CINCINNATI--Refractive surgery firm LCA-Vision (Nasdaq: LCAV) saw its revenues drop by nearly 23 percent and its laser procedure volume plunge by close to 38 percent in the second quarter of this year.

In Q2, the company’s revenues were $54.2 million, vs. $69.7 million in the same period in 2007. Procedure volume dropped from 48,668 in last year’s Q2 to 30,086 this year; same-store revenues were down 28 percent in the quarter.

LCA-Vision posted a net loss of $573,000 in Q2, compared to net income of $7.4 million in the comparable period in 2007.

In the first six months of this year, the company’s revenues fell to $133.7 million, down from $148.3 million in last year’s first half. Procedure volume for the six-month period was 74,245, vs. 107,769 in 2007’s first six months.

In 2008’s first half, LCA-Vision had net income of $6.3 million, down from $18.3 million in the first six months of last year.

Said Steven Straus, the company’s chief executive officer, “We are facing substantial business challenges as eroding consumer confidence continues to impact discretionary spending.” Straus said LCA-Vision has taken several revenue-generating initiatives, including a simplified market-specific pricing structure, effective July 1, featuring “local price points that reflect our value proposition and account for local market competition and other factors.” Added Straus, “Toward the end of the second quarter, we began to realize a slightly lower average price per procedure, which we believe will positively impact procedure volume.”