The APIL (Association of Personal Injury Lawyers) has warned that there is no adequate regulation surrounding the field of laser eye surgery, which means patients could end up being treated by doctors who have not been properly trained for the tasks they are performing.
It has also been revealed that customers who undergo laser eye surgery are often not warned about the risks with the procedure. Which? investigated clinics in the UK who offer laser eye surgery to customers, and discovered that many clinics are failing to offer their customers enough advice.
A spokesman stated:
Some high street clinics are giving unsatisfactory advice about the risks of laser eye surgery, and pressurising customers into treatment that costs much more than the advertised prices.
More than half the clinics visited by our researchers gave unsatisfactory advice, and none of the consultations were rated as good by our panel of laser eye experts.
Clinics played down the level and possible duration of risks and complications, which can include permanently poor night vision or some loss of sight in extreme cases.
Almost half of our researchers weren’t told that even if they had laser eye surgery, they would probably need glasses when they were older.
Denise Kitchener, the chief executive for the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers added:
The fact that the industry is not regulated in any way is shocking. Someone who is inexperienced and has no specific training in this area can perform the surgery, and this means there is a huge disparity in the quality of treatment available.
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