This article was published in FDA Consumer magazine several years ago. It is no longer being maintained and may contain information that is out of date. You may find more current information on this topic in more recent issues of FDA Consumer or elsewhere on the FDA Website, by checking the site index or home page , or by searching the site. Several years after having a cataract removed from his left eye, Chudnow began having problems with hazy vision. His sight became so poor he had difficulty with daily tasks such as driving and reading the paper.
Many people tell dramatic tales of how lasers restored their sight.
A versatile tool, lasers are commonly used to treat a variety of eye disorders such as retinal tears and glaucoma. FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health regulates medical lasers to ensure they are safe and effective. Although surgical lasers must comply with stringent FDA safety standards, like any other surgical procedure, laser eye surgery is not completely without risk. The laser's usefulness in ophthalmology stems from the precision and ease with which it can be used to reach tissues deep within the eye. This precision allows eye doctors to target diseased blood vessels, for example, while sparing healthy ones, and fosters a speedy recovery with little resulting scar tissue.