Thursday, April 24, 2008

Lasik Eye Surgeries Are Winding Down

The NY Times reports today that the number of corrective eye surgeries are declining as the US seems to be going through a recession period and patients are becoming more aware of health risks directly associated with Lasik. David Harmon, president of Market Scope, is predicting a 17% drop in Lasik surgeries for 2008.

People are becoming more conservative and cautious in their spending habits. Lasik surgery, which is not typically covered by insurance, ranges from about $800 to $3,000 an eye. The cost plus the increased side effects of surgery are slowly turning potential candidates away from corrective surgery.

While there is a 95% satisfaction rate with Lasik surgery, there are still accounts of unhappy individuals who are now suffering from double vision, seeing halos, and developing cataracts. Even though medical complications are below 1 percent, health researchers will have to do a better job of analyzing which patients are not good candidates for corrective eye surgery.

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