Originally Published June 2000

Cliff Henke

Don't be fooled by Tiger Woods and other celebrities sporting their remade eyesight in aggressive advertising campaigns. Laser eye surgery isn't just for the well known and well-to-do anymore. These ads are meant for the masses—the many who may think that such corrective laser surgery is an unaffordable luxury. But beneath the surface of the glitzy ad campaigns lies an intense tag-team competition among the manufacturers of laser eye surgery systems and the healthcare providers who use them. The winners conceivably stand to make billions of dollars.