Lasik surgery: more regulation to end help end ignorance
As federal health advisers seek to further clarify warnings of the risks of Lasik eye surgery to patients, an AP author’s review of the case for such warnings really hits home. The author’s lead is powerfully gripping: The story opens with “In fury and despair, patients harmed by Lasik eye surgery told federal health advisers Friday of severe eye pain, blurred vision and even a son’s suicide. The advisers recommended that the government warn more clearly about the risks of the hugely popular operations.” These two sentences provoke further reader commitment by establishing the captivating aspect of the story, which is that it provides information about a procedure that is apparently risky, yet still “hugely popular.” Although, in general, the remainder of the story makes Lasik’s risks seem reasonably tolerable when compared to its likely benefits, the author was wise to open the story with an alarming assessment of the procedure because it is more attention-grabbing than a rosy one would have been. Besides, the remote–yet real–danger of the operation establishes the basis of the news.
Comprehensive and balanced attention to both sides of the issue sum up further qualities of the story. It provides touching testimonials from injured Lasik patients who push for clearer warnings. It balances those testimonials with fairly safe-looking statistics on the operation. The result is an unbiased piece that reveals all the information one could want to know about both the controversy and the basics of the procedure. To round it all out, the sidebars offer explanations to readers’ procedural inquiries, including insight into what doctors should consider foreboding warning signs in characteristics of potential patients.
The human-interest angle, intertwined with straight-forward reporting of a timely and, in a way, controversial issue, is the lure for the reader. Hook, line, and sinker were the pros and cons, which built an insightful and enticing, back-and-forth argument for better understanding of, more regulation for, and future studies on the practice of Lasik.
