FDA Takes on LASIK Safety
admin | June 24, 2008Spurred on by reports of unsafe and unethical practices surrounding LASIK eye surgery, the FDA recently convened a panel on LASIK safety. While the panel’s chair says the Gathersburg, Maryland meeting was “not a referendum on LASIK,” the panel did hear testimony in opposition to the popular corrective procedure, listening as patients told about complications including depression, suicidal tendencies, and more.
Present at the hearings was Todd J. Krouner, who pled with the panel to consider outside opinions and leave decisions on LASIK out of the hands of those with vested interests in its outcome. The stories shared by victims ranged from suicidal depression to corneal trauma and chronic dry eye.
Also present were U.S. military officials, who praised LASIK for its use on the battlefield in special forces units. Though the military cites a 0.0% retirement rate due to LASIK complications, other issues, such as LASIK’s aggressive marketing campaigns, were raised at the panel.
Ultimately, the panel recommended that IOP monitoring was appropriate in post-LASIK patients who go on to have cataract surgery. Changes in patient labeling were recommended, as was different FDA website wording emphasizing caution for patients with certain conditions.
However historic this panel on LASIK, its results remain to be seen. As long as the adverse effects of LASIK are kept under wraps, hundreds of thousands of Americans remain in danger. The complications of LASIK can range from low-level blurriness to dry eye so severe that suicide seems like the only option. With LASIK complication rates as much as 29 percent higher than reported by the industry, it is all too clear that consumers aren’t getting the real story on LASIK.
If you’ve been injured by a negligent LASIK procedure, don’t suffer alone. Call the Law Office of Todd J. Krouner today for a free, confidential phone consultation.
Todd J. Krouner has obtained the two largest verdicts in the history of LASIK medical malpractice. If you have suffered an injury, or complications, due to LASIK or other eye surgery, and would like a free, confidential consultation, please contact us at info@krounerlaw.com.
