Glenn Hagele, Founder and Executive Director of the Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance (CRSQA), recently alerted a number of physicians, as well as Julia Lewis, the Executive Director of the International Society for Refractive Surgery (ISRS), and Cataract & Refractive Surgery Today, that excerpts of e-mails exchanged by physician members of ISRS via its mail list at isrsnet@list.isrs.org containing “candid exchanges about patients, techniques, manufacturers, and other doctors” have been posted on the public Internet uncensored newsgroup alt.lasik-eyes. This newsgroup can be accessed by the public from the Web site www.lasikcourt.com by clicking on “Links.” Mr. Hagele is concerned about this incident, stating, “It is very important for doctors to be able to openly and freely exchange private concerns and musings without fear of retribution.”
The CRSQA certifies refractive surgeons and provides extensive information to potential refractive surgery candidates at its own Web site, www.usaeyes.org. “As part of my responsibilities for CRSQA, I monitor most public Internet exchanges regarding refractive surgery,” says Hagele. “Normally, I just research answers for patients’ questions and concerns, but much of my time lately has been [spent] responding to the inflammatory and misleading postings of anti-LASIK zealots.”
If you have communicated via the ISRS mail list and wish to obtain further information concerning this incident, you may contact Mr. Hagele at glenn.hagele@usaeyes.org or the ISRS directly.
Posted by Admin at February 1, 2003 11:43 PM