More laser eye-surgery patients sue over faults

By CHARLES ARTHUR in London

The growth of laser eye surgery could lead to a tidal wave of litigation against eye specialists, British doctors' groups admitted yesterday after revealing that lawsuits over the technique have more than doubled in six years.

Although some claims allege faulty surgery, the Medical Defence Union, Britain's largest insurer for doctors, said many more centred on patients' "unrealistic expectations".

"Many cases take years to reach us because people may not sue for years after treatment," said a spokeswoman.

"It is likely to get worse as people who have been treated in the past few years and are dissatisfied take action against the clinics and doctors who carried out the procedure."

The insurer declined to reveal the precise number of legal claims over laser eye surgery now outstanding against its members, but it is thought to be fewer than 200. However, that has risen from a tiny number since the technique was made legal in the 1990s.

There is also growing evidence that many clinics are making exaggerated claims for laser eye surgery.

This month, the medical journal Ophthalmology said the failure rate was one in 10, not the one in 1000 figure widely advertised.

With roughly 100,000 people having laser eye surgery each year, that would mean that 10,000 gained no benefit.

The Consumers' Association warned in February that people having surgery were "gambling with their sight", and some clinics did not highlight possible side-effects.

The Boots chain has been fined for advertising that complications had arisen only in the United States, and that patients would never need glasses again.

Laser surgery

* A laser cuts a piece out of the cornea, the transparent protective covering over the eye's lens.

* Cutting the right shape can correct a misshapen lens that would otherwise require glasses or contact lenses.

* The permanent, irreversible operation takes about 30 minutes.

* A potential complication, corneal ectasia, can necessitate a corneal transplant.

* The US Academy of Ophthalmology says other minor but troublesome complications such as dry eyes and night-vision problems occur "relatively frequently".

- INDEPENDENT