Over
1 million LASIK procedures a year are performed in America. With a number
of high profile athletes including Tiger Woods and Dallas Cowboy quarterback
Troy Aikman singing LASIK’s praises, the procedure has gained a tremendous
amount of public attention. However, two major myths have come along with
this heightened awareness:
- Consumers
have often been led to believe that high-tech lasers do all the work
so that excellent surgical outcomes are a given, and that the only difference
between surgeons is the cost of their surgery.
- Some
advertising misleads people to believe laser vision correction will
rid them completely of their need for glasses and contacts.
Unfortunately,
both of these conceptions are untrue and potentially dangerous. The truth
is—excellent outcomes are directly dependent on the surgeon’s
abilities.
LASIK has a lengthy learning curve and consistently good outcomes
are gained only by complete mastery of the surgery details and the experience
of performing a high number of cases. While laser correction is an amazing
process, perfect visual outcomes can not be guaranteed. As with any surgical
procedure, there are limitations, risks and potential for side effects—even
in the hands of highly experienced surgeons.
