Dear Editor,

As dreadful as the circumstances are that are detailed in the Oct. 24, 2008, article “Prof. Lising's wife blinded by botched LASIK,” this story highlights a problem shared by many LASIK patients: that of informed consent. Many LASIK patients do not have the information they need to fully understand the nature of LASIK surgery and to evaluate the risks and outcomes associated with LASIK surgery. Because of a lack of informed consent, there are many other patients across the country with similar stories. How many patients are there? No one knows because no one is counting. LASIK Surgery Watch (lasiksurgerywatch.org) is trying to address this problem.

Gerard J. Dorrian
Director, LASIK Surgery Watch