Oprah Features Lasik Patient Advocacy Organization

SACRAMENTO, Calif., June. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- “We have been in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, even Fox News, but Oprah...now that is something,” muses Glenn Hagele, Executive Director and founder of USAEyes.org, a nonprofit patient advocacy that evaluates and certifies Lasik doctors. “The power of any affiliation with Oprah cannot be underestimated, and it is delightful to be included.”

The June issue of O, The Oprah Magazine features a comprehensive article about Lasik laser eye surgery that includes contributions from Hagele, Kathryn Colby, MD, PhD, director of the Joint Clinical Research Center at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, and Deepinder Dhaliwal, MD, chief of cornea and refractive surgery at the University of Pittsburgh.

Lasik laser eye surgery was developed ten years ago to reshape the cornea (clear front of the eye) and reduce the need for glasses and contact lenses. Most patients are able to return to normal activities within hours or days. Although over 5 million surgeries have been performed worldwide, Lasik is not for everyone, according to Hagele.

“Lasik may be appropriate for the vast majority of people, but sometimes something else is better,” says Hagele. “The very well presented article in Oprah’s magazine includes information about new ‘helper lenses’ that can be placed inside the eye for people who have very bad vision and new laser and non-laser technology to reduce the need for glasses. I was delighted to see Oprah’s article’s emphasis on surgeon selection.”

“The single most important decision for someone considering Lasik is the choice of doctor. There are so many options and evaluations that the advice and abilities of a highly skilled surgeon are required,” adds Hagele.

Hagele’s organization certifies Lasik doctors who meet patient outcomes requirements and publishes at http://www.usaeyes.org/ the helpful 50 Tough Questions For Your Lasik Doctor to assist a patient screen a potential surgeon and operates the a website with Lasik information.