In his practice at the Medical University of South Carolina's Storm Eye Institute, Solomon said he spends two hours briefing a prospective patient on the risks and testing their eyes to make sure the operation has a high chance of success. Based on the results, Solomon said, he turns away every fourth patient.
Dr. Walter J. Stark, director of cataract and cornea services at Johns Hopkins' Wilmer Eye Institute, agrees that doctors must take time to make sure patients have realistic expectations. Chances for night glare and other side effects have been reduced, he said, but he still stresses there's a 1% risk of serious side effects.
Although doctors need to do a better job reporting cases of adverse events, Stark said, the most important step the government and medical profession could take is to curb marketing hype. "It is important that doctors not trivialize the procedure. Sometimes, advertisements trivialize it. They say it's bladeless, it's not really cutting; but it's still a cut in the eye," he said.
