Posted on 09/22/2010 1:08:07 PM PDT by Nachum
A former Food and Drug Administration official who helped get the vision correction surgery LASIK approved back in the 1990s but later spoke out against the procedure is taking his concerns directly to current regulators at the FDA.
Morris Waxler, who is now an independent regulatory consultant, filed a citizens petition today urging the agency to take steps to stop what he calls "the epidemic of permanent vision problems" caused by LASIK.
Waxler's petition implores the FDA to take actions to crack down on the procedure, including issuing a public health advisory that warns the public about the dangers associated with LASIK and implementing stricter controls over LASIK device manufacturers and practitioners who perform the surgery.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Is this an attempt by the FDA to get some control over this bastion of free enterprise?
The across the board “wonders”, and now the “crisis” of Lasik surgery are sure to be overblown, by the infantile IdiotMedia.
One of the best kept secrets in eye care, is that regular overnight wear of modern soft contact lenses is, with the proper lenses and regular quality professional care, a very safe alternative.
Had mine done 10 years ago.
Zero problems except I need glasses for reading.
Of course I needed reading glasses before Lasik.
20-10 distance vision is really cool!
Good comments following the article.
Read: rainmaker for hire by anyone attempting to get through the FDA labyrinth in under 5 years.
*(it was so bad they could only guesstimate;BTW legal blindness is 20/1000 per the doctor)
Could be but I doubt it. I know three people who had the procedure done and all 3 had problems afterwards. Some serious. I was considering it but not until I hear the words "100% effective with no problems afterwards." In other words...never.
I had LASIK in early 2003 in Toronto; I have had no problems whatsoever. My vision is better now than it was with glasses or contacts before the surgery; I can consistently read the 20/15 line on an eye chart with either eye or the 20/12 line with both eyes, and on a good day I can read the 20/10 line.
I asked my surgeon if I could upgrade to x-ray vision, he just laughed.
Wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
LASIK is one of the first examples used when discussing Free Market medicine. Unlike the rest of medicine it has gotten consistently better AND cheaper as the years go by.
Can’t have that, can we?
The FDA already covers it even if insurance does not.
“Is this an attempt by the FDA to get some control over this bastion of free enterprise?”
Without a doubt.
I had LASIK 10 years ago. Went from 20/400 to 20/05. I can see the sex of a mesquito at 10 feet. In my mid 40s and I still don’t need reading glasses. I couldn’t be happier.
I can only dream. I’ve been wearing glasses since I was 5. I’m over 40 and my eyes are still changing every year, so I don’t qualify for LASIK, and my eyes are so screwy that the only contacts I can wear are hard lenses. No overnight for me. :(
As for “Permanent Vision Problems”, omg, didn’t the people who get/got this done have permanent vision problems to begin with. What idiotic reasoning.
I suspect this is another "Obama Crisis".
bflr
I had Radial Keratotomy in 1992 bump.
“I can see the sex of a mesquito (sic) at 10 feet...I couldn’t be happier.”
You WANT to see that?
Floaters are caused by the eyes aging and would not be caused by Lasik.
My husband had it done in 2002, he went from needing glasses/contacts all the time, - unable to see distance - to not needing them at all, to just needing reading glasses (apparently we still need for the discovery of age reversal for that to be fixed ;-) )
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.