The number of laser eye surgery procedures conducted by publicly traded LCA-Vision dropped 38 percent in the second quarter from a year ago — a reflection of industrywide troubles. University of Missouri-St. Louis professor Stephen Moehrle said that in a faltering economy, consumers are more likely to choose glasses or contacts instead of shelling out thousands of dollars for Lasik eye surgery. Cincinnati-based LCA-Vision has recently had layoffs, a salary freeze and large cuts to its advertising and marketing budgets because of the economic downturn. According to research firm Market Scope, vision correction procedures peaked in 2000 at about 1.4 million and are expected to decline 17 percent this year from last year’s 1.3 million.
Filed Under (Uncategorized) by admin on 02-07-2008
Patients are usually given a course of antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eye drops. These are continued in the weeks following surgery. Patients are usually told to sleep much more and are also given a darkened pair of shields to protect their eyes from bright lights and protective goggles to prevent rubbing of the eyes when asleep and to reduce dry eyes. They also have to moisturize the eyes with preservative free tears and follow directions for prescription drops. Patients should be adequately informed by their surgeons of the importance of proper post-operative care to minimize the risk of post-surgical complications.
What Post Surgery Complications Are Possible
The incidence of refractive surgery patients having unresolved complications six months after surgery has been estimated from 3% to 6%.The risk for a patient of suffering from disturbing visual side effects such as halos, double vision, (ghosting), loss of contrast sensitivity (foggy vision) and glare after LASIK depends on the degree of ametropia before the laser eye surgery and other risk factors.
Lasik and other forms of laser refractive surgery change the dynamics of the cornea. These changes make it difficult for your optometrist and ophthalmologist to accurately measure your intraocular pressure, essential in glaucoma screening and treatment
What is the Satisfaction Percentage
The surveys determining patient satisfaction with LASIK have found most patients satisfied, with satisfaction range being 92–98 percent.
