Instead of Care She Brought Me Harm

My experience with Dr. Sana Ali and the SightMD ophthalmology and surgical coordination team was not only deeply disappointing, it was professionally and ethically unacceptable. What should have been a straightforward, medically necessary procedure turned into a maze of miscommunication, deflection, and emotional harm that I am still processing.

The dysfunction began long before I arrived at the surgical center. From the earliest stages of preparation, SightMD’s administrative support was riddled with misinformation, last-minute changes, and an appalling lack of accountability. Despite multiple conversations with the surgical coordinator over the course of several months, I was never informed that I would need someone to accompany me to the surgery. No one ever mentioned this requirement. Then, just one day before the scheduled procedure, I was told by the front desk staff at the surgical center, abruptly and without compassion, that I would not be permitted to proceed without an escort.

I was stunned. I had taken every step they asked of me. I had followed up diligently. I had asked for confirmation multiple times. Now, with less than 24 hours to spare, I was forced to scramble and find someone to leave work in the middle of the day on no notice. When I confronted the surgical coordinator about this communication failure, she lied. She claimed she had told me in advance, which was categorically false. Rather than accept responsibility or offer a solution, she chose to protect herself by misrepresenting the facts.

Unfortunately, the breakdown in communication was not the worst part of my experience.

When I arrived at the surgical center, I was calm and prepared. My surgical clearance had been approved. My cardiologist and I had spent months crafting a thoughtful and personalized care plan to address my elevated heart rate through supervised exercise and secondary consultation. I explained this plan clearly to the anesthesiology team. I made every effort to advocate for myself.

Dr. Sana Ali stood silently through all of it.

As the anesthesiologists began to question and undermine the decisions made by my cardiologist, Dr. Ali did not intervene. As they falsely accused me of refusing care and claimed that my own physician had reported me as non-compliant, she said nothing. As my voice was dismissed, my words twisted, and my integrity called into question, she allowed it to happen without a single word of advocacy.

At no point did she step in to clarify that I had been cleared for surgery. At no point did she advocate for her patient. She simply allowed the false narrative to continue.

I tried over and over to explain that I was not refusing care. I explained that my physician and I had made a mutual decision to explore non-pharmaceutical options first and that I had followed every medical recommendation given to me. Still, I was disregarded. The stress of the encounter became so overwhelming that my heart rate did, in fact, begin to spike, which they then used as justification to cancel my surgery.

The only reason I received care at all was because my cardiologist intervened directly by phone in real time. He advocated for me when no one else in the building would. That should never be necessary. Patients should not be forced to fight for their right to be seen and heard, especially not in the presence of the surgeon they trusted with their health.

After the cardiologist’s call, no apology was offered. No accountability. No acknowledgment of the trauma I had just endured. Dr. Ali proceeded with the surgery as if none of it had happened.

SightMD failed me on every level, clinically, administratively, and interpersonally. The lack of preparation, the blatant dishonesty, the absence of patient-centered care, and the silence in the face of mistreatment were all unacceptable. I left that building physically treated but emotionally gutted.

This was not just a communication issue. It was a systemic failure of empathy, ethics, and responsibility. And it is one I will not forget.