LASIK SARASOTA LASIK

Corneal ectasia is one of the most feared and dreaded complications of LASIK. The rate of ectasia after LASIK is uknown due to failure of LASIK surgeons to report complications and lack of long-term followup. There are likely several thousand patients suffering from post-LASIK ectasia in the United States. The medical literature contains reports of late onset ectasia occuring several years after LASIK. Reported risk factors for ectasia after LASIK include abnormal corneal topography, insufficient stromal bed thickness, high myopia, and age younger than 25 years. Operating on patients with pre-op thin corneas should be avoided. Reported treatments for the management of post-LASIK ectasia include hard contact lenses, intraocular pressure-lowering drugs, INTACS, and corneal collagen crosslinking. A corneal transplant may be required. Patients who suffer from post-LASIK ectasia should report it to the FDA by filing a MedWatch report (www.accessdata.fda.gov LASIK surgeons deliberately hide this serious complication by diagnosing it as “keratoconus”, a naturally occuring disease of the cornea.