There was a time when doctors, medical practices, and pharmaceutical companies selling prescription medicines did not advertise to the general public.  Today, that's no longer the case.  The health care industry in general (and drug companies in particular) now spend hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising.  And one of the leading medical specialties in terms of the amount of advertising it does is eye care.

While advertising can be a good initial source for information, some of it is designed to simply appeal to our emotions so strongly that we feel we "must" have that product and demand it from our doctors.  We all need to be educated medical consumers.  We need real information so we can make intelligent decisions.  Only then can we take charge of our health. 

Of course, frauds, quacks and cults have plagued the medical profession since ancient times.  What's new is the ease with which modern media, especially television and the web, can spread their message. In the 1920s, a doctor wrote a book claiming that eye exercises could cure nearsightedness, farsightedness and other eye conditions.  He quickly attracted a cult following, and today variations of his system are still heavily advertised and sold, especially on the web. But no peer reviewed clinical studies were ever done to prove the claims, no serious evidence exists to support them, and no reputable eye physicians believe in them.  In fact, exercises cannot change the shape of the eye, and the shape of the eye causes nearsightedness and farsightedness.  (For more information about this, go to Vision Correction Key Point 1.

More recently, extravagant claims have been made for the power of diet and nutritional supplements to cure all sorts of eye conditions.  In this case, the situation is more complicated.  Diet and nutrition can play an important role in preventing and treating certain serious eye conditions, such as glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. (For descriptions of these conditions, go to Vision Correction Specific Interactive Medical Search)  But no evidence exists to support any claim that they can cure nearsightedness or farsightedness.

As for refractive surgery, specifically LASIK surgery, there's no question that it can greatly improve nearsightedness and farsightedness.  It is a sound, medically proven form of treatment with a very high rate of success.  But not everyone is a good candidate for it.  So we still need to be suspicious of overblown advertising and overly extravagant claims found all over the web – and elsewhere.

A good rule of thumb is always to check as many sources of information as possible. Read conflicting reports.  Get as many sides of the story as you can.  Avoid "sponsored" websites whose main purpose is to sell something.  For medical information, go to the websites of well-known university teaching hospitals, recognized medical organizations, such as the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Academy of Optometry, and government groups, such as the National Eye Institute.  

The non-informative brand of advertising tends to make things seem glamorous and glitzy – and trivial.  Medicine is not glitzy – and it certainly isn't trivial. So be especially suspicious of ads that make refractive eye surgery seem quick, easy and routine.  Remember, you're choosing someone to operate on your eyes.       

The final, most important point is simply this: in medical care, as in everything else, the rule is always, "Buyer beware. Buyer be aware."