IF YOU CAN SEE BEYOND THE YUCK FACTOR ...

For nearsighted Americans who are not good candidates for laser surgery, the Food and Drug Administration has approved another option: a tiny lens surgically implanted in the eye. The procedure, in use in Europe, takes half an hour and costs $3,000 to $4,000 per eye. In a company-sponsored study, 92% of 662 patients who got the Verisyse lens had 20/40 or better vision after three years; 44% tested 20/20. But patients also showed a steady loss of cells in the cornea, and the FDA has asked for a five-year follow-up study to track long-term effects.