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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!eagle!mhuxi!houxm!ihnp4!ulysses!smb
From: smb@ulysses.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Re: radial keratotomy
Message-ID: <641@ulysses.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 9-Oct-83 13:53:07 EDT
Article-I.D.: ulysses.641
Posted: Sun Oct  9 13:53:07 1983
Date-Received: Mon, 10-Oct-83 08:36:09 EDT
References: <142@verdix.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 11

The operation is somewhat controversial; I wasn't aware that it was available
yet in this country.  (I believe it was pioneered in the USSR.)  As I
understand it, it does work, though it isn't as safe as that ad would
indicate; infection has been a problem.  My understanding is that the
prevailing opinion in this country is that for most people, the risks just
aren't worth the potential gain; glasses and (especially) contact lenses
work well enough, at much lower risk and cost.  (Most of this information
comes from an article in "Science News"; the last issues in June and
December of each year contain indices, which should make it easy to track
down the article.  I suspect I saw it about three years ago, but I could
easily be wrong about that.)