By the end of 2005, more than 1 million people in the United States will have had corrective laser eye surgery. Of those, about 50,000 will suffer some type of vision problems or vision loss due to failure or misuse of the laser equipment, or some form of medical malpractice.

Laser Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) is portrayed as a simple and fast procedure, and surgery centers often can be found in shopping malls, small office buildings and health clinics. However, the laser eye surgery industry has been charged with putting profits ahead of quality treatments, and LASIK practitioners have been accused of resorting to misleading advertisements about their high success rates with the "virtually risk-free" eye surgery in order to win patients. Rarely are the serious side effects of the procedure mentioned.

Increased competition has also caused some laser clinics to schedule dozens of procedures each day, potentially compromising the safety of patients. As with any medical procedure, there can be complications. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has listed these conditions suffered by roughly 5 percent of all LASIK patients:

• Some patients lose vision. Some patients lose lines of vision on the vision chart that cannot be corrected with glasses, contact lenses, or surgery as a result of treatment.

• Some patients develop debilitating visual symptoms. Some patients develop glare, halos, and/or double vision that can seriously affect nighttime vision. Even with good vision on the vision chart, some patients do not see as well in situations of low contrast, such as at night or in fog, after treatment as compared to before treatment.

• You may be under treated or over treated. Only a certain percent of patients achieve 20/20 vision without glasses or contacts. You may require additional treatment, but additional treatment may not be possible. You may still need glasses or contact lenses after surgery. This may be true even if you only required a very weak prescription before surgery. If you used reading glasses before surgery, you may still need reading glasses after surgery.

• Some patients may develop severe dry eye syndrome. As a result of surgery, your eye may not be able to produce enough tears to keep the eye moist and comfortable. Dry eye not only causes discomfort, but can reduce visual quality due to intermittent blurring and other visual symptoms. This condition may be permanent. Intensive drop therapy and use of plugs or other procedures may be required.

• Results are generally not as good in patients with very large refractive errors of any type. You should discuss your expectations with your doctor and realize that you may still require glasses or contacts after the surgery.

• For some farsighted patients, results may diminish with age. If you are farsighted, the level of improved vision you experience after surgery may decrease with age. This can occur if your manifest refraction (a vision exam with lenses before dilating drops) is very different from your cycloplegic refraction (a vision exam with lenses after dilating drops).

• Long-term data is not available. LASIK is a relatively new technology. The first laser was approved for LASIK eye surgery in 1998. Therefore, the long-term safety and effectiveness of LASIK surgery is not known.

The surgery itself takes about 15 minutes. The doctor cuts a flap on the front of the eye, moving it out of the way in order to access the cornea. The doctor then reshapes the cornea in order to correct the vision problem.
LASIK eye surgery is still considered new technology. The first laser was approved for LASIK in 1998, and the long-term safety and effectiveness of the surgery is not known. The Federal Trade Commission cautions that LASIK surgery is "too new to know if there are any long-term ill effects beyond five years after surgery."
Many patients have said they were never fully informed of the severe problems that could result from the surgery, and that has become the reason behind hundreds of medical malpractice lawsuits have already been filed against laser eye surgeons.

There are no long term studies on the effects of LASIK. The FDA does not require any long term studies on the effects of a medical device. If you or a loved one has had LASIK eye surgery and is suffering from any of the above-listed side effects, see your doctor. It may also be necessary to call a lawyer to protect your legal rights, because you may have a medical malpractice claim. At Munley, Munley & Cartwright, we have offices conveniently located in Stroudsburg, Carbondale, Hamlin, Hazleton, Scranton, and Wilkes-Barre, PA. We have the benefit of the local presence within and knowledge of the local legal communities where medical malpractice matters are litigated. Our firm has built a reputation over 40 years in the courts within Lackawana, Monroe, Schuylkill, Wayne, Luzerne, and Wyoming counties. Our goal is to provide exceptional legal services to our clients.

"The Family of Lawyers" at Munley, Munley & Cartwright are experienced, and successful, medical malpractice litigators. We fight to protect the rights of patients.

Contact us now for a free claim evaluation. 1-800-318-LAW1