Is LASIK Safe? Eye Surgeon Reveals Hidden Risks | Dr. Cynthia MacKay, MD

Summary

Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark Episode: Is LASIK Safe? Eye Surgeon Reveals Hidden Risks | Dr. Cynthia MacKay, MD Release Date: June 17, 2025

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark, host Alex Clark delves deep into the controversial world of LASIK surgery. Joined by esteemed ophthalmologist Dr. Cynthia MacKay, the discussion uncovers the hidden risks and long-term complications associated with LASIK, challenging the widespread perception of the procedure as a safe and effective means to correct vision.

Dr. Cynthia MacKay: A Voice of Caution

Dr. Cynthia MacKay, a 40-year Columbia ophthalmologist and a trailblazer in eye health, brings a critical perspective to the LASIK debate. With a colleague who co-invented LASIK, Dr. MacKay has been a vocal critic since the procedure's inception. She recently authored The Unsightly Truth of Laser Vision Correction, accompanied by the documentary Broken Eyes, both aiming to shed light on the true dangers of LASIK.

Unveiling the Risks of LASIK

From the very start of the conversation, the gravity of LASIK complications is laid bare. Alex opens with a poignant statement:

[00:00] Alex Clark: "There is no person who has had LASIK who does not have complications. I am absolutely terrified that my eyes were damaged from LASIK surgery."

Dr. MacKay supports this alarming claim:

[02:26] Dr. Cynthia MacKay: "30% of LASIK patients face complications, and these issues can arise up to 25 years post-surgery."

She elaborates on the types of complications, emphasizing that LASIK alters the cornea in ways that inevitably lead to long-term vision problems:

[11:51] Dr. Cynthia MacKay: "By reshaping the cornea, LASIK transforms it from a perfect dome to something resembling a mesa, leading to scar tissue formation and distorted vision."

Personal Experiences and Professional Insights

Alex shares his personal journey with LASIK, confessing his own struggles a decade after the procedure:

[02:34] Alex Clark: "I am 10 years post-op and I am just now experiencing I need to start wearing glasses again. I am experiencing chronic dry eye..."

Dr. MacKay reiterates the imprudence of repeating LASIK surgeries:

[22:13] Dr. Cynthia MacKay: "Don't have repeat LASIK. If you've already had flap LASIK, raising the flap again poses significant risks, including flap dislocation and further complications."

Statistics and Severity of Complications

The conversation highlights staggering statistics:

[07:38] Alex Clark: "What are the statistics of how many people are suffering from botched LASIK in the United States?"

[07:44] Dr. Cynthia MacKay: "About 20 million people have had LASIK in the U.S., with a 30% risk of permanent, untreatable complications. That translates to approximately 7-8 million individuals affected."

Long-Term Vision Problems

Dr. MacKay explains how LASIK compromises essential aspects of vision:

[11:51] Dr. Cynthia MacKay: "EVERY LASIK patient loses contrast sensitivity, which is the ability to see subtle shades of gray. This is a universal consequence of the surgery."

She further warns about severe complications such as retinal detachment and cataracts:

[19:06] Dr. Cynthia MacKay: "LASIK patients face a 60 times higher risk of retinal detachment and cataracts compared to those who haven't undergone the procedure."

Failures in FDA Oversight

A significant portion of the discussion is dedicated to the FDA's role—or lack thereof—in regulating LASIK:

[30:42] Alex Clark: "Was evidence and complications regarding LASIK hidden from the FDA in the approval process?"

[30:49] Dr. Cynthia MacKay: "Yes. The FDA approved LASIK based on inadequate data, primarily focusing on short-term outcomes and ignoring long-term complications."

She draws parallels to other public health issues where regulatory bodies failed to act promptly:

[41:14] Dr. Cynthia MacKay: "It's like Oxycontin—where the harmful effects were known but took years to be acknowledged officially."

Real-Life Tragedies

The episode recounts heartbreaking stories of individuals adversely affected by LASIK. One poignant example is that of Jessica Starr:

[16:25] Dr. Cynthia MacKay: "Jessica Starr, a weather person in Detroit, experienced severe LASIK complications that led her to commit suicide just two weeks before Christmas, leaving behind two young children."

Calls to Action and Resources

For those suffering from LASIK complications, Dr. MacKay offers hope and resources:

[41:59] Dr. Cynthia MacKay: "We provide a list of doctors specializing in treating LASIK complications in our book. Additionally, Paula Kofer's Vision Advocacy group offers support for those unable to afford necessary treatments."

She urges listeners to steer clear of LASIK and instead opt for safer alternatives like glasses or contact lenses:

[43:12] Dr. Cynthia MacKay: "Don't do LASIK. Wear your glasses. Wear contact lenses. Don't risk your vision just for the cosmetic purpose of getting rid of your glasses."

Advocacy and Raising Awareness

Dr. MacKay emphasizes the importance of being informed and proactive:

[43:49] Dr. Cynthia MacKay: "Do your homework. Don't take advertisements at face value. Be a truth seeker."

She also promotes her book, The Unsightly Truth of Laser Vision Correction, available on Amazon for just 99 cents, with all profits supporting LASIK-damaged patients.

Conclusion: Healing a Sick Culture

As the episode wraps up, Dr. MacKay offers a remedy to heal the broader culture:

[43:49] Dr. Cynthia MacKay: "Do your homework. Be a truth seeker. If you want the truth about LASIK, buy the book."

Alex echoes the urgency of spreading this crucial information:

[46:03] Alex Clark: "This is one of the most important interviews I've done. Share it to help those suffering from LASIK complications and to raise awareness about this public health issue."

Final Thoughts

This episode serves as a crucial wake-up call for anyone considering LASIK surgery. Through Dr. MacKay's expertise and Alex Clark's personal insights, listeners gain a comprehensive understanding of the potential dangers lurking behind what is often marketed as a simple solution for vision correction. Culture Apothecary underscores the importance of informed decision-making and advocates for greater regulatory oversight to protect public health.

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Notable Quotes:

• “There is no person who has had LASIK who does not have complications.” — Alex Clark [00:00]
• “30% of LASIK patients face complications, and these issues can arise up to 25 years post-surgery.” — Dr. Cynthia MacKay [02:26]
• “Don't have repeat LASIK.” — Dr. Cynthia MacKay [22:13]

Resources Mentioned:

• Book: The Unsightly Truth of Laser Vision Correction by Dr. Cynthia MacKay
• Documentary: Broken Eyes
• Support Groups: LASIK Complications Support Group on Facebook
• Advocacy: Paula Kofer's Vision Advocacy Group

Follow Dr. Cynthia MacKay:

• Website: IdocMackay.com
• Social Media: Reddit, X (Twitter), YouTube

Listen to More:

• Subscribe to Culture Apothecary on YouTube and Spotify.
• Follow Alex Clark on Instagram @RealAlexClark.

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By shedding light on the often-overlooked dangers of LASIK surgery, this episode aims to empower listeners with knowledge, fostering a culture where informed health decisions are paramount.

Transcript

[Alex Clark]

There is no person who has had LASIK who does not have complications. I am absolutely terrified that my eyes were damaged from LASIK surgery.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

The FDA is not taking care of the health of the public. They're not warning about the dangers of lasik.

[Alex Clark]

What are the risk factors for somebody who's had lasik? It started, we're off and then they opt to go in again.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Don't have repeat Lasik.

[Alex Clark]

Over 12 million people suffer from Lasik's devastating side effects. 30% face complications, 10% endure chronic eye pain. And even multiple cases of people unaliving themselves have been linked to botched procedures. Yet the FDA stays silent. On this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Cynthia MacKay, a 40 year Columbia ophthalmologist and trailblazer whose colleague invented Lasik. And from the beginning she has spoken out against it. Today she's exposing lasik's dark truth. Her book the Unsightly Truth and documentary Broken Eyes coming out in August this summer, reveal why the surgery is risking your vision and why you should think twice. This is also an extremely interesting interview for me to do because I got Lasik about 10 years ago and now I'm not so sure it went off without a hitch as I'll get into Watch this episode on the real Alex Clark, YouTube or Culture Apothecary on Spotify and please share this everywhere. It could save a life and save healthy eyes. It would help the show a lot for you to pause right now and leave a five star review sharing how this show has positively impacted your Life. It takes 10 seconds. It's super easy on Apple or Spotify. Keep the discussion going in the Cuteservatives Facebook group or follow me on instagram @real alexclark or the show at Culture Apothecary. Please welcome daughter, wife, mother and renowned eye surgeon Dr. Cynthia MacKay to Culture Apothecary. I am absolutely terrified that my eyes were damaged from LASIK surgery. What percentage of people who have had LASIK done are experiencing complications?

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

30% and they're late. Complications that can come on as long as 25 years later.

[Alex Clark]

I am 10 years post op and I am just now experiencing. I need to start wearing glasses again. I am experiencing chronic dry eye and I thought, well maybe this has to do with me having Hashimoto's and autoimmune disease because dryness, you know, all over the body, that's part of it. But now I'm reading your book, I'm finding out that dry eye could be a LASIK complication.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Well, people who have hashimoto's disease and dry eye of any sort should not get Lasik. You should not have had Lasik if you told them that's what you had.

[Alex Clark]

Well, I didn't know at the time. I was really young. I was in my early 20s. What did not happen was I was not given informed consent that this procedure, the effects really only last for a decade.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

If.

[Alex Clark]

Is that what you're finding, is that normally, if it does go well, allegedly, that it starts to wear off after 10 years?

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Yes. After seven to eight years, 44% of people have lost the ability to see at distance. It can go in the other way. You can become nearsighted. There's scar tissue. There are flap complications. It's horrendous.

[Alex Clark]

Well, I was just told that I have some skin scales or I don't know what that is. They saw my eyeball. They wanted to come back in to look at. And I'm like, is that a Lasik thing?

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Well, did you have flap Lasik or did you have what's called prk, where they don't do a flap? Do you know?

[Alex Clark]

See, I have no idea. I was so young. I didn't know. I. I didn't care. I just thought, oh, they know what they're doing. Lasik is perfectly safe. I didn't ask enough questions.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Right. You didn't maybe Google Lasik complications to.

[Alex Clark]

Find out I was, like, 22, 23 years old.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Well, the consent forms for LASIK are completely inadequate. At one point, the FDA was going to require that the LASIK surgeons give their customers an adequate consent form. That may have been about 10 years ago, but they never have. The FDA is not taking care of the health of the public. They're not warning about the dangers of Lasik.

[Alex Clark]

Now, see, this is so crazy, and this is what I want to get into with you, because you were an eye doctor in New York City for 40 years.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Correct.

[Alex Clark]

And you had a colleague, close colleague, who is the guy who invented lasik.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Yes.

[Alex Clark]

And you said, wait a minute. You're looking at this science and you're saying, this is not adding up. This is an extremely dangerous procedure.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

The name of my colleague was Steve Troel, and I was working in the Eye Institute of Columbia Presbyterian Medical center one day when Steve rushed into my room and he shoved a piece of paper in my hands, and it showed a human cornea with an exact rectangle sliced out of it. And he said, this is going to revolutionize ophthalmology. Steve was not a cornea specialist. His specialty was the orbit the box around the eye. I thought that was the stupidest idea I've ever heard. The cornea has the most nerve endings of any part of the body. And if you cut them, you're cutting through vital tissue. You know what it's like to get may be a speck of dust in your eye or a scratch your cornea. If you have lasik, then both of your corneas are damaged and the pain of the cut nerves is never going to go away. That's permanent.

[Alex Clark]

Your book says that 70% of Lasik patients still need glasses, despite claims that it eliminates the need for distance glasses. So why is LASIK failing to deliver for so many?

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Because it's a bad idea to begin with. Because the cornea isn't a sheet of plastic. It's living tissue. And if you cut it, it's going to either regrow or change its form in some place. So it's inevitable that LASIK will eventually wear off. As a matter of fact, after seven to eight years, 44% of Lasik patients, according to a paper published in December of 2024, have lost the ability to see a distance without glasses.

[Alex Clark]

I also have astigmatism now.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Oh, dear.

[Alex Clark]

Is that a LASIK complication or just age?

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

No. If you didn't have astigmatism before you're LASIK and you now have it, it's likely to have been caused by the LASIK itself.

[Alex Clark]

What are the statistics of how many people are suffering from botched LASIK in the United states?

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Well, about 20 million people have had LASIK in the United States, about 40 million worldwide. And if there's a 30% risk of permanent untreatable complications, that would be 30% of 20, maybe about 7, 8 million people. So that's a significant number. Another problem is LASIK is a public health hazard, because what you do is you shave off the central portion, part of the cornea, and the peripheral part is left unchanged. And when your pupil dilates at nighttime in dim light, you're going to have two different focuses. You're going to have the original focus out in the periphery, and then you're going to have the focus in the center, which is now going directly onto your retina. So everybody who's had LASIK has some problem in dim light. And we are now driving down roads and people are coming at us who've had Lasik and they're seeing instead of one headlight, you know, 2, 3, 5, 25 headlights. We are flying in planes where the pilots have had lasik.

[Alex Clark]

Yikes.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

And they're looking at the runways and all the starbursts and halos around the lights. It's not safe. If you have had Lasik, you shouldn't drive, you shouldn't fly, you shouldn't operate a train or a bus. If you are in dim light, you should restrict your driving to the day.

[Alex Clark]

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[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Because inevitably you're changing the shape of the cornea of the eye from a perfect dome to something that's closer to a mesa. You're shaving off material from the center part of the cornea. This means, first of all, you're going to heal, forming scar tissue. And then you're going to have the problem of a distorted cornea. You're going to have a cornea instead of like this looks like this. When you heal and there's scar tissue, you lose something called contrast sensitivity, which is the ability to see subtle shades of gray. And that's in 100% of people. So it's taking a healthy eye and making it sick. I spent 40 years as an eye surgeon taking sick eyes and making them healthy, making them see better. And these LASIK surgeons, the procedure, the LASIK procedure takes a healthy eye and makes it into an unhealthy eye. An eye that's weaker because it's thinner, it's been thinned. And that has to happen no matter how the LASIK is done. And it doesn't see as well because of all the reasons that I've discussed all the glare and halos at night. So these patients have to be warned and they have to be given the statistics. And I just want to say to you, Alex, I'm not making up any of this out of my head. This book, the Unsightly Truth of Laser vision correction, has 11 pages in the back of it with 150, 58 scientific peer reviewed papers. And I am quoting from those papers. Everything I'm saying to you is fact as best can be determined scientifically.

[Alex Clark]

Here is the most shocking thing that you said. You said that there is no person who has had LASIK who does not have complications.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Yes, that's right.

[Alex Clark]

How can that be true? Because there are, you know, tons of people I know that have had lasik. They're like, I see great. Everything went fine. I have no complications.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Well, very frequently you'll, I'll talk to a patient who's had Lasik and they'll say, oh, everything's fine. And then I'll say, are your eyes scratchy? Do they burn? Are they uncomfortable? And they say, oh, yes, I have to put in drops. And I'll say to them, don't you have some problems when the light gets dim? Aren't you seeing glare, halos, dazzle, star bursts? And they'll say, yes, if they're tested. If you took a test of your contrast sensitivity, you wouldn't have good contrast sensitivity. Now, you weren't warned about any of this and you didn't weren't told. I would imagine that at least 10% of LASIK patients get a form of chronic nerve pain that never goes away. That's why there have been so many afterwards. Lasik.

[Alex Clark]

How many people have ended their life due to LASIK complications?

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

I know of 41 out of a 8000 person Lasik complication support group that was started by Paula Kofer. She's one of the co authors on this book.

[Alex Clark]

And of course, there could be people that have done that due to that reason. But people may not know or, you know, it may not be written down somewhere.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

We're sure there have been more, but these are people who've left a note who have apologized to their families for what they're about to do.

[Alex Clark]

There was just a famous news anchor or something that because of her LASIK gone wrong that did this. Isn't that true?

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Yes. She was a weather person in Detroit, Jessica Starr, and she had it. She had a wonderful life. She was married to a great guy. She had two very young children. She had a job she loved. She was gorgeous and she had lasik. And she appeared on camera saying, look, guys, I'm really struggling. I want you to pray for me because it's very hard. I'm in a lot of pain and I can't see now. She committed two weeks before Christmas.

[Alex Clark]

Oh my gosh.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

And she had two young children. No mother commits su two weeks before her young children are looking forward to Christmas.

[Alex Clark]

She was in like, severe shame.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

She felt the only way she could get rid of the pain was to get rid of herself.

[Alex Clark]

How do you explain complications showing up so much later than the surgery itself?

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Because the cornea is injured, but it may not start showing its injury right away because you've thinned the cornea down and the cornea isn't very thick to begin with. You've got a weaker cornea. And years afterwards, it can happen, 25 years afterward, that cornea will start to bulge out from the normal pressure of your eye. It's just the constant pressure of normal fluid in the eye, but it's making the cornea isn't strong enough to withstand it. That's called ectasia. You can't treat it except with hard contact lenses. Ed Boshnik, who's an optometrist, who's also a co author of this book, his specialty is Treating LASIK patients who can't see because of problems like ectasia or corneal irregularities or other problems. He fits them with hard contact lenses. He can't cure them, but he can manage them.

[Alex Clark]

You report that LASIK patients face a 60 times higher risk of retinal detachment and cataracts. What does the evidence show that's true?

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

You've done your homework. There are two different kinds of lasik. There's LASIK with a flap, and there's LASIK without a flap. LASIK without a flap. Or prk, which stands for photorefractive keratectomy. That was the first one approved by the fda. And what they do is they have to get in to the center part of the cornea to do their lasering to vaporize the cornea with the excimer laser. And they just scrape off the epithelium of the cornea. That was very painful right away. If you didn't have pain right away, it's probably because you had flap lasik. And what happens in flap LASIK is they take the eye, they squash it down like a pancake. Pressure inside the eye goes up to 70 times normal pressure. 70 times. And then they cut a flap, they lay the flap aside, then the excimer laser does its work.

[Alex Clark]

That's what happened to me.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Vaporizing, I think. You had a flap.

[Alex Clark]

Yep. Because it wasn't pain right away. And it was. I remember, like, sitting in my bedroom closet because it was the darkest place I could be, because any light, like, made my eyes burn for just about 24 hours. And it was, like, gritty, felt like I'd sand in my eyes. And so I think that's what it was. They said that I was the hardest, most difficult patient they'd ever had because I. Anything near my eyeball freaks me out. And, you know, you're awake and you're seeing this stuff come at your eye. And they gave me. They had their whole staff holding me down, and I was crying, and they gave me a giraffe stuffed animal. That's what happened to me. And they said it was the craziest patient story they've ever had. They said, nobody's reacted this way. And I had taken Valium. Nothing worked. I was freaked out.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

So when you squash down an eye and you increase the pressure to 70 times, it goes up from about, oh, 10 to 20 millimeters of mercury to 70 millimeters of mercury. You're distorting the whole eye. You're stretching the retina, the back part of the eye that sees and that's why the retinal detachment is more common. And you're also distorting the lens of the eye, the part of the eye that focuses when you're young, so you can see from far to near without reading glasses. And there's also probably other things that cause cataract, including the light of the laser itself. But it's not a healthy eye. Now, it's been through trauma, right? It's been squashed, it's been cut, and it's sick.

[Alex Clark]

So for people like me now, I'm not doing this ever again, obviously. But for somebody like me who's had Lasik and it's starting to wear off and they're thinking like, oh, well, maybe I need to do it again. What are the risk factors? For somebody who's had lasik, it started wear off, and then they opt to go in again.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Don't have repeat lasik. That's the message I want to get out loud and clear. Don't have LASIK to begin with, but don't have repeat lasik. If you had flap Lasik and the flap was laid off and then put back on, there were no stitches put in that flap. It was attached to your eye just like a contact lens is attached to the eye. And it can dislocate. If you raise that flap and laser again and the flap goes back, it's much more likely to dislocate. You're more likely to have flap complications like cells coming in from the outside of the eye, growing underneath the flap.

[Alex Clark]

That's what it is.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

They said you had cells growing in.

[Alex Clark]

From it's cells on my eyeball. I said scales. It's cells.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Cells. Right. Okay. Well, we have a story in the book of a person who had that problem, and I just hope they don't keep growing. But whatever you do, don't have that flap raised because it's a second trauma to an eye that's already had trauma.

[Alex Clark]

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[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Well, they sell it as if it is a Completely risk free procedure that will be a miracle and will make you see better. Lasik doesn't make you see better, it always makes you see worse. You lose contrast sensitivity, you have trouble in dim light. So that's not true. And then the consent forms don't give you the percentages. If you knew you had a 75% chance of having an incurable, untreatable, forever dry eye, would you have wanted Lasik?

[Alex Clark]

Hell no.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

If you were told there was a 10% chance of chronic neuropathic pain where the pain signals get running through the nerves and you can't get rid of it, would you have had Lasik?

[Alex Clark]

No.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

And these nerves aren't there for decoration. They're there because they're helping the eye be normal. They're helping the tear film, they're keeping the eye healthy. You've cut off all these nerves. You have chronic inflammation. 100% of LASIK patients have inflammation in the cornea which is easily seen on scans. The inflammation never goes away.

[Alex Clark]

Why do LASIK clinics operate on both eyes at once? Because doesn't that amplify risks? Like, are they doing this because it's about profit over safety?

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

The patients that I've seen in my office who have had Lasik are the most unhappy, are the ones who've had Lasik in only one eye, because then you're seeing out of your normal eye and then you're seeing out of the Lasik eye. And the Lasik eye has this distorted division and blurs and dazzle and you're not really seeing well.

[Alex Clark]

So I'd probably rather wear an eye patch. I mean, honestly, why do most ophthalmologists stay silent about Lasik's risks? What pressures are keeping them quiet?

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Well, many, many ophthalmologists feel exactly the way I do. They don't let their patients get Lasik. They haven't had Lasik, they don't let their family members have Lasik, but they won't speak out. And I had long conversations with two of the most eminent cornea specialists who have made it their specialty to treat LASIK patients. And they see all day long these patients coming in with horrible pain, with disturbed vision. And I said to them, we're writing a book. Would you like to make some kind of a statement? Would you like to say maybe LASIK complications aren't explained well enough and they wouldn't speak out? I have two friends who I really respect. They're both very good surgeons. One of them took a cataract out of my right eye. He doesn't do Lasik anymore. I asked him why he didn't do it, and he said, because if something goes wrong, there's nothing you can do about it. And another friend of mine is a highly respected cornea specialist. He was one of the first doctors in the United States to do Lasik, and he doesn't do it anymore. So why won't they talk? You will have to ask them. I don't know.

[Alex Clark]

Was evidence and complications regarding Lasik hidden from the FDA in the approval process? Yes.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Yes. The first person on the list of four people who wrote the Lasik book is Morris Waxler. And he was the chairman of the committee that approved Lasik. And he was the one that forced them to follow the patients for a year. They wanted to just do immediate outcomes. They told him, there's no problem. Some people have a little dryness, some people have a little problem with starbursts, but it all goes away. After he retired from the fda, he met Paula Kofer, and she started introducing him to lasik Wounded patients, starting with herself. Paula was a very successful banker. She's a really super smart woman. She's completely disabled now. When we went to testify before the fda, when we walked out of the hotel, she couldn't see. I never forget her hand coming up and grabbing my arm because she couldn't see. Couldn't see. When we got into the restaurant, which was dimly lit with candles, she couldn't read the menu. I had to read her the menu. I was cutting up her food. Mars met her and she introduced him to other LASIK damaged patients.

[Alex Clark]

So were these people deliberately hidden from him when he was looking at stuff to approve it?

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

He approved it on the basis of only a year's follow up. And the surgeons had assured him that all the complications were temporary. But he, after he met Paula, he went back to the original data that the FDA had used to approve it. And between one year between the initial surgery and a year later, he found there was a very high risk of complications. 70% chance of fluctuating vision, dry eye. He realized he'd been hoodwinked. That's the word he used. And he went on to become an advocate against Lasik.

[Alex Clark]

You testified to the FDA in 2011 and 2018.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Right.

[Alex Clark]

But they have done nothing. So my question is, is the $4 billion LASIK industry buying the FDA's silence?

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

They're sure not doing anything. And if you can get the FDA to act, you would be saving lives and saving eyes and doing the world a great service.

[Alex Clark]

Asa, Is that what the flap thing.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Is advanced surface ablation. There's several newer techniques. There's Smile, for example, where instead of taking the cornea and lasering it on the top with the laser, they laser the inside of the cornea and they pull this stuff out of the cornea. Advanced surface ablation, Smile, any of the other techniques all cut the cornea. They have to cut the cornea because what they're doing is reshaping the cornea, which does 70% of the focusing of the eye. To change the focus of the eye, you have to cut the cornea to reshape it. If you cut the cornea, you're making it weaker. You're cutting through corneal nerves. They'll be healing with scarring. None of these advanced techniques get away from the fact that you're massacring the cornea. You can't change the focus of the cornea without cutting into it. If you cut into it, you're gonna harm it permanently, forever.

[Alex Clark]

12 million people suffering from complications from this. How does that compare to another routine surgery people get like breast implants and having complications. Like how does the LASIK complications compare to other routine surgeries we see people get?

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Because the eye is what you are using to see the world. And if you cut the cornea of the eye and you ruin your vision, it's going to be more serious than if you have a breast implant and the nipple isn't in the center. It's the eye. The eye is an out pouching of the brain.

[Alex Clark]

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[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

There is some evidence that that's so what I do know is when I go back and look at the literature, most of the literature on Lasik complications comes from the British Journal of Ophthalmology, the French Journal of Ophthalmology. There's more in Europe than in our US journals. And in Europe they have some studies going to treat Lasik. For example, Lasik pain can respond to the drug amitriptyline and I know that because it's being used in Europe and I had a Lasik patient coming in who was from the pain and off label. It hasn't been approved by the FDA yet because studies haven't been done because nobody wants to admit that it exists. I gave him amitriptyline, a very low dose, just myself and his pain went away.

[Alex Clark]

So Is that what people need to be asking for who are suffering from LASIK pain?

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

The LASIK surgeons aren't able to manage the complications. There are very fine doctors who are managing LASIK complications. One is Ed Boshnik, who's helping people to see. But they need to be studies. It would be simple. You just get, you know, 100 people with chronic LASIK pain. You give half of them amitriptyline, you give half of them a placebo, and you see what happens to the pain. And with chronic neuropathic pain, you can actually show it on an mri. There are characteristic changes in the MRI in the brain. So you can tell very simply if the drug has worked or if it hasn't worked. That's a very simple study that hasn't been done.

[Alex Clark]

What studies? What tests? What should the FDA be looking into in regards to Lasik and how allegedly safe and effective it really is?

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

The studies have been done. They're in the book. There are 158 of these studies in the book. 11 pages worth. So the studies have been done. What the FDA has. FDA has to do is not do more studies. They've got to start getting the truth out. This is like a mass dilution.

[Alex Clark]

So it's like oxycontin, where they knew it was harming people. They. It took forever to get that label on there.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Right? That's an excellent example. Another example would be concussions causing brain cancer. Another example would be smoking. You know, everybody was smoking. They were smoking on airplanes. Doctors were smoking. Now you can't even smoke in a rental car. The truth has penetrated, and the LASIK truth is going to penetrate, thanks to people like you, who are helping to get the truth out.

[Alex Clark]

If somebody is listening and they are suffering so severely from botch Lasik and their eyes are ruined, what should they know? Is there hope?

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Yes. We give in the book a list of doctors who specialize in treating Lasik, and they should go to one of those doctors. There's a very good one in Boston. There's another in Miami. They're in different places around the country. They need to find help.

[Alex Clark]

Is there any nonprofit or organization they can reach out to for help and support?

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Yes. Paula Kofer, in addition to forming the LASIK Complications support group on Facebook, has a vision advocacy group, which is a not for profit that will help people who don't have the money to get the treatment they need, will guide them to the right people, and will help them if they can't afford to get the right treatment.

[Alex Clark]

Can you look at the camera? And just address the person who is thinking about getting Lasik. Maybe they have the appointments scheduled, the surgery's on the books. What does that person need to know?

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Don't do Lasik. Wear your glasses. Wear contact lenses. Don't do Lasik. You're messing with the most important part of your entire body, which is your vision. Don't risk your vision just for the cosmetic purpose of getting rid of your glasses.

[Alex Clark]

I ask every guest this question. If you could offer one remedy to heal a sick culture, and it could be physically, emotionally, or spiritually, what would your remedy be?

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

To do your homework. Don't take advertisements at their face value. There is something called Google that gives you answers. You can look it up in Google. Be a truth seeker. Try to find out the truth. And if you want the truth about Lasik, buy the book.

[Alex Clark]

Yes. So what is the name of your book again? And where can they get it?

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

It's called the Unsightly Truth of Laser Vision Correction. Lasik Makes Healthy Eyes Sick. Every cent of profits from this book goes to Paula Kofer's Vision Advocacy to help Lasik damaged patients. We have made the ebook available for 99 cents.

[Alex Clark]

Oh, great.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

On Amazon.

[Alex Clark]

Perfect.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

So people who don't have any money can get the book on Amazon practically free.

[Alex Clark]

And are you on social media or have a website?

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Absolutely. My website is Idoc Mackay. E Y E D O C Makai. I am also on Reddit. I'm also on X. And now, thanks to you, I'll be on YouTube.

[Alex Clark]

Oh, yay. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. You can watch every episode of Culture Apothecary on the real Alex Clark YouTube channel. Thank you, Dr. MacKay, for your incredible activism. Thank you for risking, I can't even imagine so many professional relationships and everything, speaking out about what you speak out about and just being there for these, you know, hundreds of thousands of people, I'm sure millions, maybe even that are suffering. So just incredible. I'm so happy to have you on the show. And I really hope that this helps people. And we want to get the attention of the FDA so, you know, really be blowing up this conversation on Instagram, on YouTube, on Reddit, on X, posting this interview and trying to get the FDA's attention that we really need to be addressing this while we have these four years in office to make America healthy again. Because our eyes are a very crucial part of having true health in America.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

So you would miss them if you didn't have them.

[Alex Clark]

Exactly, Exactly.

[Dr. Cynthia MacKay]

Alex, thank you. You are brave and bold and outspoken and you're helping the cause, which is so important.

[Alex Clark]

Did you love Dr. Cynthia or what? Oh, what a crucial interview. This has just got to be, I think, one of the most important ones that I've gotten to do since podcasting with Turning Point in the last, I mean, four years now. So I hope that this is shared far and wide, that it gives you some clarity if you have been experiencing things but you weren't sure. Like, could this be from Lasik, could it not? I have been experiencing things. I mean, my team and everything. Like, we've got my teleprompter on and it's like size 20 because I can't see crap when I don't have my glasses on. Sometimes I wear them, sometimes I don't. I do fine with people sitting right in front of me, but distances, definitely at night, it's not looking good for me and I'm really freaked out by this and I've never talked about it and I never considered that it could be permanent damage. So this is all very eye opening. Pun intended. Leave a five star review and tell others why this is the most important show in the health and wellness category. We're on a mission to heal a sick culture twice a week with expert guests just like Dr. Cynthia bringing their own unique remedy to do that. Mondays and Thursdays, 6pm Pacific, 9pm Eastern. Subscribe to Real Alex Clark on YouTube and follow me on Instagram at Real Alex Clark. I'm Alex and this is Culture Apothecary.