Eye doctors often omit risks and exaggerate benefits of Lasik vision-correction surgery and it could lead to federal enforcement, according to an FDA warning to eye care professionals.
The watchdog agency warned eye doctors to be up-front and honest when promoting vision-correcting Lasik eye surgery, and not to downplay the limitations and dangers of the laser surgery procedure.
The new warning follows a 2008 panel meeting finding that improper ad practices were fairly common among Lasik doctors.
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"The FDA continues to receive information concerning improper promotion and advertising practices by eye care professionals," according to the letter. "The agency is writing again to eye care professionals to emphasize the importance of providing adequate risk information in their advertising and promotion of FDA approved lasers used in refractive procedures, and to advise these professionals where to get additional information, if needed."
Some surgeons fail to warn patients of risks such as vision loss, under-correction or over-correction of the eyes, dry eye and double-vision, FDA spokeswoman Erica Jefferson told Becker’s ASC review.
Lasik doctors and centers have 90 days from the release of the letter to correct their ads or face enforcement, according to the letter.
