Not long ago, few people had even heard of laser surgery to correct vision, let alone had it done. Now, it seems everyone is talking about the procedure, which promises patients they can throw away their glasses or contacts. There's a lot of advertising hype as well. HealthWeek's Andy Field takes a closer look at the marketing behind this medical procedure.
Doctors here hope that if spectators see it's safe, they'll try it, too.
Dr. Kliman says doctors see dollar signs in several million potential patients. And doctors need aggressive advertising, because the surgery is optional. So, doctors must convince consumers to foot the bill. It was just twenty years ago that doctors could start advertising. Now we see ads promising to fix everything from allergies to impotence, to now throwing your glasses away.