For Immediate Release
Saturday, 28 August 2004
Sacramento, California, USA
Patient
Advocates: No Unusual LASIK Problems With Alcon LADARVision
Despite accusations presented in a 28 August 2004 London Times
feature article suggesting that the Alcon LADARVision excimer laser used
to perform LASIK and other refractive surgery procedures had
"started malfunctioning, causing wildly erratic results", a
nongovernmental organization states that it has no reports of unusual
problems with the laser.
"We have seen nothing from patients or surgeons that would
indicate there is any systemic problem with the safety or efficacy of
the Alcon laser", states Glenn Hagele, Executive Director of the
California based Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance.
"Through our http://www.usaeyes.org/ website we respond to tens
of thousands of requests for information about LASIK issues, including
complications, but have not seen any unusual complaints regarding
Alcon's LADARVision. From our vantage", says the director of
the international patient advocacy organization, "all seems normal
in the US and the UK."
US based EBW Laser Inc., which acquired 10 LADARVision lasers to
lease to clinics, and a surgeon in Washington state, filed counter-suits
over a year ago after being sued by Alcon to recover millions of dollars
for non-payment of leasing fees. "It is probably revealing
that neither of the parties in these lawsuits made public claims of
inferiority of the Alcon equipment until they were sued for
collection", says Hagele. "All medical devices have
limitations, but evidence that supports unusual problems with this
particular laser seems to be lacking."
Alcon representatives have consistently denied any systematic problem
associated withLADARVision.
The Times article did not provide specific information regarding any
patients receiving an adverse LASIK outcome due to malfunctioning
equipment built by Swiss-owned Alcon. One British LASIK center is
contacting 49 patients who received LASIK in 2001 "as a
courtesy" to determine if they have had any adverse effects.
"It has been our experience," reports Hagele, "that
patients do not wait three years to report adverse effects. If
there were problems, the doctors would have heard immediately."
Laser surgery, which costs about £1,000 per eye, is currently
performed in over 90 clinics in Britain on more than 90,000 people a
year. In the US, laser eye surgery is performed on more than
1 million each year.
Glenn Hagele
Executive Director
Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance
