Boston Vision

4.9

4430 reviews

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Paul K. Via Yelp - Brookline

15 years ago

My Lasik experience actually began @ TLC where I went through the pre exam process last year. I was convinced I was going to go there for 2 reasons, they participate with my VSP insurance program and I would get to use my primary optician who is local to where I live. Then I discovered YELP. I thought it was worth comparing another group and Dr. Melki had some of the highest reviews. I did go through Qualsight to arrange the appt. I still don't understand the relationship because they take $600 just for setting up/referring you to Dr. Melki. Still don't understand why Boston Eye Group won't give a better rate if you go direct than going through a 3rd party. So I paid 3,600 and Boston Eye Group got 3,050. I did not take the lifetime guarantee. Knowing what I know now, I probably would but who has a crystal ball.After a little research on the financial situation at TLC, I got a little skeptical. My Dr. convinced me they were great and I would not have any issues. He gave me a $500 gift card which would bring the lifetime program in line with Boston Eye Group. Unfortunately TLC would not take the gift card as well as my VSP discount. Why would I go there and pay $500 more for a company that may not be around to guarantee anything. So I selected Boston Eye Group.The pre opt exam was long. You get shuttled from room to room like a rat in a maze. It was rare if anyone of the techs ever introduced themselves. It was not a personal experience at all but I figured they don't have time to chat and they want to move you along quickly because it is a very thorough and long exam. I was most impressed that Dr. Melki actually personally met with me (which you don't meet the doctor at TLC). He took me through the pros and cons of mono vision and promised that if I was not happy they would/could adjust it at anytime. He is very calming and reassuring.The day of the surgery, well I did not sleep much the night before. The wait is long and boring, it truly is 3 hours of doing not much other than sitting and worrying about nothing. I opted for the Valium which I recommend. The actual surgery was pain-less. The only part that was uncomfortable was the suction cup over the eye. The part that startles you is the sound (zap zap zap) of the laser and the smell. Be prepared for that part of it. They really don't give you much direction other than look into the light. With in 15 minutes your back in the waiting room for another 30 minutes until they check you and off you go. They recommend keeping your eyes closed for 4 hours which is easy to do. You'll want to take a nap. Then you wake up and you can see the clock that's 6-10 inches from your nose. A magical moment.The mono vision has not worked for me but everyone is different. I could noticeably see that my left eye was blurry and I could not see near as well with my right eye closed. I has had the halo effect. The right eye is perfect. So I did a touch up a week later on my left which was another 3 hour experience. On the 3 hours, it does not make sense to me that you sit and wait around for 2 hours before you start the process. I would think they could be more efficient but I guess they want to make sure you are there when they are ready. The other issue I had was since I was not going to take the Valium, I thought I would be able to drive home. That's not the case. Which added to the stress of being there 3 hours on a Friday afternoon. Dr. Melki in the end let me do so. He put a contact in my eye to protect it and away I went. Not a problem at all driving.It's still not perfect but a lot better, also less halos. We are going to give it some time to see if it improves. Dr. Melki reassured me that if it does not improve, we will do it again. While I believe there are some areas that could be improved about the process and the staff's soft-side skills, I would still choose Dr. Melki. Matter of fact, My wife will be having it done within a few months by Dr. Melki.I hope the detail helps with understanding what to expect from the process. Yelp certainly helped me with my decision and it's one I do not regret! PK

Hansen B. Via Yelp - Brookline

15 years ago

Over a month has passed since my surgery, and my vision is very good. The bleeding in the white portion of my right eye has dissipated, and I am very happy with the results of the surgery. If anyone at Boston Laser reads this review, I have a couple recommendations: 1. Let the patient know what's going on and what to expect if not everything goes smoothly. 2. Make sure the paperwork you provide is accurate and up to date. My understanding is that it's similar to a contract, and you don't want the terms to be wrong. 3. Make a channel of communication with a doctor more easily accessible between visits. This may help with new concerns and unanswered questions at meetings where the patients feel rushed. I know the doctor's cell phone number is provided, but most patients understand that he is very busy and don't want to interrupt.

Art S. Via Yelp - Brookline

15 years ago

Thought that I'd add my experience with Lasik at Boston Eye Group. First of all, most of the reviews on Yelp were extremely helpful and still accurate. Although, I would suggest ignoring those negative reviews where people didn't even have a procedure or evaluation.Pre-op evaluation: If you want to save money, definitely go through Qualsight. The total discount you get is typically better than the 10-15% most vision plans offer. Keep in mind that if you go with Qualsight, they ask for a $50 refundable deposit to make the appointment. If you decide against having the procedure after the evaluation, you'll need to call them within 72 hours to get your money back. However, if you schedule your procedure, they'll take another $500 and apply the total $550 to your surgery cost. The evaluation itself is extremely thorough and necessary to ensure that you are a good candidate. Be prepared to be shuttled from room to room in this sprawling practice. After all the tests (1.5 hours), I met with Dr. Fava. Depending on your situation, they'll let you know which procedures would work best. Both of my eyes were around -7D with astigmatism and he recommended that I have the custom wavefront LASIK procedure. Pre-op visit: A few days before surgery day, I was asked to meet with Dr. Melki for a final check. You can choose your surgeon, Dr. Melki or Dr. Fava. I chose Dr. Melki because of his extensive experience. But, I did find our meeting rushed and brief as others have described. Luckily, I had prepared several questions, which he readily answered to my satisfaction.Surgery day: I asked a friend to come along so that I could take advantage of the Valium. The pill didn't do much, probably because I have a fondness for "social" drinking. But, I wasn't particularly nervous either. The procedure itself was quick. The most uncomfortable part was the initial part where a suction device is placed on your eyeball to fix it prior to creating the corneal flap by Intralase. There's a lot of pressure for about 45 seconds per eye but no pain. The treatment portion is more tolerable. Afterwards, they placed eye shields on me and let me recover in the waiting room for 30 minutes. Then, they checked the corneal flaps and sent me on my way home. Recovery: After about an hour the numbing medication wore off and I started to feel some general eyeball pain and a mild burning sensation. I had red blotches on my sclera. My vision was noticeably improved and I rested for the remainder of the day. The next morning, I returned for a post-op check which didn't reveal any issues. My visual acuity tested 20/20. Overall (1 day after surgery): I'm very satisfied with the outcome and think that my vision will improve with time. The only visual side effects that I've noticed is a slight haze and small halos (glow) around bright lights at night. Neither of which is particularly bothersome.I hope that people find this useful and I'll write an update once I'm further out. Thanks for reading my review!

Bob G. Via Yelp - Brookline

15 years ago

I am a pilot and had my surgery almost two years ago after doing considerable research on this and chose to go with Dr. Melki. Of course, every step of the way, you are always told you will still need reading glasses after the surgery. I am in my mid-40's. I even had to sign a release form the day of the surgery to that effect. Of course they wait until the day of. I was very disappointed with my results at first because my distance vision in my right eye wasn't nearly as good as my left eye- it even had a slightly blurry ghost image. It didn't really affect my distance vision with both eyes open because my other eye was eagle sharp. It took me a long time to appreciate the tremendous value that that comes from having my right eye perfect for reading and computer work- AND I HAVE ONLY USED MY READING GLASSES FOR ABOUT 30 SEC IN ALMOST TWO YEARS. I COULD NOT BE HAPPIER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I see much better than I did before for distance than I did with contacts or glasses. They could have done a better job on the follow-up and better explained what was going on and why, especially with my right eye. This was not the plan and strategy discussed with the Dr. Melki's assistant Dr. before the surgery, so I really have no idea why it came out this way. All I can say is that based on my N of one, Dr. Melki is a genius and I highly recommend them. One of their assistants is so smokin' that to see her with light unadulterated by polycarbonate was worth the $1000s in and of itself. They offer two pills to calm you before the surgery. Consider taking just one. Its better to be a little hyped so that you focus well on the white light during the surgery. They could have also explained how to do that better before the surgery too.

Bill R. Via Yelp - Brookline

15 years ago

I am 3 weeks out from my LASEK procedure. I can see 98% now, only small type is a little difficult to read, light bursts at night remain and I am still slightly sensitive to bright lights. I went in hoping for LASIK because of the near instant recovery time, but because of some scaring on my eye I had to have LASEK. If you get this done, be aware that recovery is slow. It took most of the last 3 weeks to get where I am, the first two weeks, my vision was greatly reduced, making work almost impossible, they do tell you that this is a possibility, but I don't think I quite understood the ramifications. Dr. Melki was professional, reassuring and the procedure went really well, I was not uncomfortable, and the staff is attentive and courteous. Te process works like a well oiled machine, there are several waiting rooms each one set up to Sheppard you to the next test or specialist. The reason for the 4 stars instead of five is minor, the post-operative instructions were printed on red paper with a tiny font. I am single, and had no one to read the instructions to me and, I was not able to do it because of the procedure. I do recommend them if you are thinking of having this done!