LASIK: Not Just For Grownups Anymore

LOS ANGELES -- Millions of children have a vision problem called lazy eye. When treatments fail, the lazy eye never sees.

A New Jersey family didn't want that to happen to their toddler, so they brought him to Los Angeles hoping an experiment with LASIK would save his sight.

Like most kids his age, 4-year-old Brendan Grospin was full of energy.

But before he was 1, his parents were worried that he wouldn't see like other kids. After they took a picture of him, they noticed his left eye turning in.

"The doctor said that Brendan, not only his eye did turn, but he had no vision in his left eye," said Brendan's mother, Mary Pat Burke-Grospin.

Pediatric ophthalmologist Dr. Pamela Gallin told Mary Pat and Fred Grospin their son had severe amblyopia, or lazy eye.

"The difference between the two eyes was large, jumbo. And we know from other patients that the eye that has the more near-sighted prescription, in fact, doesn't see," said Gallin.

Brendan's parents tried every treatment to correct the problem.

"They were trying the contact lenses, trying the glasses, trying eye-drop therapy to force this patient, this child, to use his bad eye. But these methods were not working," according to Dr. Jonathan Davidorf, a laser eye surgeon in West Hills, Calif.

LASIK eye surgery has helped more than 4 million Americans see better. But LASIK is only approved for people over 18. Davidorf is one of a handful of laser eye surgeons in this country studying LASIK to treat lazy eye.

"What we're trying to do is get to these patients, such as Brendan, while the system, while the visual system is still developing, while we're still able to improve the connections between the eye and the brain," said Davidorf.

At first, the Grospins were leery.

"But after hearing the pros and cons, the pros were that Brendan could regain sight," said the Grospins.

There definitely are some cons, though. Brendan would need general anesthesia to keep him still during the procedure. That always poses risks -- a reaction to the anesthesia or even death. The surgery also carries a slight risk of damage to the cornea.

On October 29, 2002, Brendan became one of the youngest patients in the United States to undergo LASIK eye surgery. He came through the surgery just fine.

"He just gave us thumbs up," said Davidorf.

Before surgery, his left eye was seeing 20/200. He could just read the largest numbers on the eye chart.

But after the surgery, he saw 20/40. And reading the eye chart for Brendan has become a piece of cake.

LASIK is not the answer for all kids with lazy eye. It's only being tested on children who have failed all other treatments.