§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on the recovery time and success rates of those patients undergoing(a) LASIK, (b) LASEK, (c) PRK and (d) ALK; and what the side effects of each are; [127535]
(2) what recommendations have been made to the NHS with regard to the range of (a) myopia and (b) hyperopia that would benefit the most from refractive surgery. [127536]
§ Mr. HuttonThe majority of laser eye surgery to correct refractive errors takes place in private hospitals, which are regulated by the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC), which is currently monitoring developments in this area. Providers of laser eye surgery are required to be registered with the NCSC and to keep records for inspection by the NCSC of each surgical procedure undertaken, including accidents or adverse events. Service providers are subject to annual inspection by the NCSC.
The National Health Service does not routinely provide laser eye surgery to correct refractive errors. However, it is considered when a specific clinical need could justify its use. Examples could include adjustment of the refractive error of one eye to make it similar to the other (a) condition known as anisometropia) or patients shown to be severely depressed by the need to wear glasses (and where contact lenses are contraindicated). These are rare occurrences and are evaluated on an individual patient basis.