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Dr Peyman is a recognized innovator in ophthalmology in many areas. He recently received the Innovator Medal of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS). I am aware of his patent, although I am not an expert on its claims.To the best of my knowledge, Dr Pallikaris is generally acknowledged as the first person to reduce to practice and apply the procedure now known as LASIK. He also has been honored with the ASCRS Innovator Medal.Regradless of how innovative a concept may seem, it has origins in the past. No innovator has a clean slate. I do not know whether Dr Peyman’s patent influenced Dr Pallikaris or any other surgeon. The history of ophthalmic innovation would be more complete if an accurate account of the inspiration and perspiration (to paraphrase one of the greatest innovators, Thomas Edison, who said that “invention is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration”) of LASIK were more completely known. Dr Peyman is a recognized innovator in ophthalmology in many areas. He recently received the Innovator Medal of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS). I am aware of his patent, although I am not an expert on its claims. To the best of my knowledge, Dr Pallikaris is generally acknowledged as the first person to reduce to practice and apply the procedure now known as LASIK. He also has been honored with the ASCRS Innovator Medal. Regradless of how innovative a concept may seem, it has origins in the past. No innovator has a clean slate. I do not know whether Dr Peyman’s patent influenced Dr Pallikaris or any other surgeon. The history of ophthalmic innovation would be more complete if an accurate account of the inspiration and perspiration (to paraphrase one of the greatest innovators, Thomas Edison, who said that “invention is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration”) of LASIK were more completely known. History of LASIKOphthalmologyVol. 114Issue 7PreviewIn the December 2006 issue, I read the interesting editorial by Dr Roger F. Steinert on history, technology, and meta-analysis.1 Although Dr Steinert’s analysis and experience are unquestionable, I do not agree with the historical assumption that Dr Pallikaris is the inventor of the technique known presently as LASIK. I described the technique of corneal modification with an excimer laser under a corneal flap in 1985 (I filed for a patent, refiled in 1988, and received United States patent no. 4 840 175 in June 19892). Full-Text PDF