Clinics-Surgery, Diagnostic, Dialysis

The other day I asked a friend who is an internist what he thinks of Lasik surgery, and he replied, “I still wear glasses.” Me too. And I’m glad that I’ve never had the procedure done. Ultra light specs work for me. When it comes to my eyes, I’m risk averse.

Stock pickers ask: Who makes contacts, solutions for contacs, glasses and relevant components? Who sells glasses? Maybe it’s not the weakening economy that has cut Lasik eye surgeries by about 17%?

The Food and Drug Administration’s Ophthalmic Devices Panel last week heard horror stories from and about people who had Lasik surgery go wrong, and the Panel urged stronger warnings about the surgery, the Washington Post and about every paper in the country reported. Impact graphs:

The health care markets are working as demand for eye surgeries falls as the economy weakens, the NY Times reports.

Key graphs:

“We’re forecasting a 17 percent drop for 2008,” said David Harmon, president of Market Scope, an eye surgery market research house.

Mr. Harmon said that when first-quarter data becomes available next month, he expects it to show an even sharper decline in Lasik surgeries than in 2001. That time around, the sour economy led to a three-year slump in the laser procedures, which are typically not covered by insurance.

Lasik — for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis — typically costs anywhere from $800 to $3,000 or more per eye.