It's not for everyone: laser eye surgery is no quick fix and not suitable for all that want it.

0 Comments | Report Newsmagazine, The, August, 2000 | by Kevin Michael Grace

The eyes are the most sensitive of all human organs. A mere speck can render insensate the strongest man. Why, then, would millions of North Americans choose to subject their eyes to costly and unnecessary surgery? Because the overwhelming majority of those that have their eyes reshaped by laser beams say it has left them healthier and happier.

Laser eye surgery is performed to flat ten the cornea to correct myopia and astigmatism, or to increase visual ability beyond 20/20. The two most popular kinds are PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) and LASIK (LASer In situ Keratomileusis). In PRK the cornea is shaved, and in LASIK, which has largely supplanted it, a corneal flap is loosened, pulled across and reattached.

These procedures sound dire, but then...