and it is estimated that 40 million of these are candidates for the laser procedure. The most common form of this laser refractive surgery is photorfractive keratectomy (PRK). PRK was approved by the FDA, and in 1996, 70,000 procedures were done, at a cost of $2000 per eye. In 1997 the FDA seized lasers due to citings of serious eye injuries, damaged sight, temporary blindness, night vision problems, and overcorrections. No actual cases were reported and it was concluded that US manufacturers were responsible for the fiasco, with efforts to protect their market. A second type is Phototherapeutic Keratectomy (PTK). A third procedure is laser-in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK). Laser Thermal Keratoplasty (LTK) is a different laser type (Jaklevic, 1996, p. 136; Jory, 1996, p. 904; London Place Eye Centre [LPEC], 2000b, p. 2; Mitchell, 1998, p. 1412).
Gartry (1995) reports on patient criteria for treating myopia with the excimer laser. Except for pregnancy, there is no criterion re
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