Lasik complications in the news.

When Routine Eye Surgery Leads to Debilitating Pain. By Betsy McKay. 

From the article: Kaylee Patterson woke with a sharp pain in her right eye the morning after she had Lasik surgery... Worried, Ms. Patterson visited her surgeon and her regular eye doctor several times over the next few weeks. They repeatedly told her that everything looked normal, she says. Yet the slightest thing—a draft of air, a ray of light—would cause excruciating pain in her head. “I was in pain and nobody was helping me,” the 33-year-old mental-health counselor said. A year and a half after her surgery, Ms. Patterson finally learned why she was suffering. She has a condition known as neuropathic corneal pain, a specialist told her. Read article

Blurred Vision, Burning Eyes: This Is a Lasik Success? By Roni Caryn Rabin. 

From the article: Even now, serious questions remain about both the short- and long-term risks and the complications of this increasingly common procedure. Nearly half of all people who had healthy eyes before Lasik developed visual aberrations for the first time after the procedure, the trial found. Nearly one-third developed dry eyes, a complication that can cause serious discomfort, for the first time. The authors wrote that “patients undergoing Lasik surgery should be adequately counseled about the possibility of developing new visual symptoms after surgery before undergoing this elective procedure.” Read article

Many LASIK patients may wind up with glare, halos or other visual symptoms, study suggests. By Ariana Eunjung Cha. 

From the article: Many LASIK patients may wind up with glare, halos or other visual symptoms, study suggests. A team of researchers from the Food and Drug Administration, the National Eye Institute and the Department of Defense would like to make sure you weigh the potential risks to your eyes more seriously... On Wednesday, the group released a follow-up report in JAMA Ophthalmology that provides more sobering information. The study suggests that the percentage of people who undergo LASIK and wind up with new visual symptoms — such as double images, glare, halos or starbursts — may be much higher. The data was based on a questionnaire that looked at patient satisfaction with their vision and at visual and dry-eye symptoms following surgery. 

Read article

LASIK eye surgery should be taken off market, former FDA adviser says.
From the article: Abraham Rutner said LASIK surgery damaged his vision and nearly ruined his life. "It's a devastation that I can't even explain," Rutner told CBS News medical contributor Dr. Tara Narula...

[Edward] Boshnick estimates he's treated thousands of patients with LASIK complications...

Paula Cofer had surgery 19 years ago, "and from day one my vision was an absolute train wreck and it still is today," she said. She started a LASIK complications support group on Facebook and quickly found she was not alone. "You really have to understand you're risking your only pair of eyes," Cofer said...

"Essentially we ignored the data on vision distortions that persisted for years," said Morris Waxler, a retired FDA adviser who voted to approve LASIK. He now says that vote was a mistake. Read article

Lasik MD patients allege nerve damage, file class action lawsuit.
From the article: At least two Canadians are suing a national chain of laser eye surgery clinics and asking others to join them after they developed a rare and extremely painful complication.

Christopher Ouellet and Krystel Terzian were supposed to see better following the popular elective procedure, but they allege the cornea operation performed at Lasik MD clinics instead triggered unrelenting eye pain. Ouellet is the lead plaintiff in the new first-of-its-kind class action lawsuit.

“It completely ruined my life. It destroyed everything. It made me lose my job. It made me lose the things I like to do in life,” said Ouellet. The pain has made him contemplate suicide at times, he added. “I want justice, compensation and I want them to pay for what they did to me and the others. And they're going to pay.” Read article

Should LASIK Eye Surgery Be Banned? Here’s Why Some People Say Yes
From the article: In 2016, Cronin was found dead of a single, self-inflicted bullet wound. He was 27 years old. In the suicide note he left on his body, he wrote that the after-effects of LASIK surgery were one reason he had ended his life. Burleson [Cronin's mother], an OB-GYN who prides herself in understanding the medical world, told Healthline she’s not alone in her grief. Through support groups and social media, she’s connected with 23 others who have lost a family member to suicide after experiencing complications from LASIK...

“The FDA needs to pull the plug on the entire industry,” [Paula Cofer] said...

“The [FDA] is deeply embarrassed by the whole process,” he said. “There is a simple solution: they can just tell the truth. But they won’t. They want to save face. Institutions don’t like to say ‘I’m sorry.’” [said Morris Waxler, PhD]. Read article

Should You Get LASIK Surgery? The Answer May Surprise You. An interview with ophthalmologist, Dr. Cynthia MacKay. Listen here

Risks, side effects, and long-term consequences of LASIK eye surgery. With guest Paula Cofer, LASIK patient advocate. Listen here