Mar. 1, 2000

It's fast becoming the most popular surgery in the world ... laser eye surgery. And, while most patients walk away seeing close to perfect, there is still a risk. Possibly, even a permanent risk. News Specialist Angela An reports.

Roughly 6,000 surgeons are trained to do Lasik, and last year, half-a-million Americans had Lasik done to their eyes. But not all of them are happy.

Some patients needed more surgeries to correct complications from the first one. These complications may be rare, but they do happen.

This year, an estimated 1.5 million Americans like Jon Burns of Salt Lake City will risk their eyes to Lasik.

"HOLD HOLD HOLD... ALMOST THERE, 8 MORE SECONDS, YOU'RE DOING GREAT."

Dr. Majid Moshirfar is a corneal specialist at the Moran Vision Center. He sees LASIK technology moving too fast for some opthomologists.

Dr. Majid Moshirfar/Moran Vision Center: "PEOPLE THINK THAT YOU CAN GO AND HAVE THIS AT A SHOPPING CENTER ON YOUR LUNCH BREAK. THAT IS WRONG. THIS IS TRULY AN INVASIVE PROCEDURE."

Like any surgery, there are risks with LASIK. And while opthomologists are required to be board certified in using a LASIK machine...

David Skalka/Aris Vision Center: "YOU WANT TO BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL ABOUT WHO YOU SELECT TO DO YOUR SURGERY."

...not all of them are properly trained to handle complications that come later.

Gordon James is the victim of dangerous complication-- and still deals with the growth under his cornea.

Gordon James/LASIK patient: "THEY HAD TO GO IN AND SCRAPE IT OUT AND HAD TO HAVE IT SCRAPED OUT 3 TIMES."

Nancy Trevino sees well now, but suffers from dry eye-- a common side effect to LASIK.

Nancy Trevino/Lasik Patient: "MY EYES WERE DRY BEFORE THE OPERATION AND ARE EXTREMELY DRY NOW, AND THAT IS A CONCERN AND A PROBLEM."

Others experience diminished night vision -- symptoms include glares, halo, and starbursts while driving at night.

So how do you know who's good and who's bad? Do your homework and your research. And don't let the dollar signs fool you.

Lasik surgery is a very lucrative business, with dozens of new laser eye centers opening up nationwide. A single center can profit hundreds of thousands of dollars in just one month.

Karrie Richards/Clearvision Laser Center: "IT'S $2050 PER EYE."

But rising competition is forcing some centers to offer lower prices, including places in Canada. And that could send a false message to patients.

"AS A RESULT, YOU SEE LARGER VOLUMES DONE WITH WORST QUALITY, SOMETIMES, AND THAT'S WHEN COMPLICATION GOES UP."

While complications of LASIK are rare-- maybe just 2-percent-- don't be fooled.

Chances of perfect 20-20 vision are less than 65 percent. Ted Baumann of Park City, got lucky.

Ted Baumann/LASIK Patient: "I'M AT 20-15 IN BOTH EYES. I WAS AT 20-400."

Bottom line-- buyer beware. And don't expect a miracle from a 15-minute procedure.

Some important questions you should ask include the number of surgeries the doctor has done and the ratio of complications to successes.

Also-- no matter what price you pay, the cost should include follow up work or surgery, if down the road, complications come up.