Patient dissatisfaction

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Lasik Eye Surgery Result - Patient dissatisfaction

Some patients with poor outcomes from LASIK surgical procedures report a significantly reduced quality of life because of vision problems or physical pain associated with the surgery. Patients who have suffered LASIK complications have created websites and discussion forums to educate the public about the risks, where prospective and past patients can discuss the surgery. In 1999, Surgical Eyes was founded in New York City by RK patient Ron Link as a resource for patients with complications of LASIK and other refractive surgeries. Most experienced and reputable clinics will do a full-dilation medical eye exam prior to surgery and give adequate post-operative patient education care to minimize the risk of a negative outcome.

For best results, Steven C. Schallhorn, an ophthalmologist who oversaw the US Navy's refractive surgery program and whose research partly influenced the Navy's decision to allow its aviators to get LASIK, recommends patients seek out what's called "all-laser Lasik" combined with "wavefront-guided" softwa

The FDA website on LASIK clearly states: "Before undergoing a refractive procedure, you should carefully weigh the risks and benefits based on your own personal value system, and try to avoid being influenced by friends that have had the procedure or doctors encouraging you to do so." Consequently, prospective patients still need to fully understand all the potential issues and complications, as satisfaction is directly related to expectation.

The FDA received 140 "negative reports relating to LASIK" for the time period 1998–2006.

Source: Lasik Eye Surgery Result - Patient dissatisfaction at wikipedia.org

Safety and efficacy

Monday, December 21, 2009

Lasik Eye Surgery Result - Safety and efficacy

The reported figures for safety and efficacy are open to interpretation. In 2003, the Medical Defence Union (MDU), the largest insurer for doctors in the United Kingdom, reported a 166 percent increase in claims involving laser eye surgery; however, the MDU averred that some of these claims resulted primarily from patients' unrealistic expectations of LASIK rather than faulty surgery.[18] A 2003 study, reported in the medical journal Ophthalmology, found that nearly 18 percent of treated patients and 12 percent of treated eyes needed retreatment. The authors concluded that higher initial corrections, astigmatism, and older age are risk factors for LASIK retreatment.

In 2004, the British National Health Service's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) considered a systematic review of four randomized controlled trials before issuing guidance for the use of LASIK within the NHS. Regarding the procedure's efficacy, NICE reported, "Current evidence on LASIK for the treatment of refractive errors suggests that it is effective in selected patients with mild or moderate short-sightedness," but that "evidence is weaker for its effectiveness in severe short-sightedness and long-sightedness." Regarding the procedure's safety, NICE reported that "there are concerns about the procedure's safety in the long term and current evidence does not appear adequate to support its use within the NHS without special arrangements for consent and for audit or research."

Leading refractive surgeons in the United Kingdom and United States, including at least one author of a study cited in the report, believe NICE relied on information that is severely dated and weakly researched.

On October 10, 2006, WebMD reported that statistical analysis revealed that contact lens wear infection risk is greater than the infection risk from LASIK. Daily contact lens wearers have a 1-in-100 chance of developing a serious, contact lens-related eye infection in 30 years of use, and a 1-in-2,000 chance of suffering significant vision loss as a result of infection. The researchers calculated the risk of significant vision loss consequence of LASIK surgery to be closer to 1-in-10,000 cases.

Source: Lasik Eye Surgery Result, Safety and Efficacy at wikipedia.org

LASIK Eye surgery results

Sunday, December 20, 2009

The surveys determining patient satisfaction with LASIK have found most patients satisfied, with satisfaction range being 92–98 percent. A meta-analysis dated March 2008 performed by the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery over 3,000 peer-reviewed articles published over the past 10 years in clinical journals from around the world, including 19 studies comprising 2,200 patients that looked directly at satisfaction, revealed a 95.4 percent patient satisfaction rate among LASIK patients worldwide.

Source: Lasik Eye Surgery Results at wikipedia.org