This is not an advertisement for any of the following persons or organizations:

Doctor Michael Gordon
Doctor Thomas Tooma
Doctor Roger Steinert
Doctor Robert Maloney
Doctor Jeffrey Machat
TLC
Technolas
Bausch & Lomb
Tomey
Fortune Technologies
The Summit Division of Alcon, manufacturer of the LADAR Vision ophthalmic laser.

Microbial Keratitis after LASIK - and they say "LASIK is Safe".

"VIP" LASIK Surgeons

<== Doctor Michael Gordon ==>

In my own pre-op consultations with Doctor Michael Gordon, I said something along the lines of, "What's the downside of this here LASIK ?"  Doctor Gordon said, "Well, I've had laser surgery, and I use a few eyedrops now and then."

This was in 1998.

What would you do if you went to a dentist and asked a question about a root canal - and he told you about his experience with getting a crown put in - but led you to believe that he was answering your question about the root canal ?  You might think that that dentist is dishonest.

That is exactly how I feel about Doctor Gordon.  In my opinion, Doctor Gordon lied to close the sale.

You see, I subsequently discovered, via statements made on his website, that Doctor Gordon claims to have had PRK, not LASIK.  In PRK, Photo-Refractive Keractectomy, no "flap" is cut -- it is "non-incisional".  However, Doctor Gordon did not explain this, when I asked him a straight question about the down-side of LASIK.  His answer led me directly to believe that he had had LASIK.

But the story doesn't stop there.
 

<== Year 2000 ABC 20/20 TV Show about LASIK ==>

Before the information about Doctor Gordon's alleged PRK was removed from his website, in my opinion and according to my best memory, he made published claims to have "exchanged" PRK surgeries with Harvard-affiliated Doctor Roger Steinert in Boston.

In the year 2000, ABC, on a show named "20/20", Doctor Roger Steinert was one of the primary interviewees on a television show ENTIRELY about LASIK.  At this time, it was mentioned that Doctor Roger Steinert had exchanged laser eye surgeries with another laser eye surgeon, performing the surgery on each other a few days apart.  From beginning to end, the TV show is about LASIK.  The viewer is left with the clear impression that Doctor Roger Steinert himself has had LASIK.

Yet,  in my opinion and according to my best memory, Doctor Michael Gordon, on his own website, had made published claims to have "exchanged" PRK surgeries with Harvard-affiliated Doctor Roger Steinert in Boston.

Did Doctor Roger Steinert deliberately deceive the general public in a show about LASIK, by implying that he himself has had LASIK, on a national television show ?

Time will tell.  It is possible, that, in his own affirmative statements about his own PRK surgery, Doctor Gordon lied.  It is possible that Doctor Roger Steinert has had LASIK, in contradiction to the statements made on Doctor Gordon's website.
 

<== Doctor Thomas Tooma ==>

While we're talking about VIP LASIK Surgeons, let's discuss Doctor Tooma.  Doctor Tooma has a patient on whom he performed LASIK in about February, 1999.  That patient has experienced chronic eye pain since that time - pain which becomes excruciating when that patient uses their eyes.  That patient has since been discovered to have large quantities of microscopic metal dust in their corneas.  Let us call this patient "Julie", since I have agreed to keep her true name confidential.

Months after Julie's surgery, another patient, whose initials are T.J., visited Doctor Tooma for a pre-op consultation.  T.J. stated affirmatively to me that Doctor Tooma told her he had no complications.  Although, at that time, Doctor Tooma had one patient with a quite catastrophic complication.  In my opinion, Doctor Tooma lied when he told T.J. that he "had no complications."

Unfortunately, the plot thickens.  The patient with the metal dust embedded in their cornea, and the constant eye-pain, participated in a clinical trial when they had their LASIK.  That clinical trial was conducted in conjunction with a local university.  When we called that university to request a copy of the record of that patient's participation in that clinical trial, we were told that there was NO RECORD of that patient's participation in that clinical trial.

In my opinion, Doctor Tooma deliberately removed the record of that patient's negative outcome from the clinical trial.

Subsequently, given that that patient's surgery was performed using a Technolas 116 and that Technolas is owned by Bausch & Lomb, I perused the Bausch literature.  Lo and behold, there's a photo of Doctor Tooma himself in the Bausch & Lomb annual report.

Now, I'm a design engineer.  I know that equipment manufacturers loan expensive equipment to potential customers.

I'm also a human being.  And common sense tells me that you don't get your picture in an annual report by being loaned an expensive ophthalmic laser workstation, and using it to cripple a patient.  You can, however, get your picture in an annual report by borrowing the surgical workstation, and reporting back that "it works great."
 

<== Doctor Robert Maloney ==>

In 1999, about 5 months post-op, Julie went to see another famous doctor in Southern California, to get help with the constant eye-pain that onset at the time of her laser eye surgery.  That "doctor's" name is Robert Maloney.  At that time, Doctor Maloney said to Julie, "I can't help you", and he walked out of the exam room. 

In my opinion, Doctor Maloney lied.  In my opinion, what he meant was, "I won't help you".  In fact, he COULD have helped that patient.  He could have ordered a corneal confocal microscope exam.  That exam would have revealed metal dust embedded in the patient's cornea, which would have been much easier to remove a few months post-op. 

He says he's an expert in treating LASIK complications.  In my opinion, his expertise is more clearly in covering up the mistakes made by other LASIK surgeons, THEREBY RELEGATING A CERTAIN PATIENT TO A LIFETIME OF CHRONIC EYE PAIN WHICH BECOMES EXCRUCIATING WHEN THAT PATIENT USES THEIR EYES. 

When I met the patient, I became convinced that there HAD TO BE A REASON for their pain. 

Subsequent microscopy revealed metal dust embedded in that patient's cornea.  LOTS of metal dust.  Microscopic metal dust - dust that is not easily visible upon slit-lamp examination. 

I'm not a doctor -- I'm a design engineer.

Clearly, if a non-doctor can recommend an exam which yields valuable information about the condition of a patient injured by laser eye surgery, a real doctor can perform the same service.
 

<== Doctor Roger Steinert ==>

Unfortunately, it doesn't end there.  The patient with the constant eye pain and the metal dust went to see "Doctor" Steinert in Boston for help.  That's right, the patient flew across the country, to get help with LASIK complications.

At that time, Doctor Steinert had access to a Tomey Confoscan confocal microscope.  He examined that patient's corneas.  Although that patient was clearly looking for help -- a diagnosis, a medically advisable treatment -- in his annotation of that exam, Doctor Steinert did not annotate the presence of a large amount of microscopic metal debris whose presence could be contributing significantly to the patient's pain.  If Doctor Steinert did retain the computerized images that result from such
an exam, he is keeping his possession of them a secret.

Doctor Steinert then returned the confocal microscope to Fortune Technologies.  I subsequently spoke to "Dave McLellan", at Fortune Technologies.  He stated affirmatively that he specifically remembered the machine he had loaned to "Doctor" Steinert .  He also stated affirmatively that, when the machine was returned to him, all patient records were deleted.

That patient subsequently was examined by an experienced corneal specialist, with many years of experience using confocal microscopes to look at human corneas.  He told that patient that he saw a huge amount of microscopic metal debris embedded in their cornea.

So, what did Doctor Steinert see, when he examined that patient's corneas using the confocal microscope ?
 

<== Confidentiality of Patient Records, Possible Violation of ==>

The concern I have expressed about Doctor Steinert's treatment of this patient resulted in a letter which I received in the U.S. Mail on Monday, November 4, 2002.

The letter was initially mailed to a street address in Encinitas numbered "1840".  The post office forwarded it to an address in Michigan.

But I don't use the 1840 address -- I haven't used it for years.  To my best knowledge, only 3 people have that address for me -
1.  An old friend in San Francisco named Herb.
2.  A law firm conducting a dot-com securities fraud class action litigation.
3.  Doctor Michael Gordon, in his medical records for me.

I did conduct a thorough web-search for my own name at this time, and I did find no reference anywhere on the web where my name is tied to a street address in Encinitas numbered "1840".

Although I did not receive this letter until November 4, 2002, it was mailed on October 16, 2002.

Why October 16 ?  What else happened on October 16, 2002 ?

San Diego laser eye surgeon Doctor Glenn Kawesch conducted a lunch-time sales seminar at my place of employment.  I stood next to the seminar and handed out printed information about LASIK casualties.  My hand-out contained a printed copy of a previous revision of this web page.  I don't think Doctor Glenn Kawesch, or his salesperson, or, apparently, Doctor Roger Steinert, liked for me to do this.

I believe that what happened next is, Doctor Kawesch's salesperson went back to home base and told Doctor Kawesch about his interesting lunch-time hours.  In my opinion, Doctor Kawesch then faxed and phoned a few surgeons.  In my opinion, Doctor Roger Steinert communicated with Doctor Gordon that very afternoon.

You know, I thought there was a reasonable expectation of privacy when it comes to my medical records, including my mailing address, at Doctor Gordon's offices.  It is my perception and opinion that Doctor Michael Gordon violated that reasonable expectation and gave his buddy Doctor Roger Steinert my old street address in Encinitas numbered "1840", that afternoon, October 16, 2002.

Well, now you known -- significant eye pain is a known, frequently occurring side effect of laser eye surgery.

<== "Recent clinical studies show that everyone has microscopic debris" ==>

Doctor Robert Maloney made this statement to me in an email which I received on February 20, 2003.

As it turns out, Doctor Jeffrey Machat - the co-founder of TLC, and himself a "VIP" LASIK surgeon - has himself stated affirmatively in a conversation with a patient that metallic debris in the lamellar interface is a known side-effect of LASIK surgery.

So, too, did a corneal confocal microscope specialist who took the pictures showing the metallic debris, state that metallic debris in the lamellar interface is a known side-effect of LASIK surgery.

Unfortunately, this group of very experienced doctors, though I am certain they would decline the opportunity to have large quantities of metallic dust embedded in their own corneas, have, in my opinion, timidly declined to make any statements regarding the correlation between such debris, and eye-pain.  So, too, to my best knowledge at the time of this writing, have they declined to initiate any significant studies into the prevalence of such metallic debris among LASIK patients, and the correlation with post-operative eye pain.

In my opinion, this group of doctors, who seem to hold themselves and each other in such high esteem, seem intent on sweeping THIS problem under the rug.

In fact, they are now pushing "all-laser LASIK".  I wonder - are they pushing  "all-laser LASIK" because of suspected problems with the metal blade in the micro-keratome ?

You see, should it ever be made public that LASIK frequently leaves metal dust embedded in patient corneas -- even when the LASIK is performed by highly experienced refractive surgeons -- LASIK procedure volume will probably decline, and the doctors will make less of this ==>  $$$.
 

<== Roger Bratt, LASIK patient-with-complications ==>

I have a problem, with my eyes.  I have constant eye pain.  I want to have a corneal confocal exam myself.  I need to find out if I have lamellar interface debris, and, if so, how much, what is its composition, and what is its probable relation to the eye pain that I am experiencing.

What would you do, if you had constant eye pain, and all that the medical profession had to offer you was pain-killers, and the prospect of spending the next 40 years of your life listening to Books on Tape ?

As of May 24, 2003, I have been declined by two establishments the opportunity to have a corneal confocal exam.  During both consultations, I was polite and acted as a patient seeking help, not as a patient whose goal is to warn the general public about the dangers of laser eye surgery.

I do not use the term "VIP" LASIK surgeon lightly.  For sure, Doctor Gordon is one of the most experienced refractive surgeons in San Diego.  Doctor Tooma's staff states affirmatively that he has performed 30,000 LASIK procedures himself, without making it clear whether that includes enhancements.  Doctor Steinert himself is one of the most experienced refractive surgeons in the Boston area.  Doctor Machat is the author of one of the premier LASIK textbooks.  Doctor Maloney is one of the most experienced refractive surgeons in Los Angeles.

In other words, I have just described what I perceive to be the behavior, actions, and attitudes of some of the most prominent physicians in the LASIK industry.
 

<== "Is it Safe" -- to Trust these Laser Eye Surgeons ? ==> 

Lying to close the sale.

Lying on national television.

Deliberately falsifying the results of a clinical trial.

Turning your back on a patient that you can materially assist by ordering a diagnostic exam.

Not saving, or deleting, the records of a confocal microscope exam.

Giving out confidential patient information, illegally and without the patient's consent.

In my opinion, the 6 sentences above pertain to the actions of the following laser eye surgeons:

Doctor Michael Gordon
Doctor Thomas Tooma
Doctor Robert Maloney
Doctor Roger Steinert.

In my opinion, although the 4 doctors listed are among the most experienced laser eye surgeons in the United States, they have demonstrated clearly and beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they are not worthy of any patient's trust.  In my opinion.

In my opinion, when you can't trust the "best in the business", you can't trust the industry.

As I have found, trusting Doctor Michael Gordon with the health of my own eyes was a HUGE mistake.

In the immortal words of a non-ophthalmologist M.D. who has an 1/8" de-centered ablation that was created using one of the newest latest greatest lasers, a "LADARVision" ... "The standard of care in the refractive surgery industry is to functionally blind a fraction of their patients."