NPR Stories and Videos on Laser Eye Surgery

For Some, Lasik Brings More Problems Than Solutions, NPR Morning Edition, Monday, January 11, 2010.  "To date, more than 17 million people worldwide have had Lasik eye surgery in hopes of relegating glasses and contacts to the waste bin. And each year, an estimated 700,000 Americans opt for the procedure, which uses a laser to vaporize portions of the cornea and reshape it to improve vision. Lasik surgery can correct nearsightedness and farsightedness, as well as astigmatism, an imperfection in the curvature of the eye that can cause blurred vision.  About 95 percent of patients are happy with the results [see statistics on Lasik success rates and Lasik complications rates] of Lasik (which stands for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis), the American Academy of Ophthalmology reports, based on a compilation of worldwide surveys.  But there have been an increasing number of complaints from unhappy patients who say they have experienced significant problematic complications after Lasik. They've been reporting that problems like dry eye, glare, double vision and starbursts (blurring around objects) have impaired their ability to function day-to-day and significantly affected their quality of life, says Dr. Malvina Eydelman of the Food and Drug Administration. In response, the FDA has decided to investigate further."  Listen to this NPR story by Patti Neighmond.

Medical Detectives Focus On Myopia, NPR Morning Edition, Monday, January 11, 2010.  "Think of this as a kind of medical detective story. Start with this: The percentage of Americans who are nearsighted has gone way up in 30 years.  That's according to a study published last month in the Archives of Ophthalmology. Susan Vitale, an epidemiologist at the National Eye Institute, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, and her co-authors looked at a national survey that gave vision tests to Americans in the early 1970s. It was then repeated with a similar group of people 30 years later. 'The prevalence of myopia, or nearsightedness, in people age 12 to 54 went from 25 percent to 41.6 percent," explains Vitale. ‘So that's about a 66 percent increase.'  The question is: Why? And in a mystery story, you've got suspects."  Listen to this NPR story by Joseph Shapiro.

Some Patients Say Life After Lasik Not Perfect, NPR Morning Edition, May 1, 2008.  "Many people know someone who loves the result of their Lasik eye surgery." About 5 percent of patients are unhappy with the results of their Lasik procedure. ... Some Patients Say Life After Lasik Not Perfect."  Listen to this NPR story by Allison Aubrey. 

Dr. Slava Fyodorov's 'Beautiful Eyes', NPR Morning Edition, October 12, 2006.  "The first medical procedure that had millions of people throwing away their glasses was pioneered in Soviet Russia. Many surgeons had tried before, but Svyatoslav Fyodorov was the first to perfect radial keratotomy, or RK, a surgical procedure that corrects nearsightedness."  Listen to this story by Vikki Valentine.

New Technology Adds Precision to Lasik Surgery, NPR Morning Edition, October 12, 2006. "Laser surgery revolutionized eyesight correction when it was introduced ten years ago. Originally, the procedure was used only to correct nearsightedness.

Now, Lasik is used to correct most vision problems, including farsightedness and astigmatism. That's enticing more and more people to choose to have their corneas reshaped and their vision corrected. Every year, more than four million Americans make this choice."  Listen to this NPR story by Patti Neighmond.

Analysis: Growing popularity of LASIK surgery among athletes - Slate's Human Nature: LASIK, Steroids and Pro Sports, NPR, April 18, 2005.   Noah Adams talks with Slate contributor Will Saletan about the growing popularity of LASIK laser vision surgery among athletes. Saletan offers his thoughts about whether performance-enhancing surgery for athletes should be wrapped into the debate over the use of steroids.”  Listen to Noah Adams' interview with Will Saletan. 

Read about Greg Maddux' and Tiger Woods Lasik experience. 

Q&A: Doctors on Lasik Surgery, NPR, April 30, 2008.  “The Food and Drug Administration says patients might not be getting all the information they need before undergoing Lasik eye surgery. NPR's Allison Aubrey talked to two experts to find out what patients should know before they have the procedure.”  Read transcripts of Allison Aubrey's interviews with Dr. Kerry Solomon and Dr. Scott MacRae.

Lasik Surgery Patients Air Grievances to FDA, NPR Morning Edition, April 25, 2008  "The Food and Drug Administration is seeking advice from a panel of outside experts over whether to provide more information to patients about laser eye surgery. They will also hear from Lasik customers who are not satisfied with the results of the surgery." Post Lasik problems.  Listen to the story by Allison Aubrey.

Does Lasik Eye Surgery Last?, NPR Day to Day, January 17, 2008. “More than a million people have had LASIK eye surgery to correct vision problems. A new study shows that contrary to concerns, overall, the improvements last. Alex Cohen talks to Day to Day's medical expert, Dr. Sydney Spiesel, about the details.” Listen to the story by Alex Cohen.