Welcome to Dr. Sohl's LASIK eye surgery issues web site. As an optics and laser professional, I am often asked about laser eye surgery. My opinion is that this surgery is very valuable for many people, but should not be done without complete background knowledge. In particular, positive information from the people who stand to profit from the surgery is readily available, but you must search around a bit for the negative information from the (small but significant fraction of) people who have had their eyes damaged forever by the surgery. Thus, this web site is a collection of links to provide some balanced information about LASIK eye surgery.
My feeling is that I only have one set of corneas and they must last me for my entire life. Thus, one should be careful about making changes to them. And remember, this is a temporary solution, even with LASIK you will eventually need glasses anyway.
Probably THE BEST web site, written by people with problems from LASIK:
http://www.surgicaleyes.org/
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Consumer Guide to LASIK & Laser Eye Surgery - AllAboutVision.com
... Avoid LASIK Problems Learn what you can do to ensure the best outcome possible,
and what tests your doctor should perform before surgery. LASIK Results: What ...
Description: A description of laser eye surgery, how to choose a LASIK surgeon, options for financing laser eye...
Category: Health > Medicine > ... > Ophthalmology > Refractive Correction > LASIK
www.allaboutvision.com/visionsurgery/
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FDA's LASIK page (very extensive)
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/LASIK/default.htm
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FTC page on LASIK
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/health/lasik.htm
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Ohio State University study:
http://www.acs.ohio-state.edu/researchnews/archive/lasik.htm
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An industry web site:
http://www.lasikinstitute.org/
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An anti-LASIK web site with lots of details and arguments against the FDA's approval.
http://www.lasiktruth.com/
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ABC News:
ABCNEWS.com : High-Risk Patients for Lasik Surgery
... Tens of thousands of patients have suffered serious vision problems
after having Lasik surgery. (ABCNEWS.com), Imperfect Vision When ...
abcnews.go.com/sections/primetime/DailyNews/ PrimeTime_010628_lasiksurgery_feature.html
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CBS doesn't want to be scooped:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/01/31/health/main327224.shtml
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USA Today is also on the bandwagon:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/healthscience/health/2001-06-28-lasik.htm
USA Today and a note about Tiger Woods:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/health/doctor/lhdoc111.htm
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WebMD article:
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/1685.52814
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Ambulance chasing lawyers find fertile ground in LASIK cases:
http://www.lasik-litigation.com
and also:
http://www.massachusetts-injury-lawyers-network.com/lasik_eye_surgery_injuries.html
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The FAA has some good points to consider:
http://www.cami.jccbi.gov/AAM-400A/FASMB/FAS200101/lasik.htm
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I wish you the best of luck, whatever you decide to do.
Disclaimer: I am not an expert on laser eye surgery, but I do have significant knowledge of optics and lasers. (My PhD is in laser spectroscopy and I did a year long project once on early laser eye surgery with PRK which was eventually published.) The purpose of this web site is not to convince you either way, for or against, having LASIK eye surgery. The purpose is to provide access to information from people who have had problems with LASIK so that you can get a more through picture of the possible outcomes of deciding to have this elective surgery done to your eyes. I have several close friends who have had this procedure done to their eyes and they love it. I do not personally know anyone who has had this surgery and then was unhappy with the results. I have not had it done to my eyes and don't intend to have it done anytime soon.
The opinions expressed on this web site are not the University's opinions but are mine and those of the web sites that I have provided links to.
Send Dr. Sohl a message at jsohl "at" weber "dot" edu (The email address is written this way to help reduce the amount of spam I get, sorry for the inconvenience.)
This page was last updated on April 25, 2003.
