Word: assennata
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Dates: during 1999-1999
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Just ask Steven Assennata of East Brunswick, N.J. "If I had understood there was a chance I would be worse off, I might have changed my mind," he says. LASIK corrected his eyesight to 20/20 all right, at least in one eye, but left him seeing double and ruined his night vision so that he can no longer drive after dark. The worst part, he says, is knowing he didn't need the surgery. Although his contacts were becoming a nuisance before the operation, he could have seen fine through admittedly thick glasses. Assennata's doctor says he was made...
There are no reliable statistics on people like Assennata who suffer serious post-LASIK complications. Estimates range from less than 1% of patients of corneal specialists to as high as 5% of patients of less experienced ophthalmologists. An additional 10% to 15% of patients must undergo a second LASIK procedure to get their correction right. These repeat procedures are considered "enhancements" rather than complications, but they do require another round of cutting and lasering. And in the absence of a long track record for the procedure, no one can guarantee that other problems won't crop...
...surgeon could accidentally slice off the corneal flap entirely, or replace it in such a way that it develops wrinkles. Imagine trying to see through crinkled Saran Wrap, and you get an idea of what can happen if something goes wrong. In the worst cases, as in Assennata's, the aberrations are so extensive that they cannot be corrected, even with glasses...
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