Epithelium erosion
• Posterior vitreous detachment
• Macular hole

Overview of LASIK Eye Surgery:

The principles of the LASIK technique were first developed by the Columbian ophthalmologist Jose Barraquer in the early 1950s. The surgery was we know it today dates back to 1990, when it quickly gained in popularity because of its precision and improved safety in comparison to previous methods.

The rate of complications in post-surgery patients is estimated to be three to six percent. A percentage of these patients experience life-altering, serious side effects. Patients who suffered these severe side effects testified before the FDA advisory panel in April 2008. They told stories of debilitating eye pain; dry eye so severe it required corrective surgery; and a doctor who performed surgery on an undesirable candidate, resulting in years of eye pain and fuzzy vision before the young man killed himself.

In response, the panel made several recommendations to the FDA. In addition to strong warnings on patient brochures, they suggested the FDA do the following on its LASIK surgery web site:

• Clarify how often patients suffer certain side effects.
• Post photographs showing what people suffering certain side effects actually see.
• Make the conditions that disqualify certain patients for LASIK more understandable.
• Make it clear that anyone whose nearsightedness is fixed by LASIK will definitely need reading glasses in middle age, something that is not necessarily the case if they do not undergo the procedure.

You Need Experienced Lawyers Who Understand Injury Cases to Fight On Your Side

If you or a loved one has been hurt due to LASIK eye surgery, you need to act quickly. When our injury attorneys and staff get involved with your case, we immediately get to work investigating the cause of your injury and fighting for your legal rights to fair compensation.