Many are reassured because Lasik surgery has a 95.4% success rate. Patients choose the procedure to eliminate the need for glasses and contacts. But Bert Bieler, MD, of Cherry Hill, N.J. wrote a letter-to-the-editor in American Family Physician pointing out that 14 million such procedures were performed in North America between 1997 and 2009. That means that more than 600,000 patients had an unsuccessful outcome or a “failed” procedure with either complications or worse vision afterwards. Dr. Bieler urged caution, as we should exercise for many surgical procedures, for example bypass surgery, when medicines might do just as well.
See American Family Physician (click here), Nov. 1, 2010, P. 1044.
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