The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 16

A16 Business The Boston Globe SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 2008 Lasik patients vent their frustrations Microsoft mum on Yahoo options "-i downward spiral after steadily losing ground in the online advertising market. Unless Yahoo can bounce back, its shares might eventually drop even lower than their $19.18 price when Microsoft made an initial bid of $31. Shares of Yahoo, based in Sun- u. 1 It'" I 1 1 17, I 1 LASIK ContinuedfromPageAlS time this message was heard," David Shell of Washington told the Food and Drug Administration's scientific advisers before their recommendation that the FDA provide clearer warnings. Shell held up large photographs that he said depict his blurred world, showing halos around objects and double vision, since his 1998 Lasik.

I "I see multiple moons," he said angrily. "Anybody want to have La-. siknow?" Colin Dorrian was in law school when dry eye made his contact lenses so intolerable that he sought Lasik, even though a doctor noted his pupils were large. Both the dry eye and pupil size should have disqualified Dorrian, but he received Lasik anyway and his father described six years of eye pain and fuzzy vision before the suburban Philadelphia man killed himself last year. 7 "As soon as my eyes went bad, I fell into a deeper depression than I'd ever experienced, and I couldn't get out," Gerald Dorrian read from his son's suicide note.

Matt Kotsovolos, who worked for the Duke Eye Center when he had a more sophisticated Lasik procedure in 2006, said doctors classify him as a success because he now has 20-20 vision. But he said, "For the last two years I have suffered debilitating and unremitting eye pain. Patients do not want to continue to exist as help-' less victims with no voice." The sober testimonies illustrated that a decade after Lasik hit the market, there still are questions about just how often patients suffer bad outcomes from the procedure. But one thing is clear, said Dr. Jayne Weiss of Detroit's Kresge Eye Institute, who chairs the FDA advisory panel: "This is a referendum on the performance of Lasik by some surgeons who should be doing a better job." The FDA advisers a group of mostly glasses-wearing eye doctors recommended that the agency make more clear the warnings it already provides for would-be Lasik patients: Add photographs that illustrate what people suffering certain side effects actually see, such as the glare that can make headlights a huge "starburst" of light.

Clarify how often patients suffer different side effects, such as dry eye. Some eye surgeons say 31 percent of Lasik patients have some degree of dry eye before surgery, and it worsens for about 5 percent afterward. Other studies say 48 percent of Lasik recipients suffer some degree of dry eye months later. Make clearer the conditions that should disqualify someone from Lasik, such as large pupils or severe nearsightedness. And spell out that anyone whose nearsightedness is fixed by Lasik is guaranteed to need reading glasses in middle age, something that might not be needed if they skip Lasik.

That's a big reason why Weiss, the glasses-wearing ophthalmologist, won't get Lasik even though she offers it to her patients. "I can read without my glasses and operate without my glasses, and I love that," she said. "The second aspect is I would not tolerate any risk for myself. Does that mean Lasik is good or not good? It means Lasik is good but not for everyone." LUIS M. ALVAREZASSOCIATED PRESS David Shell holds up photographs that he said depict his blurred vision since his 1998 Lasik surgery.

Tax rebates to start going out Monday REBATES ContinuedfromPageA15 at the gas pump, the grocery store, and also give our economy a boost to help us pull out of this econom-' ic slowdown," Bush said. Bush's emphasis on fuel and food prices differed from other comments he's made since signing the economic stimulus legislation, intended to aid the economy by boosting overall consumer spending which accounts for roughly two-thirds of the nation's economic activity. Bush has suggested the rebates could trigger a spending spree. By saying expressly that people By Michael Liedtke ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN FRANCISCO Microsoft Corp. is no closer to buying Yahoo Inc.

than when it made its $44.6 billion bid nearly three months ago, leaving the software maker in a quandary over whether the deal is still worth pursuing. A decision is expected to emerge in the next few days, with Yahoo facing a deadline today to accept the offer. Microsoft has indicated it probably won't reveal its next move until early next week. The tense mating dance is at a standstill because Yahoo's board has repeatedly said it won't sell to Microsoft for less than $45 billion, even though the bid hoisted its stock shortly after it hit a four-year low in late January. The impasse has left most analysts predicting Microsoft will either sweeten its offer or attempt to replace Yahoo's board with a slate of directors who will embrace a takeover.

But the architects of Microsoft's bid chief executive Steve Ballmer and chief financial officer Chris Liddell have been signaling their company might abandon thebid. The remarks of Ballmer and Liddell could be part of a negotiating ploy. But some analysts think Microsoft would be smart to walk away at least temporarily. By postponing its pursuit, Microsoft could position itself to return with another bid this summer in hopes of completing the acquisition without suffering through the disruption and rancor likely to erupt if it were to try to oust Yahoo's board. Such an ouster, known as a proxy contest, would be risky.

This long-term view could only succeed if Microsoft is correct in its belief that Yahoo is stuck in a prepares RENAME Continued from Page A15 spokesman for the T. It's also expensive. Pesaturo said the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is asking Tufts Medical Center to "partner with us" in footing the bill for all the changes. There isn't an estimate of the cost yet, he said. A similar station name change was needed about a year and a half ago, after the Institute of Contemporary Art moved from the Back Bay to the South Boston waterfront.

The Green Line station near the arts center had been called HynesICA. The process of eliminating "ICA" references took about a year, Pesaturo said. "This is a little more complicated," he said of the New England Medical Center stop. "For Hynes ICA, the name change was really more of a name reduction, and only involved eliminating or obscuring three letters. The Orange Line revision, however, entails substituting one name for another." While the stop "New England" reference may puzzle some commuters for awhile, Tufts Medical Center actually removed "New John Cremmen, senior vice president at Jones Lang LaSalle, said finding industrial users for the Bronstein Center will be a tough task.

"I'm one that preserves the industrial base as best I can in my daily efforts," he said. "But most of the industrial you see doesn't want to be on multiple floors." In an earlier time, the Menino administration itself argued that the building wasn't right for industrial use. In 1996, Menino proposed selling the entire Boston Marine Industrial Park. Linda Haar, the BRA's planning director at the time, said the string of buildings, including the Bronstein Center, should be sold and the area no longer considered part of a marine district because the buildings were unsuitable for maritime operations and contained little of those uses, anyway. Menino backed off when South Boston politicians and their constituents complained he wasn't Lasik is marketed as a quick and painless operation: Doctors cut a flap in the cornea the eye's clear covering aim a laser underneath it and zap to reshape the cornea for sharper sight The FDA agrees with eye sur- "Unless the administration gets OPEC to increase oil supply, American consumers are going to be in for a scorching summer of $4 gasoline with no relief in sight," Schumer said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, agreed that people "need this rebate to cope with the rising cost of gas and groceries." She said that, while the rebates would help to get the economy moving, there was a need for a second stimulus package "and we have begun some conversation with the administration and Republicans." As he did earlier in the week, to win regulatory approval before President Bush leaves office rather than risk delays that could take place under a new president. Continental is getting ready to provide details of any possible deal, at least if its website is any indication. The airline, based in Houston, has posted a link on its home page to a new part of its site that looks as if it can be transformed into a merger information page, as soon as a deal occurs. A spokesman declined to com- nwa tUf tpll rpnts tn finish yesterday at $26.80, pulled down by the declining value of Microsoft's cash-and-stock bid. Driven by Wall Street's disappointment with the company's short-term outlook, shares of Microsoft, based in Redmond, Wash, dropped $1.97 to $29.83.

The decline lowered the value of the Yahoo bid to $42.7 billion. If Yahoo's stock were to plum met into the mid-teens, Microsoft conceivaDiy couia return wren another offer that would probably be more warmly received. "Yahoo management would be under inordinate pressure to accept at that point," said Dinosaur Securities analyst David Garrity. Other analysts remain convinced Microsoft will either raise its bid or launch a proxy contest because it needs Yahoo's franchise to mount a more serious challenge to Google Inc. in the Internet's search-and-advertising market.

"We still believe Microsoft is committed to completing the transaction," Citigroup analyst Brent Thill wrote yesterday. As it stands now, Yahoo's first-quarter revenue growth of 9 percent is far behind both Google's and Microsoft's online services di visions, which climbed 42 percent and 40 percent, respectively. That's just one reason Garrity said he believes Ballmer and Liddell are realizing Microsoft doesn't need Yahoo at any price. "Sometimes the best deals are the ones that aren't done," he said. to do some England" from its name in an efji fort to eliminate confusion.

It has strengthened its ties to Tufts Uni versity School of Medicine, and wants to put more emphasis on the relationship. It is spending an undisclosed amount of money on signs to identify and tie together the medical center, Floating Hospital for Children, Tufts University School of Medicine, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, and the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. "We look forward to partnering with the MBTA on updating the name of the Orange Line station," said Brooke Tyson Hynes, a spokeswoman for Tufts Medical-Center.

About 1,800 medical center employees buy MBTA transit passes each month through the hospital. An ICA spokeswoman said the museum did not pay for any sign changes on the when it left the Back Bay. Jeffrey Krasner can be reached at krasnergbbe.com. protecting their blue-collar jobs. Menino has promoted his Back Streets policy, protecting and encouraging blue-collar jobs, in several neighborhoods.

Cargo Ventures' proposal, which appears to be on hold, included a cruise terminal with modern customs, baggage-handling, and security amenities like shops and restaurants. It would be a new front door for visitors arriving by ship, who now are greeted by rundown warehouse space. Cargo Ventures also proposed to rent out the rehabilitated Bronstein Center space to biotech and life-sciences companies, among others, which city officials initially seemed enthusiastic about. Palmieri pledged officials would entertain a compromise on uses for the Bronstein Center. Port officials declined to comment.

Thomas C. Palmer Jr. can be reached at tpalmerglobe.com. i United, Continental moving closer to merger deal geons' studies that only about 5 percent of patients are dissatisfied with Lasik. What's not clear is exactly how many of those suffer lasting severe problems and how many just didn't get quite as clear vision as they had expected.

Bush used the word "slowdown" to describe the state of the economy. He has denied that the nation is in a recession, although many economists say it is. "It's obvious our economy is in a slowdown. But, fortunately, we recognized the signs early and took action," Bush said. The rebates up to $600 for an individual, $1,200 for a couple, and an additional $300 for each dependent child are the centerpiece of the government's $168 billion stimulus package, enacted in February.

Roughly 130 million households are expected to get them. ment further. A United spokeswoman said the company did not comment on "rumors or speculation." The link, co-industry consolidation.com, is next to a line, "Latest News and Offers." Continental's consolidation page features only a few links one to news releases, another to a "Frequently Asked Questions" page that talks about what the Delta-Northwest merger might mean to Continental, and a third guiding visitors to webcasts. about 1,000 cars in the cruise terminal building, which is next to the Reserved Channel. A garage would make the office space more desirable, but, "We're not quite sure that's a place parking should be located," Palmieri said.

State Senator Jack Hart, a South Boston Democrat, said he is optimistic a compromise can be reached, perhaps allowing a mix of office and industrial uses in the Bronstein Center. Hart said he has spoken with Menino. "The mayor suggested and I would suggest that he's going to bring the BRA, Massport, and interested parties together and hopefully work something out," Hart said. Vivien Li, executive director of the Boston Harbor Association, had a similar hope. "The mayor has been quite successful in broadening the definition of industrial," she said, citing banking and food operations that have taken space in the industrial park.

"You're not manufacturing widgets anymore." By Micheline Maynard NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE United Airlines and Continental Airlines are getting closer to a merger agreement and would like to wrap up a deal by the end of next week, people with direct knowledge of the discussions said yesterday. The negotiations, which have been underway for months, accelerated after Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines disclosed a $3 billion deal on April 14 that would create the nation's biggest air car- could use these checks to pay for such necessities as food and gas, Bush underscored the deepening challenges facing the economy. Democrats were quick to pick up on the change of focus. "It's galling to think that taxpayers' stimulus checks will be lining the pockets of OPEC. The sad truth is that the average American family will spend almost their entire stimulus check on higher gas prices this year," said Senator Charles Schumer, Democrat of New York, chairman of the Joint Economic Committee of Congress.

OPEC is the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. rier. The talks between United and Continental are in an advanced stage but are not yet complete, the people who had been briefed on them said. They requested anonymity because the talks were private. The two airlines would like to be finished by Thursday, these people added, although the negotiations could easily run into delays.

As with Delta and Northwest, United and Continental would like nal, tourism executives say, would limit the growth in port traffic and the economic benefits to the city. Specifically, the city objects to Cargo Venture's plan to turn the Bronstein Center into office space. "Our obligation for the city is to maintain the maritime-related principal uses that ought to exist there," said John Palmieri, the BRAS director. "Industrial and obviously blue-collar jobs." The Bronstein Center makes up half of a hulking former Army building that also houses the Design Center, a wholesale home furnishings mart. And the Bronstein Center itself is half vacant.

Cargo Ventures would not comment, but others say the seven-story space is unsuitable for industrial users, who prefer ground-level space. "Low ceiling, no parking, columns, elevators that's not an industrial footprint," said John Winston, whose partnership sold the building to Cargo Ventures in 2007 for $36 million. "Our argu Cruise terminal plan runs aground; city opposes new offices ment was there weren't blue-collar jobs to protect, and don't insist on a use for which there is no demand." Jacob Citrin, chief executive of New York-based Cargo Ventures, which developed and operates other industrial facilities in Boston, proposed converting Bronstein into office space. The rental proceeds from the renovated space $30 or more a square foot would be used to fund the new cruise terminal. A bill that would allow the Cargo Ventures plan to convert space to office use in a designated industrial port area has been introduced in the Legislature but is stalled until the parties can agree on details.

City officials worry that office space could take over the area, once it's allowed. So, Palmieri said, the BRA has made it clear to Cargo Ventures and Massport that "We didn't want to find ourselves on a slippery slope." Nor do city officials like Cargo Ventures' plan for parking for CRUISE TERMINAL Continued from PageAlS Falcon Cruise Terminal and the Bronstein Center warehouse space, which is in the same blocks-long buildingasthe Boston Design Center. At the time, officials at the Massachusetts Port Authority, which owns Black Falcon, were enthusiastic about getting a new $75 million terminal that would receive cruise ship passengers. Mayor Thomas M. Menino himself was enthusiastic in November, saying, "The combined re-vitalization of the Bronstein Center and Black Falcon cruise terminal will give Boston the best passenger port of entry on the East Coast." But now differences between Boston Redevelopment Authority officials and the developer have delayed work so much that the project, can't be completed by fall 2009, the beginning of that cruise season if it ever gets done.

Failing to improve the termi-.