The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is still cautious; it believes that laser companies have not yet presented enough evidence to enable final conclusions about the effectiveness or the safety of enhancement surgery.
However, the recent news is encouraging. The American Academy of Ophthalmology was told at its annual meeting in November 2006 a follow-up study of people who had undergone lasik and PRK (photorefractive keratotomy)10 years earlier was very positive.
The researchers found that while there had been some regression, on average patients had maintained 20/25 vision.
A 2005 Irish study of patients who had had lasik surgery in 1998 and 1999 was also positive. There had been some regression, but surgeons had been able to correct eye defects with a great deal of accuracy, and there was a high level of patient satisfaction.
The popularity of the lasik option for people who depend on eyeglasses or contacts therefore appears to be well-founded, and the results can often be dramatic.
Some 95 % of all patients report improved vision almost immediately. Quite often eyesight improves to 20/40 or better.
The first modern Lasik surgery was performed in America in 1991, so many surgeons now have nearly 20 years experience, and equipment and techniques are continuously improving.
Still, the FDA is cautious. Its website notes that "Long-term data is not available. Lasik is a relatively new technology. The first laser was approved for Lasik eye surgery in 1998. Therefore, the long-term safety and effectiveness of Lasik surgery is not known."
Lasik surgeons agree, and caution that lasik is surgery, and therefore some risk.
The FDA list of potential problems is sobering:
Some patients lose lines of vision (on the eye chart) that cannot be corrected with glasses, contact lenses or further surgery;
Some patients have troubling side effects that can include glare, halos or double-vision. Situations of low contrast, such as driving in fog or at night, can become a real problem for those who lose some visual acuity ("sharpness"), even if they have 20/20 vision;
Patients may be over- or under-treated, which may require further surgery, called enhancements, to correct;
Patients may develop severe "dry eye" problems;
Results are generally not as good in patients with very large refractive errors - although this is an issue that most surgeons will highlight at the very first examination, and will probably recommend against lasik in such circumstances.
The FDA is worried that the benefits of improved vision may not be permanent. While the recent studies support the view that there may be a gradual regression, but it does appear to be just that - gradual.
There is always the possibility that even with the surgery, a patient may still need to wear glasses; this will be particularly true of older patients.
On balance, therefore, the new findings suggest that as long as you have investigated the issues properly, you have chosen your surgeon carefully, you understand the potential side effects, and you are a good candidate, you can count on achieving good lasik long term results.
What Are Long Term Goals
These emails can be hard on your emotions. You want to help them, but you also know the truth.
The truth is that Internet marketing is a business, not an overnight riches scheme. Is it possible to earn a lot of money quickly online? Of course it is. I've done it many times and my students have done it as well.
Here's a quick formula for success:
1. Find a Hot Product Selling to a Hungry Market.
This is essential. If you don't have a product that people are wanting and literally demanding to buy from someone, you'll have trouble making sales.
You can create the product yourself or you can license it from someone else. Creating a good high quality product will most likely take you longer than a weekend. I have personally written an entire ebook in a weekend, but that was HARD work and meant I did nothing else that weekend.
Licensing the product of course would be quicker, but the key here is to make sure you license something that is still a hot seller. It needs to have good sales materials and be targeted to a group of customers who are HUNGRY for the type of product you're going to sell.
Whether you create it yourself or license it, you have to control the product.
2. Develop Powerful Sales Materials.
You can have the best product in the world and it will die of underexposure. Your sales copy and ads have to be powerful and hit your customer's hot emotional buttons.
I learned this years ago, but it seems most online marketers are still having trouble with it. Your ad has to be written first to your customers emotions...and then to their logic. They don't buy based on logic. They buy based on emotions. Then they justify their decision with logic.
So they buy your product for the "feelings" they own it and the fact it pushes them closer to whatever their dreams are. They justify their decision to friends and family based on the logic of how great your product is.
Ask anyone why they bought that Mercedes and see what logical reasons they give you (but you know the real reason is because of how it makes them feel).
If you license a product, it should already come with a powerful sales piece. If you create your own, you'll either have to write a sales letter or pay $5,000+ to have a good copywriter do one for you.
3. Find Joint Venture Partners to Promote It.
This is the key to making money quickly. If you want to earn a good income in a short period of time, you HAVE to do joint ventures. There is no other good way of doing it.
A joint venture is simply finding someone who already has your target customers in their email list or on their customer list. Then you convince them to endorse your product to their list for a share of the profits.
This is why having control of the product you're selling is SO important. If you don't control it, how can you offer someone else 50% to 80% or more of the profits on it. If you're just an affiliate for other people's products, you're limited in your ability to find partners.
Big joint venture partners aren't going to work for 10%, 20%, or even 30% of the money. They want good deals and big profits if they're going to endorse you to their list.
So you have to offer it to them. Here are your options for big money...
Give more than 50% of your profits to someone who has a list of 100,000 targeted subscribers, or take years to build that list and relationship with them (the relationship with the subscribers is what takes time as a list can be built very quickly).
So that's the simple three step plan...
1. Find a Hot Product to a Hungry Market.
2. Develop Powerful Sales Materials.
3. Find Joint Venture Partners to Promote It.
Can the above be done quickly? The answer is yes. I've seen customers do it in 30 days or less. I have NOT seen it done from scratch by a beginner in a weekend.
And I've seen the majority of customers take much longer than 30 days to complete the above steps. So don't get down on yourself if it takes you 6 months or a year to start earning money online.
Ask that McDonald's owner how long it took them to get into profit. They didn't do it the first month, the first year, or even the first few years. It takes them a lot of time, money, and energy to get it producing consistent income above their investment.
Aren't you glad the Internet doesn't have all that overhead? We can do it so much quicker and with less stress. So don't stress yourself out by trying to Get Rich Quick.
If you're looking for a no risk income that you have to earn by a certain date, then get a job. Your employer will be required to pay you on payday.
If you want a business with unlimited income, then realize it is a business. It takes time. It takes risk. And it takes a serious commitment to run a business.
Both Darrell Van Zyl & Balwinder are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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