FDA Says LASIK Is Safe

An FDA advisory panel concluded last week that LASIK is "safe and well-accepted." After a day of hearings, the agency's Ophthalmic Devices Advisory Committee said that although LASIK is safe, it may be marketed too aggressively.

The panel suggested changes to the LASIK label...changes that more fully state problems that can occur, including extreme blurriness, haze, glare, halos, and starbursts. It also suggested that the label take note of possible depression or psychological problems. The panel also recommended that the FDA's LASIK website should include photographs of visual disability, detailed statistics of side-effects or complications, and a more detailed explanation of the benefits of LASIK.

Suggested reading:

• Is LASIK Permanent?
• Your Vision After LASIK
• LASIK Slideshow

_{Source: Peck, Peggy, FDA Advisers Find LASIK Safe But Oversold. MedPage Today, 25 Apr 2008.}