Released on: January 2, 2008, 11:18 pm

Press Release Author: Fiona Tyrell,

Industry: Healthcare

Press Release Summary: The commercialisation of Ireland\'s booming laser eye surgery
sector is putting patients at risk, according to a number of leading
ophthalmologists.

Press Release Body:
Dublin, Ireland, Jan,03,2008 -- The past six months have seen major growth in the
number of clinics offering laser eye procedures throughout the State. There are now
more than 20 clinics specialising in laser eye surgery in Ireland, compared with
four just five years ago.

Concerns have now been raised about the use of doctors imported from the UK and
elsewhere to carry out the surgery, often being flown in and out of the State in a
24-hour period.

\"As such they can\'t offer continuity of care and this is not a healthy set-up,\" said
Dr Arthur Cummings, consultant ophthalmologist at the Wellington Eye Clinic in
Dublin.Describing the sector as a \"minefield\", Prof Michael O\'Keeffe, consultant
ophthalmologist at the Mater Private Hospital, said the huge growth in the area in
recent months was a result of SSIA windfalls.

Prof O\'Keeffe warned against commercial clinics that \"sell surgery like a commodity\"
and said that some clinics failed to give their patients independent assessments and
lacked proper follow-up care.These clinics were being set up by business people who
see the sector as \"a place to make a buck\", he said.

While laser eye surgery is very safe, it does have risks and when things go wrong
patients can end up with \"significant problems\", he said.\"Laser eye surgery is real
surgery with real potential risks. People are treating the procedure like getting
their hair done or a fake tan,\" he said.

Weng Lee, consultant ophthalmologist at Dublin\'s Eye and Ear Hospital, told The
Irish Times he had seen three patients with \"very nasty eye infections\" as a result
of laser eye treatment in the past 12 months.Mr Lee has also treated a further five
Irish patients who had presented with complications following laser eye surgery
abroad in places such as Romania and Tehran.

While eye infections could usually be remedied, patients could suffer scarring of
the eye and have permanent reduced vision, he said. The worst possible scenario was
the loss of an eye, he said.Mr Lee said some business-led clinics were failing to
offer patients proper follow-on care and independent assessments.

\"Business-led clinics are under pressure to convert assessments into surgery and the
normal check points may not be as stringent as they could be,\" he said.Competition
to offer the lowest prices means that clinics are flying surgeons in and out of the
State to keep costs down. Some of the surgeons are not on the specialist register
and may not have the appropriate training, according to Mr Lee.

In Ireland, just as in Britain, any registered medical doctor can carry out a laser
treatment and need not have eye training, he said.It was good medical practice for
the eye surgeon to carry out the assessment, surgery and post-surgery check-up, but
this was not possible when the surgeon was not resident in the country, he said.

The Irish College of Ophthalmologists needs to take the lead and tighten up the
sector, according to Mr Lee. There were plans in the UK to establish a register of
accredited laser eye surgeons, and a similar move should be made in Ireland, he
said.The Irish Consumer Association (ICA) has also expressed concern about the
advertising practices in the sector. Risks and side effects associated with laser
surgery \"are so clearly and determinedly played down\" in many newspaper
advertisements, according to Dermott Jewell, chief executive of the ICA.

\"Stronger warnings to indicate the risks associated with the treatment are needed.
Warnings are not something for the small print.\"Warnings that the procedure may not
suit everybody was \"not sufficient\", he said.
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Contact Details:

Fiona Tyrell,
The Irish Times
24-28 Tara Street,
Dublin 2, Ireland
(+353 1) 675 8000
SWoulfe@continuum.ie
http://www.ireland.com/




Web Site: http://www.ireland.com/

Contact Details: Contact Details:

Fiona Tyrell,
The Irish Times
24-28 Tara Street,
Dublin 2, Ireland
(+353 1) 675 8000
SWoulfe@continuum.ie
http://www.ireland.com/