22 March 2006 /Press Release/ Laser eye surgery should not be
routinely offered to patients on the UK's National Health Service,
but is safe and works well enough in selected cases according to
the latest guidance issued by the National Institute for Health
and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on conventional and custom wavefront
Lasik, Bladeless Lasik, PRK, LASEK, Epi-Lasik, or other photorefractive
laser eye surgery for the treatment of refractive errors.
The final guidance is significantly revised from a controversial
preliminary guidance issued in December 2004, which was widely criticized
as inaccurately reporting Lasik results and relying on outdated
data. Clinicians should review clinical outcomes of all patients
and are encouraged to collect longer-term follow-up data.
Bruce Campbell, chairman of the interventional procedures advisory
committee, said: 'We hope today's guidance will help to reassure
people thinking of having laser eye surgery either on the NHS or
privately. We are not suggesting laser eye surgery should be offered
to patients routinely on the NHS because most people's eye problems
can easily be corrected by wearing spectacles or contact lenses.'
Nice Lasik Guidance For Patients