History of Refractive Surgery
In the 1980s and 1990s, radial keratotomy, laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK), and photorefractive keratotomy (PRK) collectively accounted for the majority of refractive surgery procedures. Although there are other less frequently performed refractive procedures which would justify a comprehensive treatise on the history of refractive surgery, here we are primarily concerned with broad economic direction. By 2011, more than 11 million LASIK procedures had been performed in the USA. In the same year, David R. Harmon – president of Market Scope LLC, the source for data on the LASIK market just cited – observed that demand for LASIK peaked in 2007 at 1.4 million procedures per year. Since then, the number of procedures has declined by 50%, which Mr. Harmon attributes to, '… market saturation, overexposure of LASIK's complications by the media and government agencies, and changes in demographics and culture'. At the end of 2014, he saw a little bit of improvement in the volume of procedures, but noted that the recession has taken a heavy toll on refractive surgery. In a related category – plastic surgery – the recession had a similar impact, but a turnaround is underway as the overall US economy improves. Other ophthalmic key opinion leaders expressed similar views in 2009, and noted that some dedicated refractive surgeons had renewed interest in cataract surgery.