Former FDA Adviser Wants LASIK Eye Surgery Taken Off Market

BOSTON (CBS) -- LASIK surgery has been used by an estimated 20 million Americans to improve distance vision, but a former FDA adviser is calling for it to be pulled from the market. Morris Waxler once voted to approve LASIK but, he tells CBS News he made a mistake.

After re-examining the documentation, Waxler says he found a complication rate between 10% and 30%, including vision loss, distorted vision and eye pain.

He is calling on the FDA to take LASIK off the market, but according to CBS News, the FDA says it has not found any new safety concerns associated with LASIK.

Most patients who undergo LASIK report being satisfied with the results, and doctors who perform LASIK say it's important to screen patients carefully because there are certain people who should not have it done.