vol1 - Page 219

 He continues:
 Anytime you open the eye to the environment,
 _ there are always chances_ ThereSs a minute
 chance of bacterial infection _ . o [or] an
 expulsive hemorrhage . . . and you will get a
 loss of blood [into the
 eye_79_d even have
 very serious complicationso _d
 _.i_! Xn general, however, Green suc_gests invasive surgeries
 to lower XOP, while often ineffective, pose little risk to the
 patient. When asked if blindness was one of the "serious
 consequences _ of invasive ocular surgeries, Green, a Ph.D.,
 dismisses the idea:
 No_ ires very unusual for that to happen.
 The surgery, the worst case condition with
 surgery is that you're going 1:o be back at
 square one [in terms of the patient°s XOP].
 In other words, you're not going to lose
 anything by doing it. 7_
 Doctors _epler and Merrittg both ocular surgeons, take
 strong exception to Greenes rather rosy assessment_of surgical
 risks. Dro Eepler, for example, urges extreme caution in
 initiating surgery:
 [T_he surgical alternative should be post-
 poned until all known me dical_iternatives
 have been proven inadequate i_ controlling
 the matien£'s lOP (emDhasis a_@dl._ This is
 particularly true in young patients and in
 patients with sharply fluctuating lOP ....
 ..... The risks of surgery are also increased if
 the patient has central vision in only one
 eye. Complications caused by surgery
 _li_9_he
 eye could result in central blindness._
 (Emphasis added)
 '__"_
 ____/ _. at 103o
 478/ /__. at 9-102.
 479/ Affidavit of Robert Randall, Exhibit 2B, Affidavit of
 Robert Hepler at _ II, 12o
 = 146