An Advisor Who Approved LASIK Eye Surgery Now Thinks It Should Be Banned!
People magazine is reporting that the former FDA advisor who voted to approve laser eye surgery, Morris Waxler, now thinks the procedure should be banned all together.
WHAT?! Does this mean LASIK is soon going to be a thing of the past? Not necessarily.
Of course, the surgery aims to correct vision in just minutes, using lasers rather than blades to make incisions that reshape a small portion of the cornea.
It was approved by the FDA 20 years ago, and since that time, nearly 20 million people in the U.S. have undergone the operation, the outlet reports.
Now, Morris is walking back on the FDA decision over the surgery’s potential long-term health effects, saying that LASIK should “absolutely” be taken off the medical market altogether.
“Essentially we ignored the data on vision distortions that persisted for years,” he told CBS News, calling his vote a mistake. “I re-examined the documentation … and I said, ‘Wow this is not good.'”
Common side effects from LASIK include dry eyes and temporary vision disturbances, but in some rare cases, people have had astigmatisms and even loss of eyesight.
“There’s nothing wrong with a person’s eyes who goes to get LASIK,” Morris said. “They have healthy eyes. They could go and get a pair of glasses.”
Eek! Will Morris’s opinion have an effect on the future of the surgery? We’ll just have to wait and see… and you know we’ll be following this story.