Newspaper Page Text
12A
NOVEMBER 23, 2000
Eye surgery as fast-growing industry merits consumer caution
8y JOHN NOLAN
Associated Press Writer
CINCINNATI
The rapid growth of laser vision
correction hasgiven those thinking
about the surgery lots of choices in
where they have it done and how
much they pay.
Those in the business say it’s up
to consumers to find out about the
doctor who will operate on their
eyes, what problems they might
encounter afterward and what af
ter-care they will receive.
“There are risks. It’s surgery,”
said Dr. Stephen Joffe, a former
Cincinnati surgeon who has built
LCA-Vision Inc. into a company
with 33 U.S. laser vision correction
centers, two in Europe and one in
Canada. LCA-Vision grew within
five years to a publicly traded com
pany with $57 million in revenues
and $10.7 million in profits last
year.
Joffe said his company always
MCG Dentist
A Medical College of Georgia
dentist wants to dispel the mis
conception that pediatricdentists
are the dinosaurs of the dental
profession.
Georgia has a shortage of den
tists, who specialize in the treat
ment of children, said MCG De
partment of Pediatric Dentistry
Chairman Steven M. Adair, in
partbecause many people assume
the market has largely dried up.
“People hear that dental decay in
children is a thing of the past,” he
said. “That may be true for many
children, but there’s a lot of decay
in some segments of the popula
tion. In the United States, 80
percent of dental decay is concen
trated in 20 to 25 percent of the
population.”
Fluoridated water and improved
dental hygiene have created a
generation of children at lower
risk of dental decay thantheir pre
decessors, Dr. Adair said. But as
high-sugar diet, poor dental hy
giene and unfluoridated well wa
ter can conspire to make some
children just as cavity-prone as
their parents and grandparents
were. More than just their teeth
are at risk. Untreated dental
problems can lead to general
health problems such as malnour
ishment and infection.
“Georgia’s fluoridated water
supply covers only about 50 per
cent of Georgia’s population,” said
Dr. Adair, citing the large number
Sheraton Augusta
accepting Toys
for Tots gifts
The Sheraton Augusta Hotel
has committed as a Toys for Tots
drop-off location, according to
Timothy Fields, the hotel’s direc
tor of sales and marketing. The
hotel requests all gifts be dropped
off at the front desk. In addition, a
special holidayroom rate hasbeen
set with proceeds to benefit the
less fortunate. The special rates
are good through Sunday, Nov. 26
and are as follows: $59 for single
or double occupancy with suites at
$79. For every room booked, $5 is
returned to Toys for Tots. Cus
tomers must ask for the Toys for
Tots rate to receive the discount.
All presentsshould be unwrapped,
Fieldsstressed. “There’saneed to
benefit underprivileged children
and families who can’t provide for
themselves,” said Fields. “We’re
inthe hospitality industry and we
feel it’s our time to give back.”
Deadline for presenting gifts is
Dec. 15. Once collected, presents
will be given to the U.S. Marine
Corps. For more information, call
the Sheraton at 706.855.8100.
The Augusta Focus has
won a 1999 ADDY and a
1999 Citation of
Excellence at the local
American Advertising
Awards banquet.
pre-examines patients and turns
away those not suited to the sur
gery. Critics of the fast-growing in
dustry say that not all providers
take that precaution.
Washington, D.C., lawyer Aaron
Levine represented a man who ac
cused doctors at a Tysons Corner,
Va,, laser vision correction center
of operating on him despite know
ingthat he had keratoconus, a con
dition that causes the cornea to
bulge and thin. The man said doc
tors should have told him not to
have the surgery, which further
weakens the cornea. He said the
operation left him legally blind.
Levine said the lawsuit was re
solved, although he wouldn’t say
how. His office has taken up four
similar lawsuits, he said.
Levine said he would like to see a
requirement that each patient con
sidering the surgery have a prior
consultation with an independent
ophthalmologist whodoesn’t dothe
laser surgeries.
Cites Shortage of Pediatric Dentists
of rural residents who rely on well
water. “With very few exceptions,
well water is devoid of flouride.”
Also, children in rural areas gen
erally have less access to dental
care than others, he said. The
result? A large percentage of chil
drenin desperate need of a pediat
ricdentist. “Pediatricdentistsare
the dental counterparts of pedia
tricians,” Dr. Adair said. “Most
dental care for children in this
country is delivered by general
dentists, but many children have
extensive problems that require
specialized care.” And even chil
dren at low risk for dental decay
Shiloh hosts community health fair
The Shiloh Comprehensive Community Center, 1635 15th St.,
will host a community health fair on Friday, December 1, from 10
a.m. to 1 p.m. Stop by for free blood pressure and blood glucose
checks, blood cholesterol screenings, hearing and vision testing,
height and weight measurements, and health information. Groups
are welcome! (Please call in advance if you’d like to bring a group
of eight or more.) For more info, call 738-0089.
He’s got them eating
out of his hands
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Joseph Brown was one of many little visitors who drew the
attention and hunger of various goats, sheep, lambs, rab
bits and other animals of the petting zoo of The Lit'l H Ranch
operated by Gary and Heidi Courneya of Vale, N.C. The Lit'l
H Ranch was one of many attractions at the 77'" Augusta
Exchange Club Agricultural Fair held November 3 - 12.
Photo by Lillian Wan
AUGUSTAFOCUS
High volume, lower cost laser
surgery centers arecompetingwith
ophthalmologists, sometimes by
opening offices in shopping malls.
Big players including Visx Inc.,
Summit Technologies, Lasik Vision,
Laser Oneand Bausch & Lomb Inc.
share the market with small pro
viders.
Dr. Joe Barr, assistant dean of
Ohio State University’s College of
Optometry, worries that consum
ers have little guidance in choosing
areliable provider.
“Youcan’t necessarily find arela
tionship between cost and quality,”
Barrsaid. “Thetwodon’t necessar
ily go together.
“I think people should know that
they’re going to an experienced
person who is a refractive surgeon,
and not just doing the procedure to
add to their resume or practice,” he
said.
The Food and Drug Administra
tion first gave clearance for laser
refractive surgery in 1995. Indus
benefit greatly from the preven
tive care they offer, he noted. The
result? A booming business in
pediatricdentistry.
“There are plenty of opportuni
ties throughout the state,” Dr.
Adair said. “Particularly in rural
areas, there’s a real shortage.
Many general dentists are happy
ifthey can find a pediatric dentist
to refer their patients to within a
one to two-hour drive. It’s frus
trating to know there are kids out
there with problems and we don’t
have enough dentiststomeet their
needs.”
If aspiring dentists are worried
try watchersestimate from 800,000
to 1.4 million Americans may un
dergothesurgerythisyear, up from
210,000 in 1997. Prices range from
$499 to $2,500 per eye.
Marcandrea Musa, an owner of
Laser Vision Institute, said hiscom
pany charges $998 per eye for the
surgery and lifetime follow-up care.
Hesaidthereisanadditional charge
ifthe patient has an astigmatism, a
condition that blurs and distorts
both distant and near objects.
Musa warned that discounters
won’t make money charging $499
per eye, and are likely to spring
additional charges on the patient
for follow-up care. Some studies
have found 10 to 15 percent of pa
tients must return so the surgeon
can redo or fine-tune the work.
“Price is important to a lot of
people, but it shouldn’t be the only
thing,” said IrvingdJ. Arons of Spec
trum Consultingin Peabody, Mass.,
which publishes a monthly news
letter for the medical laser proses-
that a rural practice can’t be lu
crative,they needn’t be, Dr. Adair
said, particularly since the federal
government has recently in
creased Medicaid reimburse
ments. “Our residents who go
into rural communities find that
they’re very busy, they’re making
avery good living and they have a
very good quality oflife,” Dr. Adair
said. Pediatric dentists complete
a residency in the specialty after
completing four years of dental
school. Those interested in pur
suing the field are invited to ar
range at MCG Closer Look tour by
calling 706-721-2725. 4
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Consumers should seek out a
doctor who has done the surgery at
least 1,000 times and whose rate of
post-surgery complications is less
than half a percent, Arons said.
Dr. Roy Rubinfeld, an ophthal
mologist in Chevy Chase, Md., who
estirhates that he has done about
10,000 of the operations, also urges
consumers to do their homework.
“I think there has been a com
mercialization and perhaps
trivialization of the procedure as if
it weren’t surgery,” he said. “The
surgical results are dependent on
the experience and skill and judg
ment and the ethics of the surgeon.
“I don’t want to scare people. I
think it’s a wonderful procedure,”
he said. “But people need to know
that it isn’t like buying toothpaste
or getting a haircut.”
The Federal Trade Commission,
which investigates claims of mis
leading advertising, has teamed
with the American Academy of
Medical Villa Pharmacy
1520 LANEY-WALKER BLVD.
AUGUSTA, GA 30901
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Living
Ophthalmology to put out a bro
chure, “Basic Lasik: Tips on Lasik
Eye Surgery.”
In the Lasik surgery now used
almost exclusively, thesurgeoncuts
a flap on the cornea’s surface, lifts
it and uses the laser to burn away
some cells and etch the prescrip
tion inside the cornea before re
placing the flap.
The rare problems could include
wrinkling the cornea, causing in
flammation or infection or leaving
thepatient witha “nighttimeglare”
effect. Most of the problems can be
easily treated if caught promptly.
Rubinfeld said he has found it is
important togive the patientrealis
ticexpectations: Thefullyimproved
vision may not be attained for days
and the patient may have to return
for follow-up surgical care.
The surgery gives some people
20-15 vision, but others wind up
with 20-40. :
There are plenty of testimonials
to the surgery’s benefits.