What is all this about refractive procedures being “safer” than contact lens care?
Well, this is just clan warfare at its worst. It is all innuendo and misdirection by some people who do not have the public health — or even a single patient’s — interest at heart, just their clan identity. In fairness, I have been guilty of sticking my neck out for my clan, too, so I am tolerant of poor behavior in both optometry and ophthalmology. There have been some serious issues with corneal infections in contact lens users, and these have been covered well by experts in the field and by the public media. Manufacturers of products, providers of eye and vision care services, and regulatory bodies have all responded, and steps have been taken to increase safety for patients. However, when someone says that refractive procedures are “safer” than contact lens wear for patients, they are typically referring to a very narrow point of view suggesting from a few reports that fewer corneal infections occur following refractive surgery than occur in contact lens wearers. I have very strong
