LASIK Eye Surgery: Improving Visual Function

Submitted by Dr. Dean Dornic on Sat 05/25/2013 - 12:56

Think these guys had LASIK eye surgery because they wanted to look good?

LASIK eye surgery improves visual function yet many people and insurance carriers consider it cosmetic.  Yet the great majority of patients who undergo LASIK do not do so to improve their appearance.  A large percentage of people choose LASIK for very practical reasons.  Eyeglass wear is impractical for a number of occupations and pastimes.  Some patients are not completely successful at contact lens wear and contacts have their own associated risks.   If an individual who relied on a hearing aid to hear had a surgery to eliminate the need for the hearing aid, there would be few people who would consider the surgery cosmetic. So why the contradiction when it comes to vision correction procedures?  Perhaps it is because the prevalence of eyeglass dependence is so high (approximately 50% of the population) that it has been accepted as normal.

The largest provider of LASIK in the United States today is the Department of Defense.  All branches of the military have recognized the safety and effectiveness of LASIK eye surgery and millions of our enlisted men and women have undergone the procedure as a means of improving effectiveness and providing a measure of safety.

Will insurance carriers change their policies and “declassify” LASIK as cosmetic?  Probably not, but, the next time you hear LASIK eye surgery referred to as a cosmetic procedure, ask yourself: are professional athletes and our armed forces having the procedure done because they just want to look good?