Laser treatment gets it in the neck

**John R** · 02-11-2003, 03:37 PM

I see that the TV are giving large coverage to poor old Boots and their style of marketing and actual working of laser surgery.....
Just because there has been one of two of the opps it went wrong stories.....Just where do these people get off, Its a surgical procedure so there is alway a risk that things will not go right....
They are even picking on their web siteHERE for not carrying enough warnings of the dangers......
You will have to click on the lazic link due to the way they have designed the sight you cannot link to pages.....

**Tim Hunter** · 02-12-2003, 02:31 AM

As someone who is somewhat cynical about the refractive surgery industry (not the technology, which in good hands is pretty reliable) I am unsurprised at the backlash.

We had a proliferation of Excimer units in the early 1990s in the UK and then a rapid closure of businesses as the market couldn't support them all. We are returning to a similar saturation point, we have 4 providers in Leeds alone!! My concern is that companies are stretching their guidelines to treat patients who are at best borderline for this surgical procedure and hyping the product in a way that shouldn't be acceptable for what is essentially a cosmetic surgical procedure.

I have no sympathy with the companies I have some sympathy with some of the patients who I believe have not been given enough information on the risks to be able to make true informed consent.

**sarahr** · 02-12-2003, 07:52 PM

I think the adverts for the treatment should be looked at. I see phrases such as Eliminate the need for Spectacles. What about presbyopia... A lot of people say to me that in a few years time they will have saved the money back by not having to buy specs.People are not being treated fairly with these marketing techniques. No doubt they are informed once they get to have a consultation, but by then they have convinced thamselves that this is what they aer doing and they're already there talking to the specialist, will they back out? Not as many will back out at that stage as the number who wouldn't have got there at all if they understood the facts from the advert.:finger: Just my humble opinion anyway

**hagi** · 02-13-2003, 04:24 PM

The reality of the situation is these companies are business lead companies. As long as they are ECONOMICALLY well off they dont give a s***. Its sad really. I do not like thieves nor greedy and slefish money grabbers.

**John R** · 02-13-2003, 04:44 PM

Lets face it everybody is in business to make money no matter who they are.
I wonder how many people would have had lazic surgery if they were told that they would/could still end up wearing glasses.

I also note that one company is giving away free ops to optical professionals at optafair, to try and swing them round...
Might just go as my sight in one eye is bad enough to warrant the risk.

from optrafair site
Optimax Laser Vision Correction Specialists are giving away 1,000 free laser treatments at Optrafair to those working in the optical industry, worth an estimated £1.5m. Working on a first come, first served basis, details are available on the stand.

**Tim Hunter** · 02-14-2003, 02:42 AM

I've always liked the addage you get what you pay for if it's free that pretty much sums up its value!

Mind you that doesn't mean that if it's more expensive it's necessarily worth the mark up!

**optispares** · 02-14-2003, 02:07 PM

Is LASIK safe? Lasik surgery is very safe. The success rate for Lasik averages above 95% for most experienced Lasik surgeons.

What are the risks of Lasik Surgery? Like all surgeries, Lasik does carry some risk. Common side effects are starbursts, difficulty with glare, and foreign body sensation. Most side effects of LASIK are temporary and should pass within a few days or weeks of the surgery. A very small percentage, between one and two percent of patients will have permanent side effects.

What kind of result should I expect? It is very common to see doctors advertising claims of 20/20 vision in all of their LASIK patients. However, 20/20 vision does not occur with every surgery. The greatest factor in determining your corrected acuity depends on your current acuity. You should expect to have improved vision, and less dependency on your glasses.

Stick to specs ?i suppose if you are one of the 2 % when it doesn't work you'll wish you had. at least if some one makes a c*** up of your glasses you can always get another pair, but there aren't many places selling new eyes.:idea: