Essay 4

Krista Carter

Professor Kerr

EN 101-5

November 21, 2010

LASIK Eye Surgery

            Refractive surgery corrects visual acuity, reducing or eliminating the need for glasses or contacts (Segre, “The LASIK Procedure”). LASIK eye surgery is the most commonly performed refractive surgery (Segre, “The LASIK Procedure”). According to Dr. J. Bradley Randleman, “LASIK stands for laser in situ keratomileusis, which means using a laser underneath a corneal flap (in situ) to reshape the cornea (keratomileusis)” (Randleman). First, a microkeratome, which is a small instrument that contains a blade, is used to cut a thin, circular flap in the cornea of the eye (Segre, “The LASIK Procedure”). After the surgeon cuts the cornea, an extremely precise laser is used to carefully reshape the cornea, changing its focusing power and therefore improving vision (“What is LASIK”).

            According to the report Eye Health Statistics at a Glance from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, “more than 700,000 LASIK procedures are performed [in the United States of America] each year” (“LASIK Surgery Statistics”). This leaves millions of visually impaired individuals who are candidates for LASIK eye surgery continuing to rely on contact lenses or eye glasses to see clearly (“LASIK Surgery Statistics”). Those millions of people should continue to rely on contact lenses or eye glasses to see clearly instead of getting LASIK because many people still need contact lenses or eye glasses after surgery, there is a possibility of regression after surgery, and night glare is a common and dangerous post LASIK side effect.

            One major reason not to get LASIK eye surgery is because of the 700,000 surgeries performed annually in the United States, the majority of patients will still need to wear eye glasses or contact lenses to be able to see clearly (“LASIK Surgery Statistics”). When it comes to LASIK eye surgery, patient counseling and clear communication between the patient and the surgeon deserve more attention (Lloyd). According to Dr. Bill Lloyd, “one huge misunderstanding experienced by all LASIK candidates is that they will never need to wear eye glasses or contacts ever again. That statement is very inaccurate” (Lloyd). Although a patient’s main focus when considering LASIK eye surgery is most likely to improve their vision, they are also seeking to eliminate the need to wear glasses or contact lenses. Instead of eliminating an individual’s reliance on glasses or contact lenses, LASIK commonly converts visually impaired individuals to thinner eyewear or a weaker prescription (Lloyd). The need for eye glasses or contacts after surgery may not be immediate, but at some point, it’s highly likely that a patient will need them (Segre, “The LASIK Procedure”). This is because of a condition that is not cured by LASIK called presbyopia, which is an age-related loss of near vision, making it difficult to see objects close to the face (Segre, “The LASIK Procedure”). Although vision is usually improved, patients are obviously unhappy that they paid thousands of dollars to have LASIK eye surgery and are still required to buy contact lenses or glasses.

            LASIK eye surgery can help both nearsighted and farsighted people (Segre, “The LASIK Procedure”). Laser surgery has helped millions of people, farsighted and nearsighted, see without corrective lenses such as glasses or contacts, but a number of patients have reported the opposite to the Food and Drug Administration (Rundle). Past studies done by the FDA found that about 95% of LASIK patients are satisfied with the results of their surgery (Rundle). The other 5% of patients who are not pleased with their results are assisting in keeping potential LASIK candidates from moving ahead with the procedure. The unpleased patients are making sure the potential LASIK candidates are aware of certain affects such as still having to wear corrective lenses post-surgery before the candidates spend money on the costly procedure (Rundle).

            Regression is a gradual worsening of eyesight over time, with age working as its main factor (Segre, “The LASIK Procedure”). Regression has been noticed in LASIK cases, but also in non-LASIK cases where a person’s eyesight regresses simply because they are aging (Valentine). When asked about regression after LASIK eye surgery in an interview with NPR, Dr. Rex Hamilton, assistant professor of ophthalmology at the University of California, Los Angeles, says, “If people say their vision has gotten worse, most of the time they’re talking about their reading vision, primarily because they’re getting older. Deterioration in reading vision happens to everyone around age 40 to 45” (Valentine). Although, in most situations only reading glasses would be necessary in cases of regression after LASIK, that is an extra expense for a patient who was expecting permanent results. The average cost of LASIK eye surgery in the first quarter of 2010 was about $2150.00 per eye (Segre, “Cost of LASIK”). After paying this amount of money per eye, patients are lead to believe that their results will be permanent and that they will actually save money in the long run, but they are shocked to learn about regression as a common issue (Randleman). If regression does occur, additional surgeries are often recommended after the first LASIK procedure (Randleman). Additional surgeries are called enhancements or touch-ups (Segre, “The LASIK Procedure”). The lack of communication between the patient and the surgeon is ridiculous and results in costing the patient more money for enhancement surgeries after the initial surgery and several evaluations.

            As expected with any surgery, there are side effects that come with LASIK eye surgery. One of the most dangerous, but also one of the most common is night glare (Segre, “The LASIK Procedure”). Night glare is a postoperative LASIK complication where starbursts or halos are noticeable when viewing lights at night (Segre, “The LASIK Procedure”). This complication most commonly affects people while they are driving at night (Segre, “The LASIK Procedure”). Night glare is extremely dangerous, especially when driving because lights become blurry and merge together, making it difficult to read signs, see other vehicles, or see other objects or animals in the road or field of view. When asked whether an enhancement procedure could get rid of halos and night glare, Dr. Hamilton responded, “Yes, and I’ve done that before, but candidates need to have a full evaluation. They need to have enough cornea tissue left for the procedure to be safe” (Valentine). Another full evaluation and procedure will cost the individual even more money, in addition to what they have already put out for the original LASIK procedure. If the individual would have continued to rely on glasses or contact lenses, it’s possible that they would not be struggling with night glare. It’s questionable whether LASIK eye surgery is even worth all the trouble.

            Although there are advantages of LASIK eye surgery, such as a quick and almost painless procedure, the use of a precise laser, and some visual improvement, the disadvantages seem to overpower the advantages (Randleman). The disadvantages and negatives of LASIK eye surgery include the reliance on glasses or contact lenses after surgery, non-permanent results and the possibility of regressing vision after surgery, and night glare. As the procedure is extremely expensive and has several large disadvantages, it makes logical sense to continue using contacts or glasses instead of having a LASIK procedure. LASIK eye surgery may be portrayed as a simple procedure, but more and more people are reporting side effects that cannot always be corrected easily (Rundle). When considering LASIK eye surgery, potential candidates should seriously consider all of their options as well as taking into consideration all of the consequences and side effects of the procedure.