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July 10th, 2008:

http://www.prweb.com/releases/LasikMalpractice/Attorneys/prweb1087754.htm

The claims were brought by James Dell'Ermo (47 years old) of Bedminster, New Jersey and his wife, Lisa relating to Dello Russo's malpractice in performing Lasik surgery which has rendered Mr. Dell'Ermo legally blind (vision worse than 20/400 without corrective lenses); with contact lenses Mr. Dell'Ermo only has vision of 20/50. Dr. Dello Russo's malpractice relates to his failure to recognize that Mr. Dell'Ermo was not a candidate for Lasik and that he had steep corneas. By performing Lasik on Mr. Dell'Ermo, Dr. Dello Russo caused a condition known as ectasia to occur in Mr. Dell'Ermo's eyes. Ectasia is a progressive condition which will ultimately require Mr. Dell'Ermo to require corneal transplants in both eyes. Dr. Dello Russo has promoted himself and his sons as "famous" eye surgeons, spending millions of dollars on radio and print advertising to promote their Lasik practice, and has continually maintained in the media that Lasik is a very simple and safe procedure, even performing Lasik live on Good Morning America. The Dell'Ermo case and its companion lawsuits are further evidence as to the questionable safety of Lasik procedures and the physicians who perform those procedures. In April 2008, the FDA conducted hearings and questioned the safety and effectiveness of Lasik...

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May 18th, 2008:

The history of Lasik is likely well known to you and its popularity can be linked to the mass marketing which was done. When Medicare decreased the reimbursement for the cataract surgery (surgery day only and not pre and post care) from $3000.00 per eye to approximately $600.0 per eye the sale for lasers for Lasik increased substantially. The early lasers had such a small ablation zone that in dimmer illumination such as night driving the pupil increases in size exceeding the ablation zone thus creating diffraction patterns seen as glare or flare from lights including approaching headlights. When patients complained about this they were told that this will pass hoping that this would suppress the anxiety of the complaining post lasik individual. Later if complaints persisted they were placed on a miotic to decrease pupil size in an effort to reduce the night symptoms. The drops used added a monthly expense and often added an injected conjunctiva as a side effect. If Lasik had been done on a person who had incipient cataract (nuclear sclerosis) a miotic post Lasik would diminish vision because it permitted less light to reach the retina.....exactly what a cataract does. In many ways the post Lasik patient with some of the less serious complications experiences flare from lights at night much as is noticed by patients with incipient cataracts only now they paid to achieve this unwanted phenomenon. When it became common knowledge that the ablation zone was too small some providers attempted to weed out the candidates who had larger pupils but there was another problem. Cold or untreated zones due to lasers without a rotating head left less than satisfactory results and the providers soon knew this. The outlay for both the facility to house the procedure and the laser was substantial for those desperate to recover lost income. Cataract surgeons became Lasik providers because now the cataract playing field required five times the number of surgeries to make the same income as was made prior to the slashed reimbursement for cataract surgery.  

I once received a call from the majority stock holder of a company who made the most popular laser used for Lasik that incorporated some needed changes to address the problems of the early models. He asked why I had not referred patients to him although he was aware some of my colleagues were referring. When I explained the unpredictable outcomes and the potential for serious problems he replied, "We don't have the software for this procedure refined yet and I perfectly respect your willingness to wait until it is refined". Now I would have really respected this admission but for the fact that I was aware that at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on the huge replay screen marketing for free Lasik evaluations by his business were being shown. No mention on the software problems mentioned here, however. When a cataract practice is capable of 40 to 45 cases per day one needs only to apply the multiplier of $3000.00 to see how short term cataract providers had become multimillionaires in merely 5-6 years. Now we see another attempt to recover the lost income by promotion of multi-zone intraocular implants which have the potential of creating horrible results which cannot be reversed other than by a second surgery increasing cost and risk to the patients involved. In single focal length IOLs the implant can often be de-centered substantially and yet it doesn't seem to affect the patients visual experience much. When these multi-focals are used, however, the skill level and exact placement need is exponentially more critical. This may represent the next FDA investigation. The problems with glare and night driving are comparatively minor to serious dry eye problems or worse conditions created by ectasia or epithelial in-growth. Enhancements often create more risks and are therefore limited to being offered unless complaints persist from dissatisfied and desperate patients.

The entire FDA "investigation" is bogus and when it was manipulated to have military service personal have Lasik it only established credibility to a procedure that does not have a clean slate.....not even close. When they allow pilots to have Lasik I will be taking the train! I consider Lasik to be an economically driven procedure having absolutely nothing to do with patient care and "doing no harm" ..... all for an elective procedure heavily marketed with enticements, celebrities and low monthly payments. What has become of Medical ethics!

I certainly applaud your efforts at informing the FDA  and I can also share in your frustration.
,

Anonymous MD

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April 10th, 2008:

I sent Karen Warburton at the FDA, my LASIK experience which spans nearly 10 years now of constant problems, i.e. ectasia in both eyes mostly the right, which of course has resulted in loss of quality correctable vision and sizable expenses. Most likely, I was never a good candidate for the surgery in the first place and secondly, the surgeons thinned my already keratoconic corneas from nearly 500 microns pre op to marginally 250 post op. I had initial LASIK, and two enhancements from one of the most renowned eye surgeons and clinics in the US.

I currently wear a Boston Scleral in my right eye and regular corneal RGP in my left for average visual acuity of 20/40 and 20/20 respectively.

JE-South Carolina

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April 8th, 2008:

I have received your mail dated from 06.April 2008. As I see, you are collecting new LASIK horror stories. I am an ophthalmologist and I heard from a collegue the following LASIK desaster.

A couple of months ago, a patient came to my friend and wanted to have a removal of  a corneal iron foreignbody.

When my friend began to remove the foreign body by using a fine dental burr, the corneal flap was separated in the corneal center. The corneal flap winded around the dental burr. My friend was shocked and stopped instantly the further removal.

Then the patient told him, that he had a LASIK procedure before. The time between LASIK and foreinbody removal is not known for me. Finally, the patient had to be sent in an eye-clinic where the flap had to be sutured with a very bad result.

Further details I do not know.

I think this incident is very important to know and is a very serious problem after LASIK. In all I believe LASIK is a desastrous procedure and should be stopped instantly. The number of hurt LASIK-patients is getting more and more and is enough. I hope you will succed in stopping this criminal operation.

I by myself perform advanced surface ablation since twenty years. Me and my patients are very satisfied. I hope I could help you.

Sincerely

Prof. Prof. Dr. D. Dausch

Ophthalmologist in Germany

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Jermaine Dupri Goes Blind After Lasik Surgery Posted : March 04, 2008 Filed under : Janet Jackson Meant to be a cure for his eyesight problem, a laser surgery to correct Jermaine Dupri's vision has backfired. Reports are surfacing that the producer who is also known to be Janet Jackson's long-term boyfriend, is losing sight due to complications from the surgery. Dupri had an elective eye surgery two weeks ago and according to a report by MediaTakeOut, sources said that Dupri is "virtually blind". Other details regarding this matter or any public statement from his publicist are not yet released. Dupri posted the video of him getting the Lasik surgery on his YouTube account. He had forgotten his wallet and asked Janet who allegedly was in the middle of a rehearsal to pay for the bill. After the surgery that is supposed to be a minor one, Dupri reportedly did not attend the scheduled February 23 gig on Atlanta's V-103.

February 22nd, 2008:

Good morning Dean,

Haven't heard from you in a while , I hope you're alright ! I got a relapse of the damn flu and it's worse than the first one . The weather in Vegas is bad, very windy and cold , just nasty. A young woman where I live had lasik surgery done in December in one eye and she became blind . Two weeks ago I was told she hung herself because she was unable to cope with her blindness. It's a damn shame that the media supports these bastard doctors and advertise for them . They are just as guilty as these criminals. I had sent several letters to Michael Moore about lasik and I never got an answer !
,

Anonymous

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February 18th, 2008:

Dear Dean:

I too am a Lasik disaster and have considered a trip to Norway to see Dr. Stojanovic.  I see that you were retreated last June.  How did it work out?  I assume that it did not go well since you have not posted any updates.  I hope you have found some relief! 

Thanks, Dale

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February 7th, 2008

Dean,

I wanted to inform you that the Synergeyes lenses that received seem to be successful for me. I have been wearing them for about three weeks. I find that using Acuvue moist as a piggy-back system allows me to tolerate them for up to 14 hours per day. Occasionally I get some burring and I simply put in some eye drops (I prefer Bausch and Lomb dry eye rejuvenation in the 32 vial individual size.) I then move the contact a bit until the clarity returns. Overall my visual quality is not at 100 percent; however, I can confidently say that my vision is at 94 percent during the day, thus I wear them every day. After one lens fitting I suspect that I am Plano in my right eye and about -0.25 diaptors in my left. I notice the difference more so at a distance. Also suspect that some of the remaining visual imperfections are due to some residual higher order aberrations.

I must stress that in order to tolerate these lenses for more than just a few hours I follow a certain protocol: I take 1000mg of flax seed oil per day, and 3-5 liters of water per day. Also once late evening rolls around, I find that even with a large amount of water, I have more problems with dryness. Once I remove the lenses in the evening, I feel fine putting them on in the morning. If I need to stay up late and only get about 4-5 hours of sleep, I have a harder time tolerating them. Wind seems to be a constant issue, so when going outside I am going to purchase those sun glasses that look normal from another person’s perspective, yet have a border around my eyes (I forget the name of them.)

Also humidity plays a relatively large role. This is why I have a humidifier in my room, and avoid staying to long outside during the winter, regardless of the wind. Overall, I AM FUNCATIONAL AGAIN! The constant migraines, from having one blurry eye and one farsighted eye, have subsided. Also even though I am not perfect (even though I am at 94% visual acuity during the day, after only one fitting), I am able o use my eyes together. As I am sure you remember, being a dentist, this is rather important. I intend to go back to have my eye refitted to attempt to get a better overall result. In the mean time, I am searching for a way to minimize the dry eye issues. I will keep you informed.

Your friendly caring dentist,

DISGUSTEDDMD

P.S. I don’t think I can finish this letter without acknowledging the “doctor” that put me through this seemingly endless nightmare: JOSEPH P. KIERNAN of PREMIER EYE CARE AND SURGERY. I certainly hope that people realize what kind of individual he is in terms of medical ethics, moral beliefs, as well as, humanist tendencies (or lack thereof.)
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November 19th, 2007
 

Dean,

 

My life after LASIK preformed by Dr. Dean Dornic, MD in Cary This is my life after LASIK, I am in month 3 and I am trying so hard to stay alive after LASIK, life before LASIK was heaven and now it is hell: -severed corneal nerves in my eyes can no longer send messages to the brain to secrete the oils and tears needed to lubricate my eyes, so now my eyes are incredibly painfully dry and irritated -incredible pain behind my eyes -lack of sleep because of pain -diagnosed with major depression & PSTD following LASIK -tried to commit suicide by wrapping my neck and suffocating myself, husband came home early from work and found me in a pile of vomit -puffy eyelids -When I get home from work I wear goggles to cook, clean and watch TV in, my husband thinks I look like a dominatrix with my black goggles on -family no longer talks to me because they don't understand why I am in pain, my eyes only look red, they cannot see the lack of oils that my eyes need and cannot have because of cut corneal nerves. -difficulty working, I have missed over 15 days at my job since August -two weekly therapy appointments because of massive depression after Lasik -2 psychiatrists were unable to prescribe the right meds to control my pain and depression -3rd psychiatrist prescribed REMERON (mirtazapine) for depression, Neurontin (Gabapentin) for my eye pain and Ativan (Larazepam) to control my crying spells. -the depression, suicidal thoughts, pain and anxiety after LASIK has been unbearable -cannot fall asleep at night without an eye mask to keep eyelids shut at night -I now take many supplements to help my eyes and hopefully to lubricate my eyes -I used to love to drive my convertible, but now I am afraid the wind will dry my eyes and cause pain -I am an organ donor and now my eyes cannot be used because of LASIK -no friends call anymore because they are afraid of what to say to me -coworkers run in opposite direction because they know something is dreadfully wrong with me because my eyes are all puffy and red -cannot go shopping because the air in stores irritate my eyes -went to Art Museum yesterday to take students and the air inside the Museum burned and irritated my eyes -cannot take care of my chickens anymore because the dust in the coop irritates and inflames my eyes. -Piles of bills lay waiting to be paid, expenses because of bad LASIK -I used to attend exercise classes after work but the pain from LASIK is to intense and I have to close my eyes around 6:00pm because of eye pain induced from bad LASIK by Dr. Dean Dornic, MD -odd floaters in my eyes, annoying to look at computer screen -this list is just a start, update to follow.... questions? e-mail bendornicked@yahoo.com

Oct. 6th, 2007

NEWSPAPERS ARE WARNING THE MASSES: 
"LASIK IS STILL NOT SAFE IN 2007 BECAUSE A FLAP IS A FLAP AND NEVER HEALS."
Finally some newspapers are talking about how many Americans have had their lives ruined from Lasik Surgery:





October 26th, 2007:

 

It's amazing how us informed (unfortunately after the procedure) Lasik patients basically have the same gripes about being lied to, especially in the form of not being told of the permanent physical changes to the eyes. What is really disheartening are the Lasik patients who have disturbing visual problems and recommend the procedure to others. I worked with someone who recommended I should get Lasik because our health plan covers most of the cost. I found out about 1 1/2 years later that this very same individual had been complaining bitterly about night visual disturbances due to his large pupil size, something you would notice very shortly after the procedure.

 

It's hard to fight the tidal wave of Lasik when hurt patients even recommend the procedure to others; maybe it's because 'Misery loves company', I don't know. I know in my heart I could never and will never say anything good about Lasik (or any elective refractive eye surgery) to anyone. It simply is cruel and immoral to do so. Because any person with below average intelligence can easily understand the damage and problems these surgeries bring when spoken to in everyday language, it is obvious there is a cover-up that really undermines the credibility of our healthcare system.

,

Another "John Doe."

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October 10th, 2007
 

Cheeseburger from LASIK hell

I read Dr. Dornic's editorial comparing LASIK risks with fast food.

I had LASIK August 7, 2007 at Dr. Dean Dornic's Cary office. I am a school teacher, and was assured I would recover before returning to work. However, by August 16 ^th my eyes were excruciatingly dry and painful.  I have since learned that LASIK severs and burns corneal nerves controlling tear production. I still suffer from dryness and intense eye pain daily.

I had informed Dr. Dornic that I had trouble wearing contacts.  Instead of disclosing that contact lens intolerance is a red flag for severe dry eye after LASIK, Dr. Dornic approved my surgery.

The day of surgery I was uncomfortable signing a contract stating I could possibly go blind from LASIK complications.  Dr. Dornic's staff claimed that's "very rare" and "everything will be fine". 

After surgery, things were not fine – it's difficult to constantly use eye drops (that weren't helping anyway) in a classroom of 20 teenagers. Dr. Dornic called me "too self-conscious."  He also suggested I wear GOGGLES while teaching!

Even the FDA now warns that LASIK dry eye can be permanent!

Dr. Dornic served me the cheeseburger from LASIK hell.

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September 18th, 2007

My vision is bad day or night And when I go to sleep I keep getting very bright starbursts even when my eyes are closed . Sometimes it even feels like diamonds falling out of my eye and sliding on my face and neck . It takes me forever to fall asleep because of this . I was looking for the letter from these two doctors suggesting I get more surgery , which I refused . I'm sending both to you for your opinion which I greatly appreciate .

Thank you Dean for all your help ! Monica


I too have a horror story to share . It all started in December 1996 in Las Vegas where I live . I went to see Dr. Kent Wellish to get my eyes checked because I needed glasses to drive and be able to see street signs . I had gone to see a eye doctor prior to him and was told my eyes were ok but needed glasses for distance . Unfortunately I had lost the prescription and decided to go see Wellish for another one . That's when my nightmare started ! At the consultation he had two young medical students to assist him . When he got done checking my eyes he told me I had the same disease as Kirby Puckett and will go blind suddenly if I don't get the laser surgery within a few days . I knew I was in excellent physical shape and told him so but he did not pay attention and kept telling me about my blindness . He sounded so sure of his diagnosis and his two students agreed with him completely  which made me agree to have it done . The laser surgery was a real botched job . I wasn't able to see clearly and my eye was hurting so much . He gave me some drops to put in my left eye several times a day but these eye drops were giving me such severe headache and nausea . When I went back for a follow up he said my eye developed cataract and he insisted on an artificial lenses implant  to give me 20/ 20 vision AGAIN, I agreed and trusted him .... Big mistake ! He's a real smooth talker and could convince anyone of anything with his cocky attitude . After the lenses implant he asked me if I can see him clearly ! I told him I can barely see  anything because it felt as if a  cloud was covering my eye and I could not distinguish any objects in the room .  He then suggested I get yager surgery to take care of the clouds and then I will have 20/ 20 vision ! I also agreed to the yager surgery .

More eye drops to make me sick . When I went back to his office I went through the same routine .
" Can you see me now ? he asked " I see four of you but it's very blurry and everything seems like it's zoomed in and I cannot see far away . What are you going to do now to get my vision back the way it was ? Nothing he said ,the surgery was a success . I'm sorry things didn't work out for you but you have to realize I'm not GOD ! " you mean this is it , I asked him , I'm gonna remain with this atrocious vision for good ? There's nothing more I can do Miss Short . He had implanted the wrong lenses in my eye but did not show any concern . He was only concerned to get me out of his office before I became hysterical and did not want the other patients to hear me complain about his fiasco One of his students had to accompany to my car because I was in such bad shape and the student kept saying how sorry she was about the whole thing as if she was the one who did it ! In 1996 Dr, Wellish was trying to recruit volunteers to learn more on eye surgeries but could not find any . As a shrewd business man he found another way to lure patients to get surgery by using dishonest tactics and lies like he did me ! I was one of his guinea pigs along with so many others . The operator room had so many patients and all were scared . Dr. Wellish believes in working in volume and rake in the dollars fast. He now has two offices in Las Vegas and getting very wealthy  thanks to all the guinea pigs he ruined their lives to his benefit . I have gone to so many doctors since then , hoping my vision could be restored , but no such luck , they all told me my left eye was permanently damaged and nothing could be done . At least I know now he lied to me when he said I was gonna be completely blind . I still have my right eye and all I need is distance glasses . I would never recommend that charlatan to anyone , on the contrary , I tell people every chance I get to avoid that con artist . My horror story is being posted in several site to warn all new comers to Las Vegas and old time residents about the slick eye surgeons , mainly the infamous Kent Wellish ! PS : I love your site , it's the best on the web . Keep up the great work ..... YOU CARE about people having their lives destroyed by these greedy doctors . That's the way it is in the great USA ..... it's all about money ! Have a good day ..... I'll try do the same .

Monica Short  . Las Vegas, NV.  

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August 28th, 2007

Famous Host/Actor Regis Philbin Joins The List of Hurt Lasik Casualties:
 

Quote: > > "Regis from Live with Regis and Kelly announced this morning on live television that he just developed a large vitreous detachment that is clouding his right eye. He went to see his LASIK SURGEON (had the surgery last year) who told him it would settle back down. I highly > > doubt he told him about the pressure change induced by the suction > > ring or the connection to even greater damage to the retina that can > > be caused by LASIK." > > Posterior vitrous detachment is quite common after LASIK due to damage > > by the suction ring during surgery. At the bottom of this post is a > > reference to a medical study about PVD. ?A 13% rate of posterior > > vitrous detachment is reported, with a 24% incidence for patients with > > high myopia. Not great odds for prospective patients, and has ANYONE > > heard of this condition going away on its own? To the best of my > > knowledge, LASIK-induced floaters are with you for life. If Regis has > > indeed developed a large post-LASIK floater, he may consider seeing a > > retinal specialist for a complete retinal exam and an exam of his > > optical nerve head to rule out even more serious post-LASIK retinal > > and optic nerve complications. > > Patients Regis's age likely would benefit more from a refractive lens > > exchange surgery, but that safer (and more appropriate surgery for > > presbyopes) would have left far less cash in a doctor's wallet. So > > perhaps this option wasn't even mentioned. > > In addition to the article below, Regis Philbin may want to read The > > LASIK Report at htttp://www.thelasikreport.com. Regis may also want > > to consider that LASIK eye surgery may be the largest medical/industry > > coverup since tobacco. > > Effect of microkeratome suction during LASIK on ocular structures > > Ophthalmology. 2005 Apr;112(4):645-9. > > Mirshahi A, Kohnen T. > > Department of Ophthalmology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, > > Frankfurt am > > Main, Germany.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi > > cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15808256&query_hl=4 > > Excerpt: > > Luna et al. reported the development of PVD after LASIK with an > > incidence of 2% in a group of 50 patients with low myopia (1.25 to 3.5 > > D) and 24% in a group of 50 patients with high myopia (6 to 10 D). > > Considering the data from the 100 eyes, this corresponds to 13%; thus, > > there is not a great deal of difference between our results and the > > data in the literature.- Hide quoted text -   Regis was telling about his lasik gone bad on David Letterman a month or two ago. Unfortunately, I missed it but a concerned friend of mine told me about it. I don't know the details but I was told he was not  happy.   Please share anything you might find out.  This is becoming all too common. Almost anybody I tell my story to, seems to have one to tell me, the postman, whoever.  It's a shame so many must suffer for others greed.

August 28th, 2007

Here is a list of famous celeb's that have had their eyesight ruined from lasik:

Tiger Woods Ex-Girlfriend:  Kashmira Karanjia

Tiger Woods eyesight is regressing, goes in for surgery again:  May 2007
(are Tiger's eyes in the beginning stages of ECTASIA??)

Kathy Griffin:  www.KathyGriffin.net  has been in a lawsuit with her lasik doctor, Maloney which many call Boloney, who has even attempted to sue his own patient.  Is this guy a "nut case?"

Regis Philbin:  Immediately complaining of eye problems after Lasik.
 

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August 27th, 2007

Dean,

Thanks for taking the time to describe what happened in your case post-PRK. There are very few people like you who take the trouble to do this, so others are well informed. I wish I knew what I know now 10 years ago. I thought in an advanced country like U.S., they would be more careful and do more testing before qualifying for Lasik. As I mentioned ealier, mine was in India, that too 10 years ago. I went for both eyes. They didn't do any tests before and took me straight to the operating room. It took 30 seconds to ruin my life. There is not even a single day, when I don't think of that and cry.

It is disappointing after reading your mail that you still have to wear contact lens. I can't tolerate any type of contact lens post-PRK. Pre-PRK, all I had to do was wear my contacts and bingo, my vision was crystal clear. It seems like a dream now. I am still hoping the technology would improve some day, but I may be too old by then. I need a brand new cornea.

Thanks Dean for keeping us informed and letting us know about the positive and negative of re-treatment.

I wish you all the luck, as much as we all need.

- Nina

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August 21st, 2007:


Dear Dean:
 

Avoid Eye Surgery

 

I've read so many comments about proper research and the right doctor. It is all meaningless, as all 'elective' refractive eye surgeries cause permanent damage all the time. The cornea does not heal or respond to cuts and the laser as skin tissue does. The various governmental agencies that exist have grossly failed to protect the public. Informed consents only protect the doctors/clinics and makers of laser equipment. It's all about the money. Laser eye surgery has ruined many lives and continues to do so. If patient care was #1, Lasik and the other surgeries would not exist today. The NHI of England refuses to provide or endorse (actually they warn against) laser eye surgery. This is because big money does not hold as big a grip on its healthcare industry as it does in the U.S.A.

 

Sincerely,

"Anonymous in fear of being sued by my own doctor and the industry defaming me!"

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July 16th, 2007

Dear Dean:
 

Thank You and congratulations on your successful  procedure may God continue to give you favor, as you move thru this road in your life. Thank you again. My doubts are laid to rest and my eyes will never be put thru such ordeal because you were selfless enough to share your experience with the rest of us. God Bless U for doing this!!  HE who is the originator of our life, our  faith and who knows our heart will greatly bless you for this act of kindness, to the rest of us. Have a beautiful day!!
 

Dean I happened to get your e-mail because I'm in #######'s list of friend that prayed for her and tried to help in what little support we could give her. But I want to thank you because for

a long while I had been considering getting Lasik. My vision is good but I need glasses for

night driving and it was a pain to have to pull my glasses to see my cell phone and on again to drive. I never knew that a lot of cases go wrong and that it's not just one in 5000 or whatever the Dr. give you the number of gone wrong cases. Long story short this has made me rethink my possible decision to get Lasik. Thank you God for keeping me save and thank you Dean!!!

Kind Regards,

Anonymous

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July 9th,2007

That is probably at the center of this so-called elective procedure and what is never told to any prospective patient by the Lasik doctos/clinincs/flunkies - THAT THE LASIK PROCEDURE IS A VERY RECKLESS GAMBLE that is about as exact and predictable as a car accident.

 

There can be no more devious enemy of citizens in this country (among many others) that I can think of than purveyors of Lasik and other refractive surgeries. They assure patients everything will go well (as mine did and lied about specific facts) to close the sale. They steal decades of productivity, enjoyment, and overall quality of life, and sometimes very abruptly as in Colin's life. I wonder what the negative economic impact is of this ongoing damage done on innocent people in the U.S.A.

 

I still cannot believe I was so naive to think the FTC, FDA, CDC, etc., would adequately protect us and not allow refractive eye surgery centers/doctors/hospitals to perform any reckless crude surgeries. I thought the procedures must be relatively safe if they are openly advertised.

 

I have no hesitation or embarrassment when telling people to stay away from the surgical arena when it comes to refractive procedures for the eyes. But, I want to make a bigger impact. Keep fighting and please keep us informed.
,

Anonymous

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July 4th, 2007

ANOTHER LASIK PATIENT COMMITS SUICIDE!!

Dear Dean:

I was provided your names by ###############. I am contacting you because I am hoping you may have communicated with my son, ###############. He had lasik in 2001 with poor results. The surgery was performed in Windsor, Ontario by Dr. Richard Leger. He saw many doctors (Marchat, Soloway, Salz, Garbus, Thompson...) but all told him that he would have to wait until the technology was available to correct his problems. I know that he was active on at least one discussion board 2001 - 2003 but may not have been active since then.

Last week he left a suicide note and bought a gun. we have not heard from him since. The note stated that he could not live with the results of his surgery.  If anyone has been in contact with my son over the past few months can you please let me know.  My son was a law student at the University of Michigan when he had his surgery later he worked as a patent attorney in Los Angeles. In 2005 he returned to Philadelphia.
,
Anonymous

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July 3rd, 2007

Dean:

I just came across another one of your patients on the internet who reports being suicidal (within the last 3 mo) as a result of their LASIK.   This patient is not one of the original six that I know.  I hope that you are able to identify this patient and address what may be some obvious needs for psychological help.  Unlike your other six patients,  this patients suicidal rumination may still be active.

" I don't even what to think how much I've spent since my lasik tragedy in 2001. I was very interested in your story since we both seem to have gone very similar tracks. My name is #######################, and I had  lasik at the age of 22 (worst mistake I have ever done!!). The Dr that operated on me closed his business 3 months after my surgery and disappeared with all medical records, etc. Soon after, I was diagnosed with Corneal ectasia on one eye by Dr Trattler in Miami ( I have lost most of my vision on my left eye), and ever since my life has never been the same. I now live with horrible double vision, glare, halos, and severe dry eye. The eye that has not developed ectasia (at least yet) suffers from severe dryness and even though I sometimes can see 20/20 on that eye, I have vision fluctuation, ghosting, glare, etc. (I have tried plugs, restasis, all kind of drops, and nothing seems to help much)

I have been treated by Dr Boshnick as well, who has been the most caring doctor I have ever met. After trying many contact lenses, such as the scleral lens, he gave me the opportunity to be one of the first to try the newest Synergeyes lens. This is a combination of a hard lens with a soft lens edge. This lens feels incredibly comfortable, and has helped regain about 60% of my vision back on my bad eye (if you haven't tried it yet, it may be worth the shot).

Honestly, this situation has impacted my life in such a way that I'm beginning to think that living like this is not worth it. At only 28, I feel that I will never enjoy my life the way any human being should hope for, and every day when I wake up, I have to force myself out of bed trying to find a reason to make it through that day. The love and support of my family has got to be the only fuel I have left, and because I love them very much, I pretend to be strong in the outside, however, inside I feel like my life has already ended in many ways.

I hope and pray every single day that soon a miracle procedure will be able to help people like us, I can't believe that with all the advance in medical technology, doctors still do not have clear answers or effective procedures to help us regain our vision.

HURT LASIK PATIENT"

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June 25th,2007

I am a mother of a 26 year old who WAS so determined to have this surgery; there was nothing, nothing I could do.  She grew allergic to her contact lenses and had the money and was going to have this done…….until she researched the surgery.  She just sent me an e*mail with your link saying that she was NOT going to have the surgery.  The 1^st time in years I’ve heard the words “mom, you are so right about Lasik!!” 

I’ve never known a single person that had this surgery that hasn’t had to have it “tweaked”.  My boss had it many years ago due to tennis and is now almost blind in his eye.  He had only 1 done to make sure it worked before having the other done….need I say, he hasn’t had the 2^nd done.  A friend of ours had 3 surgeries, multiple vision issues and is now disabled due to the surgery.

I just want to thank you for posting your site.  I can only hope people research this – listen to their long time doctors…..I’ve been going to my same eye-doctor since 1980 and when I inquired about having this done because; as the commercials were saying….”I want to get up in the morning and not have to put contacts in”; he told me that it was a “terrible idea”, “he would not think about suggesting that I have this done” – “he doesn’t do it and never will” – “there is still nothing out there on the long term effects” and thankfully talked me out of having this done.  Words I have been preaching to my daughter and she would never listen to me.  When she became allergic – she was determined to have this surgery.  Again, if it weren’t for your website, she would have had it done.  Now she is grateful that all she does have is an allergy, only has to put a drop in her eye..  

Ever so grateful,

Anonymous

Saint Petersburg, FL  

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May 15th, 2007

Congratulations Dean on creating a great website about the scourge of lasik surgery.

I am going through a lot of the same things you mention. I have irregular astigmatism, edema, in growth, dry eye, a drifting prescription. (one eye now almost -5 D after drifting over 2 years) I had cataracts 1.5 years after the surgery. I can no longer read comfortably. Every day is like a recurring nightmare.
 

Unfortunately, I believe I had an underlying issue with my left ear that never caused me trouble until lasik. The lasik triggered intense bouts of vertigo and dizziness which has never left me. I have migraines and nausea daily and have been disabled the entire time,it looks like this will be permanent.  You are so young to have so much trouble with your eyes. At least I am 51. I can't imagine having done this at an earlier age.  My best to you my friend and again, great website. I'll be back to explore it more later.
 

Sure Dean, go right ahead. Tnx for replying. Use anonymous please. I'm trying to keep the pro lasik attack dogs off my tail. I don't wanna give them my name and address, got enough trouble from Lasik. 
 

best of luck,

take care,

Another "Anonymous" lasik victim

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May 8th, 2007

Hi Dean,

My names Erin and I just wanted to let you know that I liked your www.LifeAfterLasik.com site. I had lasik and prk back in 1999, so I could relate to a lot of what you wrote on your site. I also like how you listed other sites that other lasik patients have done. That was very helpful.

I hope things have improved somewhat for you. I have made some improvements, but as you probably know, the effects of this are lifelong. I think one of the hardest parts is losing the ability to relate to the people who were your friends prior to the surgery, and having difficulty with all relationships. It seems the only people that can really understand this are others who've had the surgeries. I am single, and I feel like it would be almost impossible for me to have a romantic relationship with someone who has not had this type of surgery, because it's so hard to understand what it does to you unless you have been through it.

Well I would hope to hear back from you and hear how you are doing these days. Thank you again for your informative web site.

Sincerely,

Anonymous

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May 7th, 2007

I had LASIK in August 2001. It was never perfect and my eyes were dry, but by 2 months after surgery, I did see 20/12.5 in my left eye and 20/16 in my right eye. My eyes got less dry, and for about 6 months I was feeling that things were headed in the right direction. At that point, I noticed I was having headaches, and I went in to get a prescription...I remember being relieved that it did improve my vision. It turned out that I was a bit farsighted in one eye, and I had a bit of astigmatism. Around that time, I got a case of blepharitis which made my eyes quite uncomfortable, and as those who have had it know, it's never really fully gone away.

Over the next several years, I settled into a routine where I was able to do several things without glasses, but I did use them all the time at work. I noticed that my eyes would get dry if I did too much reading without them. I did notice that things weren't quite as crisp  even with my glasses, but it wasn't too bad. I would occaisionally get flare-ups of significant dry eye--these were very frustrating and disheartening, but would usually settle down after some hot compresses.

I ended up getting 4 or 5 new prescriptions between 2001 and 2005. At some point I noticed there was some double vision/ghosting without my glasses, that I could see on the eyechart and in certain situations. I was sure I had some higher-order aberrations, but I was basically relieved that it wasn't as bad as some of the starburts/halo cases that I read about. All in all, I regretted it somewhat, but felt I dodged a bullet. I didn't really notice the trend that's apparent now--that each new prescription was  a bit less satisfying than the previous one.

By 2005 and 2006, there were more situations which I was gunshy to do without my glasses. I got a topography/wavefront in 2005 showing I had HOAs, but I didn't know that my number (~.8um RMS in each eye) was quite significant. That topography showed some signs of apparent ectasia in my right eye, but this wasn't picked up at the time.

Through 2006, I guess I was relying on my left eye. I went through substantial periods where the dry eye seemed under control, so this offset my disappointment in my declining vision. I was having increasing difficulty with fast reading and some detail-oriented things I did at work.

At the end of 2006, I had a bad dry eye day and noticed that my prescription wasn't cutting it. I went in for an exam and was struck that the correction was quite unsatisfying. I had never left so disappointed before. The dry eye and the poor vision continued for the next several months, and I had moved to the "alarmed" category. By March, I went in to a top ophthalmologist, and the topography showed the telltale signs of apparent ectasia in my left eye. My "good" eye was slipping. This trend has continued in the last 2 months. While I had noticed a hint of double vision/ghosting over the years, now I was seeing double and triple quite clearly at night, and even a bit of double vision in bright daylight. My contrast sensitivity has declined, and I feel uncomfortable at night and don't enjoy reading--a favorite pasttime.

 My story is evolving, as there are treatments for ectasia to consider now. But the lessons are clear. Refractive surgery is a horribly big risk--I'm quite devastated by the effects this is having on me personally and professionally. 6 months ago, I was planning to take a new job with a better salary, etc. I was unable to take it because I was so hampered by dry eye and my declining vision. Personally, it is hard to enjoy many activities and social events, when things seem visually "off" during the day, or just plain bad at night. LASIK surgery, in particular, seems an incredibly unfortunate choice, as it weakens the cornea irrevocably just by cutting the flap (that never heals) and leaves one unnecessarily vulnerable to ectasia, and causes much more long-term dry eye. Above all, I regret the loss of confidence in my health, which in every other regard is terrific. I'm quite simply not the person I was meant to be anymore.

One day I may follow Dean's lead in trying a new ablation with a better PRK technique. But what I wouldn't give to have never seen the sign advertising LASIK surgery to employees at the medical institution at which I worked, so many years ago.
,

Anonymous

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April 20th, 2007

Dean,

 

Thank you so much for putting up so much information on your website as well as linking to others about the Lasik complications that doctors are trying so hard to silence.  I feel it has saved me from possibly making the biggest mistake of my life.  I am a 22 year old senior in college who is getting ready to graduate.  I will be starting my first year of pharmacy school in the fall and kept thinking about how nice it would be to not have to be "impaired" by glasses or contact in my classes as well as for the sports I play.  During my annual exam at my opthalmologist's office (one of the most trustworthy people I have ever met in my life) I brought up the prospect of refractive eye surgery. 

He told me about the complications with Lasik with the flap and explained to me how epi-Lasik seemed to be the "safer" way to go for anyone considering refractive surgery, but all the same he would never recommend anyone get refractive eye surgery and told me how he would never even consider performing refractive surgery on patients himself, because of unknown long term effects, unpredictable results, and the high rate of long term or even PERMANENT complications.  Having been a patient of his since I was a 7 year old girl, and being a physician who genuinely cares about his patients he very RELUCTANTLY gave me the card of a refractive eye surgeon while telling me if he was going to have refractive surgery this is the guy he would see, not that he would ever have such an operation. 

I don't know why I didn't take his advice to heart as much as I should have saying pretty much anything my opthalmologist says about the medical field I take as being the gospel.  Anyways I started doing some more research into refractive eye surgery and found it quite alarming that the only things that come up are the "testimonials" about Lasik being "Amazing!" and the "best thing ever!"  As a student from a science and health care background I found it alarming that it was so difficult to find any negative information on refractive surgery, but then I finally found your website among others. 

I also used my University email account to access certain databases to read medical journals that normally require subscriptions and started reading studies on refractive surgery.  A lot of the studies compared certain procedures and indicated that epi-Lasik was the most promising.  Then I started reading European Medical Journal articles as well and a study that came out this month found that even in epi-Lasik in all of the patients in the study 23% of them still had post operative haze at 16 months after the procedure!!!!  In any other field of medicine, something that has such unpredictability with limited back up plans would be considered an experimental last result treatment after everything else had failed! 

 

I even decided to attend a seminar being put on by the guy whose card my opthalmologist gave me.  It could have been a seminar to sell refrigerators by the way the guy was playing the role of a businessman more than a doctor.  And just the way he made it sound so easy like Lasik was going to be a walk in the park making it sound like it is not a big life changing decision to make and that "millions of people are doing this a year," blah blah blah...
 

When I asked about epi-Lasik he totally blew me off and was like "oh but epi-Lasik is unbearably painful and takes twice as long to heal as Lasik, Lasik is the way to go!'  He talked about the 5% of his patients who needed to be touched up after their first surgery, but did not go into details of the time, cost, or what these "touching ups" consisted of (hmmm corneal transplants and numerous specialists possibly?)  He also claimed they had never had a patient who had experienced permanent blurring, which made me ask if the term "blurring" also comprised starbursting, glare, and ghosting? 

He tiptoed around my question and then after the seminar two young women asked me what starbursting, glare, and ghosting was (because of course he didn't go into details of these possible after effects) and I gave them a website where they could see the simulated pictures of such phenomena.  And then the doctor totally contradicted himself about the corneal flaps.  He said that they heal completely but then later when he was talking about touch ups he said that they wouldn't need to be re-cut with intralase and that they could just be lifted out, and I was so happy when some guy in the audience called him on this contradiction.  The seminar made me realize that the goal of refractive surgeons is to move as many patients through their Lasik factories as possible to take care of their high fixed operating costs.  I am just afraid of the decision I might have made had I not found some of the true life horrors that refractive surgery has caused.

 

Thank you so much,

Anonymous MD

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My story:
I was born a -7.00 myope. I cannot remember a time in my life when I did not wear glasses. Glasses were as much a part of me as my hair color. At forty-six years of age (March 05), I walked into my eye surgeon’s office (Dr. Herman Sloane) with the dream of not having to wear glasses ever again. After all, my sister and brother both had Lasik with great results. I elected to have an epi-lasik procedure confident with the knowledge it was the conservative "safe" route to take.

I knew something was wrong within days after the surgery. At first my fear focused on being overcorrected. After a lifetime as a myope, I hated being farsighted. I was terrified. I didn’t sleep for weeks. I didn’t eat. I lost 20 pounds. I did not feel comfortable in my own skin. Things only got worse. My left eye stabilized at +1.00 while my right eye went into a tailspin. When the dust settled three months post op, my right eye was +1.75.

As it turns out, the hyperopia was not the worst symptom. Since, I had my surgery in the spring, the long periods of sunlight masked the glare, halos and starbursts that would be the focus of my most intense fears. I soon discovered that stop lights at night were an unrecognizable mess of glare, LED lights created huge streaks of light, etc. My fear now became panic.

I saw several "specialists" during this period. I was desperately seeking answers/solutions. To a person, they told me that my situation was not that dire and that additional surgery would most likely fix all of my symptoms. In September 05, my surgeon had an idea: perform an epithelium debridement on my right eye. He believed that irregular epithelium healing was the cause of much of my hyperopia. He told me it was a safe procedure and healing would only be a few weeks. No such luck. Shortly after the surgery, I developed severe haze in the right eye that did not diminish with time. My apprehension was now a total obsession.

I saw another specialist, a world class surgeon in L.A. (Dr. Yaron S. Rabinowitz) (at the suggestion of my original surgeon). Again, I was told not to worry. He suggested that I have the haze scrapped, allow the eye to heal, then have another laser surgery performed. I had the haze scrapped from my eye in January 06. This further flattened my right eye and left me at +3.00. The real problem was that the +3.00 did not tell the whole story. Contacts and/or glasses no longer corrected my right eye. Night vision was an even bigger mess. While my right eye healed from the haze scraping, I had a second surgery (PRK) performed on my left eye in March 06. I so wanted the hell to be over. After a couple months, the left eye healed okay; however, the glare, starbursts and halos were still extremely prominent.

In July 06, I flew to Vancouver to see another world class eye surgeon (Dr. David Lin - at the suggestion of my original surgeon) regarding my right eye. Due to the FDA approval process, Canadian eye surgeons have several tools available that American surgeons do not. After a short consultation, I consented to have a topographic guided PRK procedure preformed on my right eye.

Sixteen months of hell for me and my family; untold thousands of dollars on surgery, optometrists, glasses, and contact lenses and I still had terrible vision. My left eye was near plano but my right eye was now -2.50. I wanted to celebrate my left eye but the glare, starbursts, and halos were ruining my life. I avoided the night like the plague.

I hit rock bottom after trying RGP lenses with a local optometrist. The local optometrist I saw did not have much experience fitting post refractive patients. The lenses did not mitigate the glare and were incredibly uncomfortable.

I then saw of optometrist who specializes in fitting post refractive patients with contact lens in Dallas Texas. The first lens iteration, using a Macrolens, fixed my eye chart vision but did not mitigate the glare. Not to worry, a larger optical zone might be necessary. The next day, the second iteration lenses, again the Macrolens (14mm diameter lens with a 10mm optic zone), arrived. I could see 20/15 and the glare was significantly reduced. In addition, the lenses were comfortable. In fact, the lenses were no less comfortable than the soft silicon hydrogel lenses I was previously wearing. I immediately wore the lenses for a full day. Another iteration was necessary to find the "perfect" fit, but I now had hope that I could live a normal life.

I wish this story had a perfect ending; however, it does not. I still see excessive amounts of glare. It can be mentally debilitating. Streaks of light shoot out from bright sources (i.e. overhead track lights, street lights, etc.) like dancing spikes of light every time I blink or move my eyes. No one seems to understand why. It is not a function of the contact lenses. Sometimes I can mentally erase these streaks and sometimes I cannot. I also still see large starbursts (with the contact lenses). Green stop lights at night are the worst. I hold out hope that my remaining symptoms will mitigate over time or there is some kind of alternative. I continue searching for the perfect solution.

Dale