Consumer Agency Provides Helpful Tips
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Dec. 12 -Advertisements for Lasik, the laser eye surgery that corrects vision, often praise doctors as "award winning," "pioneer," and tout "thousands of surgeries." Selecting a qualified doctor from all the competing claims can be a challenge for the patient.
"Even a decade after Lasik became available and over 5 million U.S. surgeries, the average patient is better equipped to select a toaster than an eye surgeon," laments Glenn Hagele, Executive Director and founder of the nonprofit USAEyes.org advocacy group. "Surgeon selection is the most critical step for any Lasik patient. The doctor is even more important than the laser because no amount of technology will compensate for an inferior surgeon," warns Hagele. "The number of previous surgeries and claims made in paid advertisements are not enough to make such an important decision."
Lasik eye surgeons Glenn A. Kawesch in San Diego and Gary W. Hall, Sr. in Phoenix, who both advertised heavily and had performed tens of thousands of surgeries, recently had their medical licenses suspended because of fraud and poor Lasik patient outcomes.
In addition to a list of independently evaluated Lasik surgeons, the USAEyes.org website provides its 50 Tough Questions For Your Doctor that guide someone evaluating a potential doctor and will help the patient understand what issues are important to consider.
"The patient needs to remember that Lasik is not just medicine but is also a business transaction and the buyer needs to be aware," says Hagele.
USAEyes.org is operated by the Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance, a nonprofit nongovernmental patient advocacy organization, which provides the public detailed refractive surgery information and certifies refractive surgeons.
Glenn Hagele, Executive Director of Council for Refractive
Surgery Quality Assurance, 800-USA-EYES, or glenn.hagele@usaeyes.org
Web site: http://www.usaeyes.org /
