“Thanks for doing PRKs on my right eye for many years. As I aged my refraction changed and you did a few PRKs to return my vision to 20/20. I had a Crystalens implanted in 2016 and had a hyperopic change and you did a PRK in January 2020. This regressed you repeated it on 11.24.20. After a week I am -.50 and should end up at 20/20. The contact lens with Acuvail resulted in no post op pain.
You were the one the proctored mm on my first PRK in in 1996. I also thank for all the help on complex LASIK and PRK cases and update me on new technique.
Thanks for being a great friend and sharing you knowledge or LASIK and PRK with me since 1982.”
“I was in the third grade when I first complained about my eyesight. I went to my Dad and told him that I couldn’t see the chalkboard at school. He quickly glanced at me, continued watching the Lakers game, and said “Sit in the front row. That’ll help”. Realizing I wasn’t going to go anywhere with him with the Lakers game on, I went and I told my Mom. In a couple of days she took me in to get my eyes checked. After my Dad checked my eyes, he looked at me, and with a laugh told me that I was ‘as blind as a bat’.
I continued to wear glasses all through high school and college. They were a nuisance most of the time, so I wouldn’t wear them. I preferred to walk around squinting at things. Then I started to hear about Dad performing corrective laser surgery. I kept asking him and asking him when he was going ‘to do my eyes’, but he kept giving different reasons as to why it wasn’t the right time-I was too young, my prescription was still changing, and most importantly there wasn’t enough information on LASIK for astigmatism yet. I waited, and eventually the good news came. Within a year after college, I was in his office for my pre-operative exam. He told me that he was only going to perform surgery on one eye, and then correct the other eye once he saw how successful the first eye was. The surgery was extremely successful. He waited about a month and a half before doing the second eye. And now a year later, my sight is better than I had ever imagined it would be.
Overall the surgery was easy. I trust my Dad explicitly not only because he is my father, but because he truly is an excellent, professional doctor. He made me feel comfortable during the entire process. He explained things simply and carefully. The staff at the hospital were considerate and had nothing but good things to say about my Dad. My side effects were very minimal. The only discomfort I felt was the day of the surgery, and a little bit of dryness a couple months afterwards (easily fixable with a few drops).
I would recommend my Dad because he is one of the best and one of the most honest people I know. He’ll shoot you straight all the time and take care of you.”
“Dr. Anderson and his staff are so patient and friendly. Dr. Anderson prescribed me glasses and I had the toughest time picking out frames. They didn’t rush, but instead made helpful suggestions and now I have an awesome pair of frames, not to mention the fact that I can see ten times better than before. You guys are the best!”
“We use Anderson Optometry for all of our family’s vision needs. Recently, we had to have our youngest fitted for new glasses and he made the experience fun for her and informative for us. We know Dr. Anderson will always take good care of our family’s eye care and that’s why we wouldn’t go to anywhere else.”
“When considering allowing someone to do anything on my eye… I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Salz.
Before I proceeded to choose the right surgeon to implant my Kamra Lens (that would give me reading vision back at 49 years old! the following information helped determine why I chose Dr. Salz.
I’ll start by telling you about this thing…
WHAT IS THIS THING YOU ASK?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today (April 2015) approved the KAMRA inlay, a device implanted in the cornea of one eye (the clear, front surface) to improve near vision in certain patients with presbyopia. It is the first implantable device for correction of near vision in patients who have not had cataract surgery.
HOW THE KAMRA INLAY WORKS:
The KAMRA inlay sits in the first few layers of the eye known as the cornea. Smaller and thinner than a contact lens, the inlay is a mini-ring with an opening – or pinhole – in the center. This pinhole allows only focused light to enter your eye. The KAMRA inlay is placed in only one of your eyes, allowing you to see up close, while maintaining your distance vision in both eyes. Your non-KAMRA eye is left untouched. Working together, the eyes allow you to see near to far. This is unlike monovision laser vision correction, which corrects one eye for near and one eye for distance and does not last over time.
BACK TO CHOOSING my surgeon…
You must know about their education, so I took a deep look at many surgeons and stumbled upon the RIGHT ONE! Dr. Salz, his education included Wesleyan University, Duke University and USC. Former Navy service and was board certified in 1971.
OK it gets better…
Dr. Salz began researching refractive techniques in 1979 and has been doing refractive surgeries since 1980. He was the principal surgeon at USC for the prospective evaluation of RRK in 1980. Dr. Salz was appointed principal investigator for 12 FDA studies of Laser Vision Correction for Visx, Alcon & NTK enterprises and was an investigator for 2 Phakic Lens implants for Staar Surgical and Alcon.
IN 1994 he was the recipient of the Society of Refractive Surgery Barraquer Award honoring his contribution to Refractive surgery.
Dr. Salz is a member of the Media Spokesperson Unit for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and has been interviewed about eye surgery on: The Today Show, CNN and numerous local TV stations. He is presently a clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Southern California and attending Ophthalmic Surgeon at Cedars Sinai in L.A. and is currently in private practice with Dr. Barry S. Seibel.
TOTAL SATISFACTION AND SO HAPPY NOT TO NEED READING GLASSES!
Currently its been about a month since I had my surgery (Kamra implant) done and WOW, WOW, WOW I am reading up close tiny print without glasses.
Its still recovering, so according to Dr. Salz another 1-3 months I will still be experiencing more healing and possibly a little more boost in reading small print. The funny thing is this implant has given my distance somewhat of a boost as well. It has taken a bit of recovery but it was explained to me and expected.
Dr. Salz has called me at home on the weekends and at night, which M.D. does this? He cares about me and my vision. Always checking on me and making sure I’m following his orders on care post surgery. LOVE THIS MAN!
IF you are TIRED of wearing glasses. I urge you to go see him for an evaluation and get rid of those “stinking” reading glasses in every room and that you keep losing!”
“I have been a patient of Dr. James J. Salz, M.D. for almost 15 years and have found him to be very skilled, very pleasant and highly knowledgeable. He’s also always been very fair when it comes to pricing, considering the high quality of treatment that he offers. He’s also very fair and subjective when discussing likely results from procedures being considered. I have had several Lasik and PRK surgeries with him over the years and most recently a few months ago had the Kamra inlay surgery. This just got approved by the FDA and Dr. Salz is one of the few people doing this new procedure in the USA. This procedure went smoothly and I am very happy with the results. As with other eye procedures, I thoroughly recommend Dr. Salz to anyone considering this new and exciting procedure.”
“Dear Dr Salz,
I want to thank you again as I have done repeatedly over the last almost 10 years. The LASIK surgery you performed in 2005 so skillfully and sensitively on my very farsighted eyes is nothing short of remarkable. I had been wearing “coke bottle” thick glasses for almost 50 years– since I was in 2nd grade. My vision was very farsighted with astigmatism– you had indicated that prior to my correction my vision was 20/400 at a +6.00 farsighted rating. I had to write to you after my recent eye exam to let you know what a life changing event for me the LASIK surgery has certainly been to still have you confirm that my uncorrected vision is still 20/20.”
“For the past 10 years my eyes had deteriorated to the point that I could not put my make-up on without contacts and a five times magnifying mirror. It became so time consuming that I stopped wearing make-up altogether. This affected my life in that I stopped buying nice clothes and going out socially. I never got used to wearing glasses, my contacts became unbearable after an hour. With my glasses on I could see objects that were near and far, not in between. To be able to see my grandchildren’s faces I had to squint through my bifocals.
On the second day after the procedure, I woke up and didn’t have to look for my glasses because when I opened my eyes I could see! For the first time in 10 years I could look up numbers in my address book and see the numbers clearly without glasses. Today I got to see my grandchildren’s faces without having to squint through bifocals. Thanks to Dr. Salz I saw the light! I am looking forward to a more functional life.”
“Ever since of hearing and reading about Vision correction, I was interested in pursuing this alternative for my refractive correction. However, being a dentist, I was not sure if LASIK or PRK were the right choices for my usual challenges, I was concerned about outcome of the laser surgery, the effect of contrast sensitivity and in general the quality of vision after surgery, and its effect on my daily practice as dental surgeon. However, spending few visits with Dr. Salz and consulting his expertise were enough to convince me to go ahead with LASIK. Dr. SaIz discussed with me all altematiws of vision correction, their risks, and their benefits. It made me very comfortable with my decision.
Dr. SaIz performed LASIK on both of my eyes a week apart, and I was able to return to my office and treat my patients 48 hours after my first eye surgery. The procedure was performed in a relax environment and his explanations of every step of the procedure made me very comfortable during the surgery.
I certainly would recommend vision correction to any qualified patient and further more will urge you to see Dr. Salz in your search to find an expert to perform your eye surgery.”
“I had my original LASIK surgery in March of 2000, and my complications were due to the disparity between my pupil size and ablation zone and also a high spherical aberration count. My pupils dilate between 7.0- 7 .5mm and my effective optical zone was approx. 6 mm, and this (along with the spherical aberration) caused me to have very bad night/low light vision. I had large starbursts off any light source at night time/low light (worse the darker it was), along with some ghosting and haloes. For example, if I would look at a street light from about 50 feet away with no other light sources, the starbursts (spikes) would extend almost to the ground.
Oncoming headlights from about 35-50 feet away would starburst and block out the car they were coming from and the roadway/area around the car for 10-15 feet. White letters on a dark background in even low light resulted in horrible ghosting, this was mostly noticed while watching movies/TV. I hated going out at night because all sources of light, including anything that light reflects off of caused starbursting.
Overall my visual acuity was greatly reduced by just being inside with artificial lighting. Being inside the office with those common ceiling lights we all know without many windows (with light coming in), would cause my acuity to drop off and people’s faces for example would start to blur at only 15-20 feet, and everything in general was fuzzy 10 feet away and further.
After my Wavefront “off-label” treatment I noticed a big improvement after one day (I had one eye done at a time). Not only was my acuity better than 20/20, my starbursts changed into a much less intense (and smaller) glow as opposed to large, dense starbursts. My visual acuity does not decline in low light night-time conditions (no more -fuzzy look inside and the haloes/, ghosting were 95% gone.
At the time I’m writing this my left eye is 55 days post-op and my right eye is 15 days out and I am seeing a solid 20/15. I still have some side-effects as far as light sources at night time, I see alight glow (which has improved over time with healing) pretty much off of everything. However, my problem with light sources in low light / nighttime are about 85% better, and that makes a whole world of difference. The easiest way to put it is, now the problems with lights at night is slightly annoying at worst. The treatment reduced my spherical aberration by half, and smoothed out my periphery, “expanding” my effective optical zone to better handle my larger pupils. I am very satisfied with the procedure, I see well again at night, and am confident in my vision once again. I would just like to thank the Surgical Eyes website, Dr Salz, and his staff because without any of them, I would not have a positive story to be writing about now (with a smile on my face).”
“Having Astigmatic Keratotomy (AK) was an incredible experience. I thought I would have to wear glasses constantly for the rest of my life. Without my glasses I was unable to watch the television or read a book, since astigmatism affects both far and near vision. Everything was blurry. I was very frustrated having to wear my glasses all of the time. When I found out that I was a good candidate for AK surgery I became very exited. For once in a very long time I would be able to be less dependent on my glasses.
The procedure was painless, I felt very little pressure on my eyes during the surgery. I experienced slight discomfort during the first two weeks and some sensitivity to bright lights. The results I noticed were unremarkable. I could read, drive and watch the television without my glasses.
I recently went to the DMV to renew my drivers license and passed the vision test without the aid of my glasses. It is a wonderful experience being able to see well. No more glasses or contact lenses. I thank God for looking over me and Dr. Salz for his expertise and knowledge on refractive surgery.”
“Dear Dr. Salz,
I have been meaning to write to you for the last month to thank you for the incredible gift of eyesight you gave me. I have just returned from a couple of trips…my perfect vision compelled me to see the beautiful places of the world (namely New York and Maui)! Let me tell you it was pretty wonderful to actually see fish when I snorkeled! And I even bought non-prescription sunglasses!
I can’t believe how different I feel without my glasses. So I want to take a moment to thank you, Donna and your wonderful staff for changing my outlook on life!
P.S. Give my love to you and your family.”
“After RK surgery eighteen years ago, I developed problems with my vision that the words “farsighted” and “astigmatism” don’t begin to describe. I did not see well near or far, and it was worse knowing that my condition was the result not of nature, but an elective surgery.
A couple of years ago, Dr. Salz told me that I could be helped by a new LASIK procedure. Partly because I had trouble accepting such good news, and partly because I had previously made a decision I’d come to regret bitterly, I sought other opinions from other eminent physicians. At some point I scheduled surgery with another doctor. My worst fears were fulfilled when he called me at the last minute to call of the surgery.
He told me LASIK was not an option for me because my vision was so problematic the likelihood of a good outcome was too low to justify the risks. Dr. Salz disagreed. He showed me specific examples of patients with my RK history and my numbers whom he had helped dramatically. Fearful, hopeful and skeptical– I went ahead with the surgery.
The results have been excellent, truly amazing. I do not have words to describe the gratitude I feel for the doctor who did not turn me away because my case was not an easy one. There are many well-credentialed, well-recommended doctors doing LASIK , but Dr. Salz is in a class by himself. To my mind, he towers above other physicians in character as well as skill.”
“I was in the third grade when I first complained about my eyesight. I went to my Dad and told him that I couldn’t see the chalkboard at school. He quickly glanced at me, continued watching the Lakers game, and said “Sit in the front row. That’ll help”. Realizing I wasn’t going to go anywhere with him with the Lakers game on, I went and I told my Mom. In a couple of days she took me in to get my eyes checked. After my Dad checked my eyes, he looked at me, and with a laugh told me that I was ‘as blind as a bat’.
I continued to wear glasses all through high school and college. They were a nuisance most of the time, so I wouldn’t wear them. I preferred to walk around squinting at things. Then I started to hear about Dad performing corrective laser surgery. I kept asking him and asking him when he was going ‘to do my eyes’, but he kept giving different reasons as to why it wasn’t the right time-I was too young, my prescription was still changing, and most importantly there wasn’t enough information on LASIK for astigmatism yet. I waited, and eventually the good news came. Within a year after college, I was in his office for my pre-operative exam. He told me that he was only going to perform surgery on one eye, and then correct the other eye once he saw how successful the first eye was. The surgery was extremely successful. He waited about a month and a half before doing the second eye. And now a year later, my sight is better than I had ever imagined it would be.
Overall the surgery was easy. I trust my Dad explicitly not only because he is my father, but because he truly is an excellent, professional doctor. He made me feel comfortable during the entire process. He explained things simply and carefully. The staff at the hospital were considerate and had nothing but good things to say about my Dad. My side effects were very minimal. The only discomfort I felt was the day of the surgery, and a little bit of dryness a couple months afterwards (easily fixable with a few drops).
I would recommend my Dad because he is one of the best and one of the most honest people I know. He’ll shoot you straight all the time and take care of you.”
“For over 33 years I was condemned to wear first glasses, then hard contact lenses, soft lenses, extended wear lenses and finally daily wear lenses. The aggravation of cleaning glasses or contacts became intolerable. When daily wear lenses became available I was very excited. Unfortunately, they too were an aggravation and a considerable expense. While having the ability to replace them daily, they still became a nuisance for me because of wearing make-up, not being able to sleep with them in, experiencing dry eyes and being able to see near or far, yet not in-between. As with all contact lenses, I was also always aware of the risk of eye infection while inserting them and taking them out.
Dr. James Salz, a personal friend, told both my husband and I about the new PRK laser surgery that he is doing at the American Eye Institute. We were very excited to say the least. Jim invited us in for some testing, explained the procedure in complete and uncomplicated detail, showed us a video on the procedure and assured us that we were excellent candidates for the surgery.
Having been in contacts for so many years, I was already in monovision. Jim made the decision to take my dominant eye (which had been used for reading) and make it my distance eye. My distance eye would become my reading eye. By reversing the way that I used my eyes, I did not require two surgeries.
In a manner of minutes I was glasses and contact “free”‘ Recovery was a breeze and now at the end of my third month I’m thrilled to be able to say that I can see in a distance, up close and most importantly in-between!
I can not say enough about the results of the surgery. Jim Salz will always be a friend, but for introducing me to the PRK surgery, he has also become a hero.
Thanks Jim!”
“Glasses, glasses, glasses! No more glasses after 45 years. I’m free at last of bifocals; reading glasses; driving glasses and sun glass clip-on’s, I’m free!
Dr. Jim Salz, our friend, explained to both my wife and I, the new PRK laser surgery being conducted at the American Eye Institute. My wife, being in contacts, required that only one of her eyes need treatment. I, of course, required both eyes—SO WE WENT FOR IT. We had all the pre-laser testing together, had surgery together, recovered together and we are free together. I was to wait almost 90 day’s to have the procedure repeated on my other eye. When surgery was completed and with three day’s of recovery -NO GLASSES. I can read, write and drive without strain. I can pass a drivers test with no glasses. I’m free!
It had gotten to the point, while wearing my bifocals, that I had a difficult and sometimes impossible time reading the menu at a dimly lit restaurant or even adding up the bill correctly. So one week after surgery we had dinner in a dimly lit restaurant. I can read and add up the bill with no glasses-I’m free! Our guests for dinner, Dr. and Mrs. Salz, laughed and took pictures.
Let it be known, miracles do happen. Dr. Salz and his associates are the best in the world in our book and I’m free for the first time in 45 years. If you have the opportunity to be free, explore PRK surgery and with the grace of God you can experience your freedom from glasses.
Thanks to all the doctors, scientists, engineers and nurses who have devoted so much time and effort into PRK treatments. Without them we could not be free.”
“At nineteen years old I was told during an eye exam that I needed to wear glasses. I remember sitting in the office trying on frames and feeling like a real geek saying to myself “Do I really need them?” When my glasses were ready to be picked up and I put them on for the very first time, to my surprise there was c whole new world out there. Being self conscious about wearing glasses (even though I could see much better with them) I would rather have gone without them. When I finally got my first pair of contacts, I thought, ” This is the greatest”. Then I realized how much trouble they really were. Everyday I had to carry eye drops and if I went somewhere over night I had to practically carry an extra bag just for all the solutions.
I enjoy water sports and contact lens and water sports do not go together. I remember several times water-skiing, without my contacts and not being able to see anything around me. That was pretty scary. I heard about TPRK, a next generation laser procedure in which Dr. Salz is doing the FDA trials.
I was hoping to be a candidate for this new laser technology. My prescription was -2.75 and I could barely make out the (E) at the top of the eye chart. I was so excited when I met the FDA protocol and qualified for the TPRK laser.
On the day of my procedure I was all nerves, but I could hardly wait to be free from contacts. Dr. Salz talked to me through the whole procedure and before I knew I it, it was over! I was amazed how well I could see only minutes after my surgery. There was very little discomfort and three days later I was seeing 20/50. Now 6 months lather, my vision is 20/25 without any correction. I am very happy I decided to have this procedure and recommend it highly to anyone. It has changed my life and it could change yours.”
“Hi Dr Salz, Mike Starr here. I just wanted to e-mail you and tell you how impressed I was with your honesty and obvious concern for your patient’s welfare. As you said, everyone does want to make money but it was very obvious to me that you put your patient’s satisfaction and welfare high on your list. I have been to another laser correction center and believe me it was a mill, it was so obvious the the only concern was getting you signed up. The fact that you told me to wait until later in the year to have my correction when you would be able to do a procedure that would give me much more satisfaction made me feel very confident that you are a very honest and concerned doctor not just surgery motivated. Your nurses and the other doctor were very nice, they also made me feel comfortable and it was obvious that they had great admiration for you because they said nice things about you. I will be looking forward to hearing from you so that I can have my correction done, you can bet on one thing, I won’t go anyplace else. Thanks so much.”
“As early as I can remember, I have always had a pair of glasses on my face to correct my near sightedness and hated all the “four eyes” jokes. In school I always tried to sit at the front of the class, simply because I had a difficult time seeing the board. As an available young woman I often went to parties without my glasses so I could look good, but the world out there was a blur, not even being able to tell what the men looked like until they came into my focal range! Contact lenses helped, but with my astigmatism and dry eyes, my blood shot eyes looked like I was on drugs. Born with a five diopter imbalance, I have never been able to use my eyes together and this monovision often gave me headaches. My “good” eye was my left with a -2.50 and my right eye nearly useless with a -7.50.
I heard about the new PRK laser surgery being done by Dr. James Salz at the American Eye Institute and decided to find out if this could help me. Dr. Salz carefully explained the procedure and also explained RK and which would be better for me and why. I choose the PRK for several reasons. State of the art technology, my eye wouldn’t be weakened or have scaring that happens with RK.
We decided be do my “bad eye” and take it from a very near sighted eye to a far sighted eye I could use. The surgery was over before I had a chance to worry. I was required to hold still for a mere thirty seconds and when the surgery was finished I couldn’t believe how well I could see! The FDA only allowed us to correct up to 7 diopters which wasn’t quite enough correction, but anything was better than the way I was.
My recovery went quickly and easily and today was my six month post PRK check-up, My right eye has gone from a 20/400 to a 20/30 eye which was a better result then we had dared to hope for. Now that the imbalance has been reduced my headaches have vanished and I don’t wear glasses any longer except to drive. I can not tell you how happy I am that I made the decision to have the laser surgery, regretting only that I hadn’t done it sooner. No more ugly glasses or uncomfortable contact lenses, soft and hard, that popped out or got dirt and make-up under them. I am free of putting them in and taking them out, cleaning them or crawling around looking for a “lost” one. Now I wake up and can see the clock, look out the window and watch the birds who greet me and know that I can see!!!
Good vision is not something we are all lucky enough to be born with, but with all the advances in corrective surgery it is possible to attain. Why not check it out and in a few short months you could be enjoying greatly improved vision.”
“You have seen it on television. You have read it in magazines. You have heard it on the radio and from your friends. Well, I am glad you are doing the research and not jumping the gun. Allow me to share my personal experience with you. I have always been very nearsighted. I didn’t like wearing thick glasses. Contact lenses irritated my allergic eyes. I started to look for other options.
As a future optometrist, I had the best resources for researching corrective surgery. I stayed undecided throughout the three and half years of optometry school due to unconvincing and insufficient data. Fortunately, one of my fourth year internships involved Dr. James Salz. I observed laser surgery consultations and corrective surgery procedures, helped work up pre-operative and post-operative exams. I was impressed with the results and patient’s satisfaction. Just from Dr. Salz’s credentials and achievements, I had much respect for his capabilities. But most of all, I appreciated Dr. Salz’s style and professionalism. For example, Dr. Salz believes in doing laser procedure on one eye at a time in the best interest of the patients. Dr. Salz fully discusses with patients about options, and the risks/benefits. The experience convinced me to go through the laser procedure solely with Dr. Salz.
Deciding to have laser procedure is an important decision to make. Having the right doctor makes it easier. Honestly, I had doubts about the procedure up to the day I was having it done. However, I reassured myself that if I am ever going to have it done, it would be now and with Dr. Salz. Dr. Salz also reassured me and guided me through the procedure. It was painless and fast.
Now, I have better than perfect vision. I am glad I made the decision to have laser surgery with Dr. Salz. I am a very satisfied and happy patient. Therefore, I highly recommend without reservation Dr. James Salz. Good Luck.”
“Dear Dr. Salz,
A whole New World. That is the way I describe the experience of having my eyesight without any need for correction. At first I was highly skeptical. My mother was actually the biggest proponent of corrective eye surgery. Perhaps she felt like it was her fault that my eyes didn’t get the stronger gene pool. She convinced me to see I if I was a candidate for-the surgery.
As you know, I was minus 10 in one eye and minus 11 in the other. My optician told me that I probably would not be able to receive corrective surgery in the United States, at my level. Usually eye doctors of any kind would say, “wow, you’re in the high prescription club”, or something to that effect. I couldn’t see the woman next to me in bed without corrective lenses. I wore contacts for 26 years and glasses for longer. Given that I’m only 36 years old, my eyes were bad from the beginning. I was known as the “the little professor” as a child because of the horn-rimmed glasses that became my signature style by default. The usual “coke bottle” comments were also prevalent.
Contacts worked for me in respect to the ability to correct, however, they were cumbersome. Every morning and every evening they had to go in and out. The solutions, the cleaning, the changing prescriptions, and glasses on top of it all. The disposable variation didn’t work well for my correction. The soft lenses did correct the vision but the hassles were unbelievable. I travel frequently and each time I would have to fly, out go the contacts because of the dry air in planes. If I forgot to remove them, I would usually risk scratching my cornea. The same risk applied to watching TV in the evening when I was a bit tired out. Scratching happened on more than a few occasions. I never could find a contact that was comfortable for sleeping or extended wear.
Last week, I went on the first camping trip to Yosemite since I was a young child. To experience the grandeur of “El Capitan” from the meadow below was truly unbelievable. Without vision correction was beyond belief. I was with several family members and they were amazed that with my naked eyes (after LASIK) I could see climbers at a 3000-foot elevation–from the
ground! They couldn’t see as well as I could. Also, the entire experience of seeing waterfalls and nature with my “natural eyes” for the first time had a special significance to me.
I am truly grateful to you and the fellow doctors and researchers that developed the laser surgery technology. It has improved my quality of life in countless ways. I now sleep safely knowing that when the next earthquake hits, I won’t need to fumble for my glasses to escape disaster. I know that I will be able to see when I awake in the morning. I know that I am just as good as everyone else. I have more self-confidence than ever before. I have my eyesight and I am enlightened.
Thank you for the operation and the opportunity.”
“Dear Dr. Salz,
A whole New World. That is the way I describe the experience of having my eyesight without any need for correction. At first I was highly skeptical. My mother was actually the biggest proponent of corrective eye surgery. Perhaps she felt like it was her fault that my eyes didn’t get the stronger gene pool. She convinced me to see I if I was a candidate for-the surgery.
As you know, I was minus 10 in one eye and minus 11 in the other. My optician told me that I probably would not be able to receive corrective surgery in the United States, at my level. Usually eye doctors of any kind would say, “wow, you’re in the high prescription club”, or something to that effect. I couldn’t see the woman next to me in bed without corrective lenses. I wore contacts for 26 years and glasses for longer. Given that I’m only 36 years old, my eyes were bad from the beginning. I was known as the “the little professor” as a child because of the horn-rimmed glasses that became my signature style by default. The usual “coke bottle” comments were also prevalent.
Contacts worked for me in respect to the ability to correct, however, they were cumbersome. Every morning and every evening they had to go in and out. The solutions, the cleaning, the changing prescriptions, and glasses on top of it all. The disposable variation didn’t work well for my correction. The soft lenses did correct the vision but the hassles were unbelievable. I travel frequently and each time I would have to fly, out go the contacts because of the dry air in planes. If I forgot to remove them, I would usually risk scratching my cornea. The same risk applied to watching TV in the evening when I was a bit tired out. Scratching happened on more than a few occasions. I never could find a contact that was comfortable for sleeping or extended wear.
Last week, I went on the first camping trip to Yosemite since I was a young child. To experience the grandeur of “El Capitan” from the meadow below was truly unbelievable. Without vision correction was beyond belief. I was with several family members and they were amazed that with my naked eyes (after LASIK) I could see climbers at a 3000-foot elevation–from the
ground! They couldn’t see as well as I could. Also, the entire experience of seeing waterfalls and nature with my “natural eyes” for the first time had a special significance to me.
I am truly grateful to you and the fellow doctors and researchers that developed the laser surgery technology. It has improved my quality of life in countless ways. I now sleep safely knowing that when the next earthquake hits, I won’t need to fumble for my glasses to escape disaster. I know that I will be able to see when I awake in the morning. I know that I am just as good as everyone else. I have more self-confidence than ever before. I have my eyesight and I am enlightened.
Thank you for the operation and the opportunity.”
“Hi, my name is Sandra D. Lavel, about fifteen years ago I realized that my eye sight was deteriorating rapidly. I found that my prescription for contact lenses and eyeglasses was getting stronger with each visit. It had gotten so I needed my glasses just to see what time it was when my alarm clock went off in the morning.
About two years ago I started hearing that they might have found a way of helping people with farsighted vision problems. I called a few eye doctors and again I was told it was not available and they knew nothing about it. Well this year in the month of July, a little voice said to me turn on channel seven and see what the weather forecast is for today, which I did and to my surprise they were speaking about my particular eye problem. I stoped getting dress and glued my eyes and ears to the television and listened very carefully to everything they had to say. When the program was over, I felt this was a message from God that finally I could get some help. I went to work and immediately called channel seven’s newsroom and asked them for any information regarding the doctor that did the procedure. The young lady there was very helpful but they had no knowledge in that department about what I was speaking about. In her last and final attempt to help me, we both said at the same time I will call UCLA. Well I wasn’t giving up. I had made up in my mind that if this procedure existed then I was going to find the doctor or a doctor that could help me.
I called UCLA, they sent me over to the Jules Stein Eye Institute Laser Refractive Center, where I met with Dr. Robert K. Maloney M.D., M.A. His staff took all the tests but my eyes were too bad for the strength of his laser. I was almost in tears when he looked at me and said, I have wonderful friend and colleague that has been approved by the FDA to do a study on a laser with your type of eye problem. He pulled out his little tape recorder and requested that a letter be sent to Dr. Salz to put me in the program. When I got the call from Dr Salz’s office, I was so excited I couldn’t wait for my test. Well I must have qualified for the program because I am sitting here writing this letter with perfect vision in my left eye, the eye I couldn’t see two inches in front of me without glasses.
The procedure is painless, I mean you feel no pain and when Dr. Salz finishes the procedure with the laser, you can see better than when you walked in. I had the procedure done July 28, 1997 it is mow November 02, 1997 and my vision is better than 20/20 and I can stand in Malibu on a clear night and see all the lights on Catalina Island with no problem. I had the procedure done on Monday and went back to work that Tuesday and had no pain or problems at all. I will be doing my other eye in January of 1998 and I can’t wait.”
This is Susan.
If you look at Susan’s pre-operative picture you will notice that the spherical refractive error (prescription) in the right eye is -9.50 and the left is -2.50. Such a great difference in the prescription will cause one eye to appear smaller than the other while wearing glasses, as you can see from the picture below left.
Pre-Operative
Post-Operative
After having PRK on the right eye, Susan is much happier and does not have a constant dependency on her glasses, as you can see from the picture above right. And can read nearly every letter on the eye chart from 20 feet away.
“Dear Family and Friends,
Today is Thursday, two days since I had the lens in my left eye replaced and five days until my right eye is fixed. The past two days have been a time of great emotion, incredible joy, catharsis, reflection and thanksgiving for me.
Prior to undergoing surgery, I had been given various scenarios, but what I really understood the best was that I would once again be able to pick up and read a book. That ability being of such importance to me, and its lack such a hole in my life, that I was eager to trade whatever was necessary to recover it. The correction being an actual internal measurement, and the ability prior to surgery to make only exterior refractive analyses, it is a bit of educated guesswork. But damn! They are incredible guessers preliminary readings yesterday at noon revealed a measurement of -.5, which gives me 20/20 vision in my left eye, which no longer has hardly any astigmatism. And THAT was my bad eye, of late little more than a hazy window to the world outside.
The night before the surgery, I walked down the steps at my friend Betty’s house and never saw the last step. Fortunately, my laptop survived unscathed! My knees, which made solid contact with the concrete, got a little bumped, but no big deal. Certainly nothing I haven’t experienced hundreds and hundreds of times, as the lack of depth perception and poor night vision have me well accustomed to finding walls and other objects with body parts. One learns to compensate with humor for the embarrassment that accompanies that constant kind of behavior, especially in childhood. I had long since stopped even giving any thought to that type of occurrence. So I have done much reflection, as my life has been turned around.
I have thought about the childhood I spent peering out from behind pink or blue glittered frames that had invariably slid down until they were perched precariously on the tip of my nose. Annoyed by the constant battle which gravity always won, I was usually too engrossed in whatever I was doing to bother even trying to make them stay. That changed for me when I got contact lenses at 14, and again at 16 the first time Stan did my eyes while he was going to USC. For the first time I felt comfortable enough to give honest answers, which I was aware seemed rather odd. For example, when asked to look at the dot, I asked (first time ever) which dot he meant. And when he asked, I told him how many it was that I saw. Thus I arrived at a new level of vision correction, although in the past few years, the level has sharply and steadily declined.
Today, my world is changed. I can see things I have never seen before. There is more light, more color, more texture and sharper focus than I have ever imagined when I look out of my left eye unaided. The discomfort has been minimal, certainly not worth mentioning in contrast to the benefits. I will no longer have to work so hard to align images that want to splay out right and left, up and down.
I love the technological advances that are the earmark of our age, and adore the fact that everything keeps getting better, more powerful, smaller and more affordable. I have infinite admiration for the creative and highly educated minds that improve the quality of our lives and help to make dreams reality. What a wonderful time this is to be alive.”
“Dear Family and Friends
It has been difficult for me to sit down and write about the second eye surgery. Overwhelmed and in a state of sensory overload, it has taken me longer than I expected to stop and gather my thoughts. Somehow major and minor events in my life have surfaced to be examined and re-examined in a different light. Significantly, the first corrective eye surgery I had, shortly before my sixth birthday, has played across my mind repeatedly, and it occurs to me that the psychological impact of these two events are somehow connected.
Prior to that surgery, my crossed eyes made itimmediately obvious that I had a problem with my eyes. Although at the time they liked to wait until age ten to operate, the teasing had gotten so intense by the time I started first grade that my parents decided they were unwilling to wait any longer. My brothers helped to prepare me for the surgery, explaining how the way to reach the eyes was to remove the top of the head. I remember the dream I had during surgery, where my the top of my skull was sawed off and then the doctors went to work with wrenches and screwdrivers to tighten up the loose nuts and bolts. I was sent home completely bandaged and imagined myself blind. My memories are actually incredibly vivid, almost palpable, in some ways. And I reflected on the meaning that experience had in my life, as I learned and examined much in the week between the surgeries. Repeatedly I heard from friends how unaware of the extent of my vision impairment they had been. Although I often felt like Mr. Magoo, I guess they hadn’t noticed the incredible resemblance. In retrospect I have had a stunning realization, that it is just those types of impairments, the ones that others are not immediately aware of, that should be talked about and explained to those who care about us. It isn’t a problem for those who have obvious problems, as people readily adapt to that which they can see. I can understand now that I simply spent years feeling embarrassed for clumsy behavior unnecessarily. Easy to say, now that I can see. I never understood how different things look with depth perception. Even just in the house things look different. I like the fact that I can see things coming now, and they don’t just suddenly “pop” into my field of view.
With all of that time to reflect, the second surgery loomed ahead of me in a far different way than the first one did. I had spent a week covering one eye and then the other, switching my view from my left (-corrected) eye to my right, with my prescription contact lens in. It felt as though I was wearing a Vaseline smeared sunglass over my right eye, the difference in clarity and light was so intense. I understood, more and more, how unimaginable this transformation was to be. That light dawning in my pea brain left no room for sleep. I became so excited that it was impossible to rest or even sit still. The night before the surgery, although I had made great efforts to retire early and get as much rest as I could, I could barely sustain sleep for three hours. Too enormous and too exciting a future was in store, and I was really finally comprehending all that it entailed.
The second surgery was more difficult for me to sit still through, for that reason. I tried my best to give my assistance, as much as possible, to Dr.Salz, but I think that my excitement was just a bit distracting. The poor nurse thought I was in pain, and made efforts to calm me and hold my hand. I was just happy, and trying to concentrate at the same time. I was hoping like mad that the results would be as good in my right eye as they were in my left.
What can I say? The world has changed. The colors are so bright that I feel like I exited a world or two color process printing and entered a Maxfield Parrish gallery. The contrasts are stark and amazing. My brain is having quite a time just keeping up with all the thoughts that bounce around like so many ping pong balls in the lotto machine. I am spilling over with thought, and for the most part find it difficult to do much else. My time is spent taking in the sights, and trying to digest the entirety of the change I have undergone.
Evening events will no longer keep me home, as I can now read street signs EVEN AT NIGHT. Driving home from Berkeley, the skyline of Oakland was so beautiful. I could tell where in space the buildings were, and the approximate location of the airplane flying overhead in relationship to them. I sit in the car and drive, listening to music, unable to speak, looking, thinking
Someone has unlocked the door and I am free now to go. In two or three weeks my eyes will have healed to the point that no one will even know that I am so bionic. Amazing world. Incredible vistas. Pinch me and make sure I’m not dreaming. Words don’t even come close.
I add these words, sent to me by a friend, penned by the poet and composer Rabindranath Tagore: The sunlight opens for me the world’s gate, love’s light its treasure.”
“I have been going to the eye doctor since I was 2 years old. I started wearing glasses at that age. I spent my childhood being teased and taunted by children because of my thick glasses. What did I care? I was a smart student, and the others were just being stupid. I never really knew just how ugly I was in my glasses.
When I was 14, my doctor urged me to wear soft contact lenses. Boy, did that change my life. Now I finally considered myself to be pretty. I didn’t have to be embarrassed by always wearing glasses anymore. To tell you the truth, I didn’t have any problems with contacts. Since I’m 28, that’s a total of 14 years I wore them. Luckily they never got itchy or dry in my eyes. I got used to the routine of cleaning them every night and putting them in as soon as I woke up (Lord knows, I never wanted anyone to see me in my glasses), but like anything, I dreamed of the day when I could be contact and glasses-free.
That day came last year. I contacted Dr. Salz after I saw his website. Miraculously, I fell upon one of the best eye surgeons in the whole country! And this was the first doctor I researched! I felt so lucky that here was a man who could fix all of my problems. My eyesight was so bad that the laser surgery wasn’t even an option. We discussed both the Clear Lens Extraction and the Implantable Contact Lens procedures. Since I’m still relatively young and still have the ability to focus, Dr. Salz recommended the ICL procedure. He would be planting a contact lens inside of my eye, in front of my natural lens. I was very excited about the procedure and kept calling and bugging his office, trying to schedule the surgery. I had to wait for a period of time because I was a part of a research study and there was a certain procedure that the lens company had to comply by.
I had my first eye, the left one, corrected in September. The surgery was pretty simple. But like any surgery, it was a bit scary. Thankfully it was over within 20 minutes. The only hard part was having to keep my eye open while staring at the most intense white light I’ve ever seen. By that afternoon, I was able to read with my left eye! I was so excited. And there was virtually no recovery necessary, just a few eye drops every day for about a month. I still have a bit of astigmatism in that eye, so at best my eyesight is 20/40, but you’re talking about someone whose eyesight was 20/400! I had my right eye done in December, and that’s even better, with 20/25 vision.
It’s so wonderful to be able to read in bed, not worrying about dragging myself to the bathroom for the nightly contact lens cleaning, or wearing heavy glasses in bed. I can’t wait to be able to spend the night in remote places, and not having to worry about cleaning my lenses, or having people spot me wearing glasses. My life has changed dramatically. I have better self-esteem now and I’m more confident about my appearance.
I must add that Dr. Salz, his office team, and the team at the Freedom Vision Surgery Center are some of the nicest and most caring people I’ve ever met. I always felt very comfortable in their hands.”
“As a certified ophthalmic technician and a person with nearsightedness, I had always been curious about refractive surgery to correct myopia. I love to
swim and play basketball, and my glasses and contacts got in the way of both activities. I was also getting eye infections from the contact lenses to the point it wasn’t even worth wearing them anymore. After working for three years with Dr. Salz in his Los Angeles office assisting him in Radial Keratotomy on literally hundreds of patients, I still wasn’t convinced.
Then in early 1991, Dr. Salz was asked to conduct an FDA study on laser surgery to correct nearsightedness. (PRK) Many people who were curious came into our office and had an examination to see if they were candidates. As the first patients started coming back from their surgery, I was amazed to see how well they were seeing, because before the surgery they couldn’t even see the big “E” on the eyechart! After watching and examining about 100 of these patients with Dr. Salz, I was totally convinced that this was the right thing for me to do. I signed up for the surgery and had my PRK performed on my left eye in June 1992.
Finally, the big day came. I was nervous, but trusted Dr. Salz because I knew he was an excellent doctor. The surgery only took about thirty seconds and involved absolutely no pain or discomfort. I went home with a bandage over my eye and some painkillers. The first day of the surgery and for about three days after that, my eye was very uncomfortable from the pain. However understand that they have made great strides in improving the post-operative pain from PRK since then. Dr. Salz checked my eyes every couple of days to make sure that I wasn’t developing an infection and that my vision was improving. After only a week I could see fairly well, even though it was a little blurry, and after two weeks I could read the eyechart well enough to pass a drivers test without glasses! I couldn’t believe it and neither could my friends. They thought I was crazy at first for having the surgery but when they saw the results they went to their own doctors to inquire about PRK.
Six months after having the surgery, I also had my right eye operated on with similar results. This time Dr. Salz used a bandage contact lens and some drops to help with the pain. My vision recovered even faster than the first surgery. In only two weeks I was a perfect 20/20! Soon after my eyes had healed I was swimming underwater and I could see everything for the first time in 20 years. The most exciting thing was being able to wake up in the morning and actually see where I was going when I got out of bed! It was truly an eye opening experience.
Today, over four years later, my vision is better than 20/20, it is actually 20/15 in both eyes! I have experienced no problems, blurry vision, pain, or regression. I am still amazed at what modern medicine can accomplish and how accurate the laser can be.
I have had other doctors look at my eyes since the surgery and they can’t even tell I had anything done! I knew that the surgery would be fairly successful but I had no idea that my vision would be perfect.
I owe my good vision to Dr. Salz and his excellent care and advice. He is the most honest, trustworthy, and caring doctor I have ever had. I can honestly say to have PRK and be treated by Dr. Salz is the best decision I have ever made.”
