Number of Lasik surgeries | How many Lasik procedures have been performed?

12 million.  Number of Lasik patients undergoing the procedure since it was first approved.  “Lasik practitioners say a recent analysis of past studies showed 95 percent satisfaction rates. But with 12 million patients having undergone the procedure in the United States since it was approved in 1995, the sheer number of individuals with unhappy outcomes is growing steadily. And more of their stories are gaining public attention.” Number lasik surgery procedures. (Barnaby J. Feder, “As Economy Slows, So Do Laser Eye Surgeries, The New York Times, April 24, 2008) 

8 million.  Approximate number of Americans who have had the Lasik laser eye surgery procedure.  “A decade after approving the Lasik laser eye procedure for vision correction, federal health officials moved Friday [April 25, 2008] to explore potential risks in what's become one of the country's most popular surgeries.  Almost 8 million Americans have had the procedure, and most ended up discarding their eyeglasses or contact lenses without long-term complications, according to doctors and health officials. But a small fraction complain of serious side effects that have left their eyes painfully dry and their vision marred by ghostly shadows or starbursts of color.  Some say their sight is so poor they can't watch a movie or drive at night.” How many Americans have had Lasik?  How many Lasik? Lasik side effects.  (Jonathan D. Rockoff, “FDA to review Lasik eye surgery side effects,” Baltimore Sun, originally published in the Los Angeles Times, April 26, 2008)

8 million-plus (2000).  Number of people worldwide who may have had laser eye care.  “It's estimated that more than two million people in the U.S. have had laser eye care; worldwide, the number may exceed eight million.”  (David A. Wallace, “LASIK for pilots,” Plane and Pilot, October 1, 2000)

7.6 million.  Estimated total number of Americans who have received Lasik.  “About 7.6 million Americans have received Lasik, which costs about $2,500 per eye.” (Rob Stein, Washington Post Staff Writer, “FDA Plans to Examine Scope of Complaints About Lasik,” The Washington Post, Washington DC, April 25, 2008)

How many Lasik procedures are performed annually?

4 million.  Number of Americans choosing to have Lasik surgery each year.  “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.” (Patti Neighmond, “New Technology Adds Precision to Lasik Surgery,” NPR Morning Edition, October 12, 2006)  Listen to NPR stories about laser eye surgery.

3.02 million.  Number of refractive surgery procedures performed in 2003.  “In 2003, the number of procedures only grew 5.8 percent to 3.02 million procedures compared to a 38 percent growth between 1998 and 1999. As a result, reducing price and controlling cost is integral to a wider public acceptance of the procedure.” (Bernard Milstein, Special to Houston Business Journal, “LASIK centers rally to reduce costs for laser vision correction process,” Houston Business Journal, Friday, April 30, 2004)

3 million.  Number of Americans undergoing Lasik surgery.  “For practical or cosmetic purposes, about 3 million Americans got rid of glasses and contact lenses permanently because of LASIK surgery.” Number of Lasik. (Melissa Huang, Johns Hopkins University, “Doctors debate child LASIK surgery,” University Wire, Johns Hopkins News-Letter, Baltimore, Maryland, March 4, 2002)

1.2 million.  Number of laser vision correction procedures performed in 2003.  “About 4.5 million laser vision-correction procedures have been performed in the United States since 1995, including 1.2 million last year [2003].”  (Karen Garloch, “LASIK: Reward of clear vision not without risk,” Portsmouth Herald, Knight Ridder Newspapers, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Thursday, March 18, 2004)

800,000.  Approximate number of Americans undergoing Lasik surgery in 2007.  “More than 800,000 Americans underwent Lasik surgery in 2007, a slight increase from 2006.” (Barnaby J. Feder, “As Economy Slows, So Do Laser Eye Surgeries, The New York Times, April 24, 2008)

769,000.  Number of Americans choosing laser surgery to improve their eyesight in 2001.  “In 2001 769,000 chose laser surgery to improve their eyesight.”  (Peter Jennings, ABC News, Medicine on the Cutting Edge, 2002)

700,000.  Approximate number of Americans undergoing elective laser surgery annually.  “About 700,000 Americans a year undergo the elective laser surgery. Like golf star and famed Lasik recipient Tiger Woods, they're hoping to throw away their glasses, just as the ads say."  (Lauran Neergaard, “Federal panel seeks clearer warnings on Lasik eye surgery,” Associated Press, USA Today, April 26, 2008)

Number of Lasik procedures performed by laser eye surgeons

700 Lasik procedures.  Recommended minimum number of Lasik procedures that a prospective Lasik specialist should have in order to be considered as a candidate for a prospective patient’s business.  “Finding A Good LASIK Specialist.  I'd advise seeking care from someone who has performed at least 700 LASIK procedures. Check to see that the surgeon has a valid medical license (state medical boards list this information on their Websites) and is a board-certified ophthalmologist. Ask to speak with other patients, perhaps ask to view actual surgery and request disclosure of the surgeon's LASIK results. These results should be carefully tracked, and the more proficient surgeons generally have less to hide. If you want to be extra careful, you may want to check one of the public information databases on the Internet for evidence of malpractice claims against a particular surgeon (for example, www.knowx.com).”   (David A. Wallace, “LASIK for pilots,” Plane and Pilot, October 1, 2000)

500 surgeries over the last 3 years.  Minimum number of surgeries that an opthamalogist should have in order to be considered by prospective patients as recommended by CRSQA.  “Just how much value an additional few hundred, or thousand, procedures makes after the first several hundred is not clear. Some studies, including a 1998 report on Canadian practitioners published in the journal Ophthalmology, have shown that the rate of complications decreases with experience.  The Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance (CRSQA), a private group (www.usaeyes.com) that certifies Lasik practitioners, recommends insisting on a doctor who has performed 500 surgeries over at least three years, 250 of them in the past 12 months, and at least 100 performed on the specific machine and procedure in which you are interested. About half of the surgeons in our survey meet the CRSQA standard.   (Marc Borbely, “Eyes Wide Open - Lasik Surgery: A Guide To The Marketplace,” Washington Post, August 15, 2000, p. Z12)