FDA Plans Lasik Eye Surgery Safety Review

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will take a closer look at health risks associated with Lasik laser-assisted vision correction procedures, an agency panel announced Friday.

The FDA will conduct a study of the "quality of life" of patients after Lasik surgery, and the agency will assess how to give prospective Lasik patients stronger warnings about risks associated with the procedure. The Los Angeles Times reports that, of the 8 million Americans who have undergone Lasik surgery since its approval in 1998, a small number have suffered "serious side effects that have left their eyes painfully dry and their vision marred by ghostly shadows or starbursts of color." Lasik (short for "Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis") is a vision-correcting surgical procedure that permanently changes the shape of the cornea.

• FDA to Review Lasik Eye Surgery Side Effects (L.A. Times)
• FDA Panel Urges Stronger Warnings for Lasik Surgery (Washington Post)
• Facts You Need to Know About LASIK (FDA)
• LASIK Eye Surgery: Health and Legal Information (FindLaw)