Bad Laser Eye Surgery Experience

Loongb3

Looking for some advice, I don't know how to go about this, or who to complain to about my laser eye surgery experience. I had done lots of research on this clinic and surgeon and found positive reviews, but not one bad one. On the day of my consultation, there was a man there who had had his surgery here 5 years ago and everything was great. He was back in with his wife who had been to 2 other clinics earlier this day, but decided to go with this one. I was feeling very confident in booking my lasik with this clinic/surgeon.

On the day of my surgery, I was waiting almost 2 hours after my appointment time to be seen to. During the procedure, the suction wouldn’t take to one of my eyes, so he performed lasek/surface treatment which is a more painful procedure and takes longer to heal. I had later asked why this wasn’t foreseen in my pre-op exam to be told that sometimes these things just happen, in about 1 in 1,000 cases and cannot be foreseen. During this procedure I had to have a temporary lens put in place, which gets removed two days later.

I was told I would be given a prescription before I left for painkillers, and given all my drops. I was also told I would be contacted the following day to see how I am healing and to arrange an appointment time for the Sunday to have my lens removed and have my post op exam. Upon returning home we discovered I wasn’t given a prescription, and found out two days later that it had been e-mailed to me after I left, however I was never made aware of this, and couldn’t see for two days anyway, so this was useless to me. When I asked about this at a later time I was told that patients don’t really need the painkillers and I was better off to not take them (if this is the case, then why prescribe them?).

The following day, I was never contacted. On Sunday by 12:30pm I still hadn’t heard anything so I sent my surgeon a tx, but had no reply so I phoned him at 1pm. He told me he was stuck down the country, and should be able to make it back to the clinic by 5pm, however would call me back in 1 hour with an exact time. I didn’t hear from him again until 8:30pm that night when he tx me to say he was in the city centre and could meet me to take out the lens, it would only take 2 secs. I phoned him and he said ‘I got back to the city centre and had some dinner with friends, I can’t see you in the clinic because it is all locked up, but I can see you somewhere low key, like a hotel bathroom’. I kid you not!!!! I said no thanks, I will go into the clinic to see you tomorrow instead.

I went in and he removed the lens and did the post op exam. I addressed all my concerns and issues, he was making excuse after excuse until he couldn’t anymore, and apologised and said it was unprofessional and he would do his best to look after me going forward. A few days passed, and I was still very upset, so I sent him an e-mail stating all my concerns again, and said I want it logged as an official complaint. He wrote back to say he would discuss everything at my next appointment.

At my next appointment, he didn’t address any of my concerns, and to be honest I just wanted to be in and out as fast as possible because I feel so uncomfortable and anxious having to deal with him now. He just said as I was walking out the door ‘thanks for being so nice about everything’. The clinic is his clinic and he is the only surgeon there, so I can’t even ask to have the remainder of my aftercare with someone else. It has been 3 weeks now, and the vision in one of my eyes still isn’t great at all, I am afraid that I will need further treatment.

Does anyone know if there is anything I should or could do here? Am I over reacting? Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks

NIMAN

Bottom line, can you see properly now, and are you in pain?

The rest of it just sounds like bad customer service, which you can get, but if your operation was a success, you can surely forget about that?

mcgiggles

Having had lasek (prk) myself, the surgery itself should not have been painful, your eyes should have been completely numb. The healing process is longer alright and extremely uncomfortable while the cells grow over the cornea, but numbing drops should have been given. (also I would have thought the lens should be on longer than 2 days to protect the new layer of cells until it settles properly? With my company it stays on for 5) The healing time is definitely a lot longer, it wasn't till my 3 month check up that my eyes hit 20:20.. So give it a bit more time to settle.. No harm looking into what could be done about it until that time passes. Does your contract have anything about guarantees?

Loongb3

NIMAN wrote: »

Bottom line, can you see properly now, and are you in pain?

The rest of it just sounds like bad customer service, which you can get, but if your operation was a success, you can surely forget about that?

Through one eye I can see clearly, the other is still healing I think. I can still see better through this eye with my glasses, but have been told this is normal and will improve. I'm just worried that I will need further surgery with this guy, but I guess only time will tell. Thanks

mcgiggles

This is it, it may take time to settle. How long has it been since you got it done? Sorry you went through all that, you were probably feeling vulnerable as anything right after surgery anyways without dealing with this stuff!

punisher5112

Contact them again.

Email and have a paper trail.

If you are worried voice your concerns and if you feel something isn't right I would suggest seeing another eye doctor or if it really bad go to the eye and ear hospital.

Keep at him and rest them as you will have been told to do so.

Loongb3

Having had lasek (prk) myself, the surgery itself should not have been painful, your eyes should have been completely numb. The healing process is longer alright and extremely uncomfortable while the cells grow over the cornea, but numbing drops should have been given. (also I would have thought the lens should be on longer than 2 days to protect the new layer of cells until it settles properly? With my company it stays on for 5) The healing time is definitely a lot longer, it wasn't till my 3 month check up that my eyes hit 20:20.. So give it a bit more time to settle.. No harm looking into what could be done about it until that time passes. Does your contract have anything about guarantees?[/quote]

The procedure itself wasn't painful, it was afterwards my eyes were quite badly swollen and I couldn't opens them without floods of tears for about 2 days, like the feeling of strong chemicals getting into your eyes. I'm glad to hear the healing process does take time, I was told my vision should be 95% by week 2, but I'm not close to that yet and it has been about 3.5 weeks. I think I'll go to an optometrist just to check everything is OK.

Honestly my biggest concern was when he said he would meet me in a hotel bathroom on a Sunday night to pop out my lens instead of doing a proper post op exam in the clinic, I just lost all confidence in him, and it made me worry about everything else.

I would be given further surgery if needed, I just really don't want to deal with him any more I have to, but I guess I shouldn't be worrying about that if it might not even happen. Thanks so much for your reply.