Call it the Lasik indicator. With the weak economy forcing consumers to cut back on discretionary spending, the number of laser vision-correction surgeries has been falling — as it did during the last recession. More than 800,000 Americans underwent Lasik surgery in 2007, a slight increase from 2006. But the numbers started slumping along with the economy in the second half of last year. And industry analysts are now predicting a Lasik recession. “We’re forecasting a 17 percent drop for 2008,” said David Harmon, president of Market Scope, an eye surgery market research house. Mr. Harmon said that when first-quarter data becomes available next month, he expects it to show an even sharper decline in Lasik surgeries than in 2001. That time around, the sour economy led to a three-year slump in the laser procedures, which are typically not covered by insurance. Lasik — for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis — typically costs anywhere from $800 to $3,000 or more per eye. Earlier this year, two main players in the business — Advanced Medical Optics, a leading maker of laser surgery equipment, and LCA-Vision, which owns a chain of laser surgery centers — warned of a market slowdown. Besides the economic challenge, the industry is contending with a small but growing number of complaints about the results of Lasik procedures.
Please click on the link below to read the New York Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/24/business/24lasik.html?_r=1&ref=health&oref=slogin
For more information on defending medical malpractice and nursing home matters in Florida contact Howard Citron at The Citron Law Firm, P.A. – www.citronlegal.com.
