NPR story on post-LASIK dry eye

[Teri]

I apologize if someone has already posted about this story; I looked and couldn't find any reference to it.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...ryId=122360078

NPR did a story earlier this week (on Jan. 11th) on post-LASIK complications, including dry eye. It's always good to see this getting some attention. It was a decent article, and the woman they profiled...her story sounded so familiar. I wonder if I know her from here?

There was this quote, however, that got my blood boiling:

"Ten years ago, says McDonald (president of the International Society of Refractive Surgery), "we didn't have as many things in our bag of tricks. Now, we have a lot of things that can treat dry eye. They say 'never say never,' but I have personally not encountered someone who couldn't be treated very successfully with the new things that we have at our disposal."

It's this kind of misinformation (that dry eye is rare post-surgery and that it can be easily treated/managed) that allows people to sign the so-called informed consent forms and go ahead with an ill-advised surgery. That's what happened to me, anyway.

Thanks for listening. I haven't posted in quite a while, but I think about you guys all the time.

Teri

P.S. Okay, I just surfed around some more and saw that "willwork4tears" posted about this a few days ago. Thanks for posting, and sorry I duplicated it!

[Guest]

That quote really got a rise out of me too! Pre-LASIK, dry eyes was one thing I could not find good info on. I found stats on the incidence of dry eye, but not on the severity of dry eye that could occur. Pre- surgery, my LASIK surgeon put those fears to rest with his assurances that post-LASIK dry eye is only a short-term effect and always goes away.

These kinds of lies drive me bonkers!

[bodryn]

Non-LASIK

My wife, who has something like -8 diopters in one eye and -10 in the other, is a registered nurse and has repeatedly said she would never let anyone do surgery on her eyes. Now when I read stories about actual post-LASIK experiences, my blood boils too. It is hard to imagine how MDs could have such poor ethics that they would make their living this way.

But judging on how unethical the pharmaceutical industry is, and what I've seen of for-profit hospitals in the U.S., it is easy to see how things have gotten this corrupt. Somehow the legal system and the media have fallen down on the job in recent years and I can't help but believe that behind it all is this worldwide drift towards the political right - i.e., the corporate powers-that-be have most of the world's politicians and media bought out and the ordinary people are not being taken care of by the legal system, which otherwise might curb this kind of behavior.

[Guest]

Most ordinary people can't afford a lawyer, and to make matters worse, the lawyers don't like post-LASIK stuff because there isn't enough money in it - their fees would cost more than any plaintiff could ever hope to win in court... at least that's what I was told by several local attorneys...

Your wife is making the right decision in avoiding refractive surgery...

[Lucy]

Bodryn, I had a similar correction as your wife. Lasik really devestated my vision. I lost lines of vision and can't be brought to 20/20 with glasses or contact lenses. I can't drive at night.

I am within one line on my best corrected eye of losing my driving privileges. I told my Lasik butcher that if I was a doctor or nurse, I would not be able to do my profession. I was, was---a secretary and finally had to stop because I was making so many mistakes. I filed for disability on my vision/eyes and got it because of my inability to see well enough to work.

Lucy

[bodryn]

Bad medicine

I am terribly sorry to hear how it worked out for you. It's hard to imagine how such a procedure has caused so many people to have to go on disability and yet one never hears about it on the news, it seems. Incidentally, a local radio personality on a station that advertised the procedure made it known she'd had it done herself. Now I notice they no longer advertise it, and I know she has had to go to a distant city for follow up surgery on her cornea, but no mention of the details. She is a very nice person and I really hate to have to know such things go on in what used to seem like a very nice country. Why can't the people be protected better than this?

[Lucy]

Bodryn, I have done several news articles and a tv report about the dangers of Lasik. An opportunity doesn't come up like this very often and when I'm approached, always oblige. Lucy

[Aaron77]

It's unfortunate but I think most young people with lasik problems keep them quiet, why let the whole world know about your disability and possibly put your self in an even worse position... nobody wants to hire somebody with a disability. Lasik is seriously limiting the potential of many many folks out there that have had bad results but you don't find this out unless you dig and dig through all the one-sided advertising done by the lasik guys.

[Guest]

I think it's sad that you can't find any good statistics on complication rates.

Prior to LASIK, patients should be told the complication rates. ex. 1 in 10000 will experience ______, 1 in 1500 will experience __________ etc.

This is the kind of information I was given prior to my elective c-section, and it really helped me to evaluate whether or not the surgery was the right choice for me.

Those crazy LASIK consent forms where all they do is list potential complications are useless in helping anyone determine whether or not the surgery is a risk they are willing to take. People need to know the likelihood of complications. Do one in 50 people experience ________? or 1 in a million??

Even if you do your own research (as I did) to find this kind of information, it requires a LOT of digging to find it... and even then, I was unable to find any information on the incidence of severe dry eye post-lasik. So for that, I trusted in my surgeon's expertise - he said NO-ONE will have severe dry eye caused by LASIK, and that after a few months, I'd be fully recovered and back to normal /sigh... we all know how THAT turned out... argh!

Sorry if I'm repeating past rants here... but I just couldn't help myself!