Lasik Eye Surgery - FAQs  

Q: Can I have Lasik eye surgery in my area?
A: Refer to the Resources section of this site. You may want to contact the organizations listed there for additional information. While FDA regulates medical devices and drugs, FDA does not regulate the practice of medicine and does not have a registry of doctors. FDA does not know of any government agency that can provide a referral for any medical procedure, including Lasik eye surgery. You may want to go to your library and see if there is a local community services magazine that may provide comparison information of services for doctors in your area.

Q: How do I report a bad experience or who do I notify about a 'bad' doctor?
A: If you had a bad experience or sustained an injury during Lasik eye surgery, you should file a voluntary MedWatch report (1-800-FDA-1088) to the FDA. Also, you could contact your state medical licensing board and file a complaint with them. In addition, you could contact your state health department or consumer complaint organization (e.g., Better Business Bureau).

Q: How much does LASIK eye surgery cost?
A: The FDA regulates the safety and effectiveness of medical devices for their intended use. The FDA does not regulate the marketing of or any fees associated with the use of that product. Again, you may want to go to your library and see if there is a local community services magazine that may provide comparison information of services for doctors in your area.

Q: Which laser is the best for treating my refractive error?
A: FDA does not provide comparisons between refractive lasers for Lasik eye surgery. FDA approves the safety and effectiveness of a device independent of any other product. However, you are encouraged to review the approval documents to assess the capabilities of specific laser systems and make your own comparisons. Discuss any concerns you may have with your doctor.

Q: How does wavefront LASIK compare to conventional LASIK?
A: Wavefront adds an automatic measurement of more subtle distortions (called higher order aberrations) than just nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism corrected by conventional LASIK. However, these "higher order aberrations" account for only a small amount (probably no more than 10%) of the total refractive error of the average person's eye. Conventional LASIK increases higher order aberrations. Although wavefront-guided treatments attempt to eliminate higher order aberrations, results from the clinical studies have shown that the average aberrations still increase, but less than they do after conventional LASIK. In a few studies comparing wavefront-guided LASIK to conventional LASIK, a slightly larger percentage of subjects treated with wavefront LASIK achieved 20/20 vision without glasses or contact lenses compared to subjects treated with conventional LASIK. Patient selection (" Is LASIK For You?") and the experience and competence of the surgeon are still the most important considerations.

Q: What percentage of patients attain 20/20 vision or better without glasses or contacts after Lasik eye surgery?
A: Data in the Approval Orders and related documents summarizes the outcomes from the clinical trials submitted to the FDA for each approved device.

Q: Can you send me more information or respond to my concern?
A: No. The most current information we have about Lasik eye surgery is on this website and we update it routinely. We do not have the resources to respond directly to patient concerns or questions. We encourage you to discuss these matters with your doctor.