Monday, February 23, 2004
Having read a slew of complaints in the Straits Times Forum about supposedly inadequate LASIK surgery, I can't help but feel aggrieved at several things.
First off, the ST apparently has an agenda or point to prove, somewhere. Responsible journalism?
Why publish all the complaints in a handful like that? Or did four individuals just happen to complain at the same time. Mind boggling but possible I suppose.
The other is addressed to the lamebrains who feel justified in whinging after LASIK doesn't give them perfect vision
LASIK is an operation.
Every operation carries risks and benefits.
Operations should not be entered into lightly - do your homework first.
from http://www.lasikmd.ca/questions.html#whatresultscan :
"What results can I expect from LASIK?
LASIK improves the uncorrected vision—one's visual capacity while not wearing corrective lenses—in most patients who have the procedure. Over 90% of patients with low to moderate myopia to achieve 20/40 vision, which most states and provinces consider good enough to drive without having to wear contacts or glasses, and many can expect to achieve 20/20 vision or better.
However, there are no guarantees that you will have perfect vision, and patients with high myopia (more than -8D) and high hyperopia (more than +4D) should have lower expectations. People who are most satisfied with the results of laser correction clearly understand the potential risks and complications and possess realistic expectations of what their vision will be like after surgery."
also :
"How safe is the LASIK procedure?
Most studies show that the LASIK procedure has minimal risk of complications. The overall complication rate is a fraction of one percent. Even if complications do occur, most of the complications are resolved within three months and do not result in long-term interference with vision. The complication rate cited in large studies is between 0.5% and 1.9%. LASIK is a surgical procedure done on a delicate part of the eye, and complications can occur."
It looks nice doesn't it. The complication rate is 0.5% to 1.9%
think about it. up to two out of every hundred patients suffer "complications".
That's a lot of patients.
"After LASIK, how will my vision be at night or in low light?
With Total Cornea LasikTM the vast majority of night vision disturbances are eliminated, since the area of cornea treated is larger than the dilated pupil size. Some patients may see mild glare, halos or starbursts around lights in dim or low-light conditions temporarily right after surgery. These symptoms do not usually interfere with driving at night, or night time activities. For the vast majority, these symptoms are temporary, usually lasing a few days to a week. With this newer technology it is extremely rare for these symptoms to be permanent."
"Will my eyes be dry after LASIK?
All patients should be aware that dry eye is a possible complication after LASIK, although it is very rare. The surgery makes everyone's eyes somewhat dryer afterwards, but only temporarily. Your doctors will carefully test you if you have suffered from dry eye before, or are severely bothered by contact lenses, for the potential of developing this complication after surgery. Everyone should use lots of tear drops after the surgery."
This person writes "...he also refused to accept my point that my bifocal spectacles had -275 deg difference between far sight and reading sight..." and "The outcome was that I still needed to wear spectacles to read as well as for far sight" (after Lasik)
Funny that :
"I wear bifocals now, and my doctor says that I'll still need to wear reading glasses even if I have LASIK done. Why is this?
Most people in their 40s or older will need reading glasses if their eyes are corrected for distance because the eye's lens loses flexibility as we age. This condition, called presbyopia, cannot currently be treated by surgical methods. Click here to learn more about Presbyopia.
Some patients in this age group select monovision, such as is done with contact lenses. This option allows patients to use one of their eyes for distance and the other to see up close. Although monovision proves to be satisfactory for some patients, many are not comfortable with this arrangement.
Patients need to discuss the options with their doctors. Most doctors suggest patients to test monovision with contact lenses for a few weeks prior to opting for monovision with LASIK. Be sure to ask if this trial option is available to you. Click here to learn more about Monovision."
And I learnt all that from doing a simple google search about LASIK.
Granted, the complaints do highlight that the doctors who dealt with the whinging patients probably have a lot of catching-up to do in the communications department. It seems they couch their techniques with absolute certainty and arbitrary figures (does anyone remember the dead siamese twins and their 50-50 chances?)
But I reckon the patients are to blame too for not doing their homework.
My eyesight is not perfect. It's not so bad I'm condemned to 24/7 spectacles (Although of late that's how often I wear them) ... but with a complication rate of 2%, unless I was absolutely, dead certain that I needed the op - I wouldn't.
Not till they got it down to 0.1%.
Upset because LASIK didn't give you the results you expected?
Well then perhaps your expectations were too high - you shouldn't have gone into an operation without checking up on the risks and complications first.
First off, the ST apparently has an agenda or point to prove, somewhere. Responsible journalism?
Why publish all the complaints in a handful like that? Or did four individuals just happen to complain at the same time. Mind boggling but possible I suppose.
The other is addressed to the lamebrains who feel justified in whinging after LASIK doesn't give them perfect vision
LASIK is an operation.
Every operation carries risks and benefits.
Operations should not be entered into lightly - do your homework first.
from http://www.lasikmd.ca/questions.html#whatresultscan :
"What results can I expect from LASIK?
LASIK improves the uncorrected vision—one's visual capacity while not wearing corrective lenses—in most patients who have the procedure. Over 90% of patients with low to moderate myopia to achieve 20/40 vision, which most states and provinces consider good enough to drive without having to wear contacts or glasses, and many can expect to achieve 20/20 vision or better.
However, there are no guarantees that you will have perfect vision, and patients with high myopia (more than -8D) and high hyperopia (more than +4D) should have lower expectations. People who are most satisfied with the results of laser correction clearly understand the potential risks and complications and possess realistic expectations of what their vision will be like after surgery."
also :
"How safe is the LASIK procedure?
Most studies show that the LASIK procedure has minimal risk of complications. The overall complication rate is a fraction of one percent. Even if complications do occur, most of the complications are resolved within three months and do not result in long-term interference with vision. The complication rate cited in large studies is between 0.5% and 1.9%. LASIK is a surgical procedure done on a delicate part of the eye, and complications can occur."
It looks nice doesn't it. The complication rate is 0.5% to 1.9%
think about it. up to two out of every hundred patients suffer "complications".
That's a lot of patients.
"After LASIK, how will my vision be at night or in low light?
With Total Cornea LasikTM the vast majority of night vision disturbances are eliminated, since the area of cornea treated is larger than the dilated pupil size. Some patients may see mild glare, halos or starbursts around lights in dim or low-light conditions temporarily right after surgery. These symptoms do not usually interfere with driving at night, or night time activities. For the vast majority, these symptoms are temporary, usually lasing a few days to a week. With this newer technology it is extremely rare for these symptoms to be permanent."
"Will my eyes be dry after LASIK?
All patients should be aware that dry eye is a possible complication after LASIK, although it is very rare. The surgery makes everyone's eyes somewhat dryer afterwards, but only temporarily. Your doctors will carefully test you if you have suffered from dry eye before, or are severely bothered by contact lenses, for the potential of developing this complication after surgery. Everyone should use lots of tear drops after the surgery."
This person writes "...he also refused to accept my point that my bifocal spectacles had -275 deg difference between far sight and reading sight..." and "The outcome was that I still needed to wear spectacles to read as well as for far sight" (after Lasik)
Funny that :
"I wear bifocals now, and my doctor says that I'll still need to wear reading glasses even if I have LASIK done. Why is this?
Most people in their 40s or older will need reading glasses if their eyes are corrected for distance because the eye's lens loses flexibility as we age. This condition, called presbyopia, cannot currently be treated by surgical methods. Click here to learn more about Presbyopia.
Some patients in this age group select monovision, such as is done with contact lenses. This option allows patients to use one of their eyes for distance and the other to see up close. Although monovision proves to be satisfactory for some patients, many are not comfortable with this arrangement.
Patients need to discuss the options with their doctors. Most doctors suggest patients to test monovision with contact lenses for a few weeks prior to opting for monovision with LASIK. Be sure to ask if this trial option is available to you. Click here to learn more about Monovision."
And I learnt all that from doing a simple google search about LASIK.
Granted, the complaints do highlight that the doctors who dealt with the whinging patients probably have a lot of catching-up to do in the communications department. It seems they couch their techniques with absolute certainty and arbitrary figures (does anyone remember the dead siamese twins and their 50-50 chances?)
But I reckon the patients are to blame too for not doing their homework.
My eyesight is not perfect. It's not so bad I'm condemned to 24/7 spectacles (Although of late that's how often I wear them) ... but with a complication rate of 2%, unless I was absolutely, dead certain that I needed the op - I wouldn't.
Not till they got it down to 0.1%.
Upset because LASIK didn't give you the results you expected?
Well then perhaps your expectations were too high - you shouldn't have gone into an operation without checking up on the risks and complications first.
