LASIK works well, according to long-term study of highly myopic patients

Philadelphia, December 28, 2007 – Laser surgery to correct vision problems has been in use since the early 1990s. Photorefractive Keratotomy (PRK) is typically used to correct low to moderate myopia, while laser in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK) is preferred for high myopia corrections. Although over 18 million LASIK procedures have been performed worldwide, there is still some controversy regarding the maximum correction possible and efficacy with this technique. In an article published in the January 2008 issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology, researchers from Miguel Hernandez University, Medical School, Alicante, Spain; and Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey; report on a study of high myopia patients ten years after LASIK surgery. The findings show that LASIK for myopia over -10 D is a safe and effective procedure in the long-term.

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Lasik surgery becoming more commonplace

By Kathleen Dayton

Few people outside of the medical profession might understand the term “laser assisted in-situ keratomileusis.” But even schoolchildren are likely to have heard about Lasik, the laser surgery used for vision correction that has become one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in the country.

“It is definitely becoming more mainstream,” said David Harmon, president of MarketScope, a market research agency focused on opthamology.

About 1.4 million such surgeries are performed annually, which translates to about 750,000 people, since not all patients have both eyes treated. The number of laser eye surgeries has held steady during the past several years, Harmon said, and the average cost of the surgery nationally is now $2,000 per eye.

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State: Eye doc performed needless surgeries

The state suspended the medical license of a Manhattan eye doctor Thursday, charging that he performed unnecessary laser eye surgeries on six patients, the same day the state was again called to task for how it disciplines doctors.

Dr. Martin Ehrenberg, a board-certified ophthalmologist with offices in Manhattan and Great Neck, faces 32 charges of medical misconduct -- including gross negligence -- for treatments he administered from 1998 through late 2006, according to documents.

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