Blinded patients: discount Lasik doctor shut down
KESQ news reports that the state of Nevada has issued a restraining order to stop Dr. Stella Chou and Vikas Jain of Lasik First from practicing lasik procedures. Lasik First advertised highly discounted Lasik surgery for patients in California.
According to the report, a doctor affiliated with Lasik First blinded 22 patients and the clinic misrepresented the medical qualifications of a staff member:
Executive Director of the Nevada Board of Medical Examiners Lewis Lang explained, "The person they tell you to call to set this stuff up is 'Dr. Ken,' who is Vikas Jain. And that's part of the misrepresentation case that, of course, he represents himself publicly to be a doctor. He's not licensed in California either. And he's not named Ken. He happens to use that identity to run his business."
On the Lasik First website-- other than saying surgery is never 100-percent safe--there is no mention of blindness caused by Lasik as a potential risk. The company states:
What are the side effects of LASIK? Temporary side effects include light sensitivity, dryness, and halos around lights at nighttime. Patients with large pupils may notice glare following surgery, but this usually disappears with time. Because no surgical treatment is 100% safe, we ask that you make sure to discuss all of the possible side effects and complications of LASIK with your surgeon.
Additionally, our team found on the Lasik First website what appears to be an attempt to spam Google and other search engines with pages filled with keywords associated with reduced cost Lasik:
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These pages link to phony sounding testimonials like: "They have the best lasik price and you get the best value of lasik. It is the cheapest lasik I have found. I wanted lasik done and I needed to find the best price for lasik. So, I did I have the cheapest price and best value for lasik. I am glad I found the cheapest lasik price with the best value. I can afford the lasik because it is the best price for lasik. If I didn't find the cheapest price for lasik then I wouldn't have been able to get it done."
Watch the video news story here:
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1 post
27 Dec 2008
if you are thinking about using this company, don't. I had the surgery, and now need 2 pairs of glasses, not one, night vision is gone, intense halo's, eyes are always dry, don't have near or farsight now. can't work at computer, daily headaches, eyes are always irritated. Even bought the "extended care" package but am afraid to go back, fearful I'll go blind if they touch my eyes again. It's been 8 months since surgery. eyes should have settled by now, but get worse each day. Want to go get glasses but vision keeps changing, so I have to wait until they stop changing. Do yourself a big favor, DO NOT get Lasik, not just from this provider but from anyone. You will lose far more than you think you may gain. When I got it done by Lasik First in April, there was very little online about them. Hopefully this helps somebody. It's not good.
unregistered guest
21 Mar 2009
Hi, I paid an extra $300 for their Lifetime Assurance Plan on 2/1/2008, for a total of $1300. My vision hasn't changed after surgery.Now, both their office phone numbers(888) 710-2010 and (310) 675-2020 are disconnected. Dr. Stella Chou should be criminally prosecuted for misrepresentation of her services at Lasik First and for charging $300 extra for a Life time Assurance plan,but with no recourse to her office for services.