Patient Testimonial - Swan Chen

Find out what Dr. Chynn's patients have to say about their LASEK procedures.


 

Swan Chen I am one of those people who started wearing glasses and contact lenses by the time I was 13 years old. People with high myopia can sympathize with me because I could only see hand motion without contact lenses or glasses. I have been thinking about the procedure since 2001. Every time when I heard that a relative or friend had LASIK, I would research about the procedure. But I was a “scaredy cat” and afraid of getting my cornea cut. After years of struggling with contact lenses, I had the epi-LASEK procedure performed on my eyes by Dr. Emil Chynn on April 30, 2008. I finally took the plunge based on the thoroughness of Dr. Chynn’s evaluations after years of indecisiveness. I was very impressed by Dr. Chynn’s credentials. He is a Columbia and Harvard-trained physician who also elected to further his formal education with a one-year refractive surgery and corneal fellowship at Emory University, where he studied under Dr. George Warning MD, one of the world’s leading authorities on refractive surgery. Now, I can finally see the way I used to see as a young child. Having my vision permanently corrected has been one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself! From waking up in the morning and being able to se the clock, to driving, watching television, even putting on make-up! Being able to see clearly with out wearing glasses is truly amazing! Seeing is believing! Dr. Chynn – Thank you for making this incredible difference in my life!! You have my deepest gratitude. To anyone who is myopic and considering laser vision correction, I would highly recommend Park Avenue Laser Vision. At Park Avenue Laser Vision, you are always assured of the best equipment, the highest standards of quality control and excellent physicians, which optimizes your chances for an excellent result .

 

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Before and After

Here are some before and after shots of past patients who Dr. Chynn has perfomed LASEK on.
You can even see Personal Testimonials and read frequently asked questions.

 

"I wake up every morning completely and utterly amazed at how perfectly I see.  Thank you."
 
Before After
Date of Surgery: 6/19/03 Type of Surgery: LASIK
Original RX: -1.50-1.25x92 Category: Myopia
Visual Acuity: 20/200 Visual Acuity: 20/20

 

 

"There is no need for anyone to wear glasses or contacts.  LASIK is the best.  I can watch TV in bed without glasses digging into my head!"
 
Before After
Date of Surgery: 3/03/04 L, 4/15/04 R Type of Surgery: LASIK
Original RX: -4.00-0.50x165 R, -3.00-1.75x5 L Category: Myopia & Astigmatism
Visual Acuity: Hand Motion Visual Acuity: 20/13*
Super Vision - (Better than 20/20 for perfect vision)

 

 

"I am very happy with my laser vision correction.  It has been two years now, and I am still seeing 20/20!  Thank you!"
 
Before After
Date of Surgery: 11/26/03 Type of Surgery: LASIK
Original RX: -3.00-0.75x20 Category: Myopia & Astigmatism
Visual Acuity: 20/400 Visual Acuity: 20/20

 

 

"First of all, the staff is great.  They make you feel less nervous. Definitely listen to Dr. Chynn's orders when following directions on usage of eye drops.  I can't say how much I am thankful for getting my vision restored.  We take sooo many things for granted.  I can finally see my alarm clock and my train-stops for the first time without having to depend on contacts or glasses.  Thank you Dr. Chynn!!!  God Bless."
 
Before After
Date of Surgery: 7/22/04 Type of Surgery: LASIK
Original RX: -4.25-1.00x170 Category: Myopia & Astigmatism
Visual Acuity: 20/400 Visual Acuity: 20/13*
Super Vision - (Better than 20/20 for perfect vision)

 

 

"I almost forget how bad my eyes were prior to the surgery because I'm so used to being able to see things.  My preparation before and after sleep is cut in half because I don't have to put in or take out my contacts!"
 
Before After
Date of Surgery: 5/5/04 Type of Surgery: LASIK
Original RX: -6.75-0.75x160 Category: Myopia & Astigmatism
Visual Acuity: Hand Motion Visual Acuity: 20/15*
Super Vision - (Better than 20/20 for perfect vision)

 

 

" A true miracle-it's like I never wore eye glasses before !"
 
Before After
Date of Surgery: 3/10/04 Type of Surgery: LASIK
Original RX: -4.75-1.75x180R, -4.75-1.00x170L Category: Myopia & Astigmatism
Visual Acuity: 20/700 Visual Acuity: 20/13*
Super Vision - (Better than 20/20 for perfect vision)

 

 

" I don't need the glasses anymore!  I am very happy because I can finally read books without glasses.  I was pregnant during the LASIK process, and now, I look forward to seeing my baby's face "
 
Before After
Date of Surgery: 2/12/04 Type of Surgery: LASEK
Original RX: -9.00-1.50x175R. -8.75-1.00x175L
 Category: High Myopia & Astigmatism
Visual Acuity: Hand Motion Visual Acuity: 20/15*
Super Vision - (Better than 20/20 for perfect vision)

 

 

"It's the best decision I ever made!"
 
Before After
Date of Surgery: 4/8/04 Type of Surgery: LASEK
Original RX: -6.50-0.75x170 R, -3.75-0.75x180 L Category: Myopia & Astigmatism
Visual Acuity: Hand Motion R
20/200 Left		 Visual Acuity: 20/13*
Super Vision - (Better than 20/20 for perfect vision)

 

 

"Excellent! Everything was perfect - the pre-op, the surgery, the post-op, the entire experience was perfect! Don't be afraid! Just do it! "
 
Before After
Date of Surgery: 8/4/04 Type of Surgery: LASEK- R, LASIK -L
Original RX: -1.75 R, -1.50-0.50x15 L Category: Myopia & Astigmatism
Visual Acuity: 20/70 Visual Acuity: 20/13*
Super Vision - (Better than 20/20 for perfect vision)

 

 

"It really hit me when I was taking a nap with a movie on; upon waking up I went to reach for my glasses only to realize, with joy, that I didn't need them!"
 
Before After
Date of Surgery: 6/30/04 Type of Surgery: LASEK WAVEFRONT
Original RX: -1.25-2.00x107 R, -0.75-2.00x81 L Category: Myopia& HighAstigmatism
Visual Acuity: 20/100 Left Visual Acuity: 20/13*
Super Vision - (Better than 20/20 for perfect vision)

 

 

"It's the best decision I ever made!"
 
Before After
Date of Surgery: 7/17/04 Type of Surgery: LASEK WAVEFRONT
Original RX: -5.50-0.75x100 R, -6.25-0.75x 80  L Category: Myopia & Astigmatism
Visual Acuity: Hand Motion Visual Acuity: 20/13*
Super Vision - (Better than 20/20 for perfect vision)

 

 

"I am just so happy with my surgery - I have been singing praises everywhere I go.  Many, Many thanks to everyone in this office!"
 
Before After
Date of Surgery: 9/01/04 Type of Surgery: LASEK - Left Eye
Original RX: -12.00-1.00x180 Category: Extreme Myopia & Astigmatism
Visual Acuity: Hand Motion Visual Acuity: 20/100

Michelle had amblyopia(lazy eye) and strabismus (crossed eyes) preoperatively.  We had her crossed eyes corrected surgically, before her LASEK, by a pediatric ophthalmologist.  Because of her pre-existing condition, Michelle had her surgery paid for my her medical insurance!

Her eyes are now much straighter, will stay straighter, and she has better peripheral vision and stereo vision!

All of which means she sees better, looks better, fells better, and is much happier and more confident before her surgery by Dr. Chynn!

If you or anyone you know has a "lazy eye" or "crossed eye" and were told that they could not be helped many years ago, PLEASE tell them to visit Dr. Chynn!

 

 

Amy.
Amy.
Before After
Date of Surgery: 1/28/04 Type of Surgery: LASIK
Original RX: -3.50-0.35x159 Category: Myopia & Astigmatism
Visual Acuity: 20/400 Visual Acuity: 20/20

 

 

Ani.
Ani.
Before After
Date of Surgery: 7/13/03 Type of Surgery: LASIK
Original RX: -8.25-1.00x4 Category: Myopia
Visual Acuity: 20/800 Visual Acuity: 20/20

 

 
Before After
Date of Surgery: 3/16/04 Type of Surgery: LASIK
Original RX: -2.75-.50x161 Category: Myopia
Visual Acuity: 20/400 Visual Acuity: 20/20
 

 

 
Before After
Date of Surgery: 8/20/03 Type of Surgery: LASIK
Original RX: -3.50-.50x9 Category: Myopia
Visual Acuity: 20/200 Visual Acuity: 20/20
 

 

 

Mary.
Mary.
Before After
Date of Surgery: 6/12/03 Type of Surgery: LASEK
Original RX: -8.25-.50x104 Category: Myopia
Visual Acuity: 20/400 Visual Acuity: 20/20

 

 
Before After
Date of Surgery: 2/12/03 Type of Surgery: LASIK
Original RX: -1.25-1.00x165 Category: Myopia
Visual Acuity: 20/100 Visual Acuity: 20/20
 

 

 
Before After
Date of Surgery: 3/18/03 Type of Surgery: LASIK
Original RX: -5.50-0.25x151 Category: Myopia
Visual Acuity: 20/500 Visual Acuity: 20/20
 

 

 

Robert.
Robert.
Before After
Date of Surgery: 4/11/02 Type of Surgery: LASIK
Original RX: 50-50x49 Category: Myopia
Visual Acuity: 20/400 Visual Acuity: 20/20

 

 
Before After
Date of Surgery: 8/14/03 Type of Surgery: LASIK
Original RX: -5.00-50x4 Category: Myopia
Visual Acuity: 20/250 Visual Acuity: 20/20

 

Questions & Answers with Dr. Chynn

Here are some frequent questions and comments submiited to Dr. Chynn's patients
You can even see before and after photos and read patient testimonials.

 

Dear Dr. Chynn,

Thanks for the very friendly and personal visit yesterday. I was very impressed as I did not expect to meet the doctor who would perform the surgery at the initial consultation. As a result, I have scheduled my surgery for May 5th. I do have a few questions now that it is sinking in and I really appreciate you giving me your email address and taking the time to read and answer it.

I meet with 100% of my preops and postops, which is the #1 reason people choose us! I am happy to answer all your questions, Michael.

I did read the articles in the papers given to me and I did not realize that for Lasek, it is a solution and not a laser exposing the cornea. That helps but since the healing process is not as quick and there could be more discomfort with Lasek, is it worth considering Lasik? Other questions are as follows:

It is true, there is slightly more discomfort in a lasek, but i really feel that it is totally worth a slight amount of added discomfort for only a couple of days given the vastly greater safety profile. In fact, i may stop offering lasik to my patients by the end of this year! I am attaching a note about the difference between the 2 procedures from one of my former patients for you to read:

I received surgery by Dr. Chynn in 2002-2003, and, as an Ophthalmic Technician, can assure you that there is no questions that LASEK is a much safer procedure than LASIK.

How do I know? Because I had an attempted LASIK in my right (non-dominant) eye that had to be aborted, because I squeezed so hard during the keratome pass that I wound up with an incomplete flap.

Dr. Chynn recognized that the laser portion of the procedure could not be safely performed, based on his Fellowship Training in Refractive Surgery. He thus decided to replace the partial flap, and wait almost 6 months for that eye to heal before attempting another procedure.

For the 2nd procedure, Dr. Chynn selected a Moria keratome to make a broader flap, so that the point of entry would be away from the original flap. He also chose a different footplate, to cut a thicker flap. Dr. Chynn was trained at Columbia and Harvard and this type of careful surgical planning proved its value when he created a second flap in my right eye without any problem, and was able to perform the ablation, and restore my vision in that eyeto 20/15!

We mutually decided, after the above experience, to avoid cutting any type of flap whatsoever (even the IntraLase "all-laser" procedure cuts a flap, which IntraLase tries not to tell you).

Dr. Chynn therefore performed a No-Cut, No-Flap, All-Laser LASEK on my left eye, and also brought that eye to better than 20/20 uncorrected acuity--but without any possibility of a flap complication (because no flap is created in the 1st place).

Now, thanks to Dr. Chynn's expertise and his careful management of the inevitable complications any high-volume surgeon has, I am seeing very well now out of each eye--much better than I did even with glasses before!

I seriously think, from both my personal experience and professional understanding, that anyone who wants the very safest procedure and best visual results should prefer LASEK over LASIK (and should consider going to Dr. Chynn as well)!

I am happy to answer further questions about this or other topics, as I am a certified Laser Technician by VISX, and Dr. Chynn has my contact information if you want to emial me.

Sincerely,
Pedro B.
Bronx, NY
Ophthalmic Technician



Question: Will my head be held in place by something during the surgery?
Answer: Yes, don't worry about this, when you think about it, Michael, this problem was probably addressed years ago, since over 1 million americans are getting laser vision correction each and every year now--but i appreciate your help!:)
   
Question: Will my eyelids be held open by something during the surgery?  I am a little concern about this as my left eye seems to squint or twitch when something or someone gets close to it.
Answer: Again, of course, yes!:)
   
Question:

Does this reaction increase the possibility that something could go wrong during the surgery?
Answer:

Yes, see testimonial above. I suggest the following system to practice before your surgery:

  1. Unplug a digital clock or vcr so it blinks when you plug it back in
  2. Take off your glasses or contacts
  3. Sit 1 foot away from the blinking light (you will be 1 foot away from the fixation light)
  4. Cover one eye at a time with one hand (again, this simulates what will happen under the laser)
  5. Open both your eyes as wide as humanly possible while staring at the blinking (fixation) light
  6. Touch the eyelashes of your uncovered eye with your finger without blinking, flinching, squeezing, or moving your eye or looking away from the (fixation) light. This means ignoring the image of the finger coming at you, and the mild sensation you feel, and just locking in at the (fixation) light
  7. Do steps 1-6 several times per day for several days with each eye
  8. Once you have mastered the above, ask a friend or coworker or relative or spouse or companion to touch your eyelashes while you are fixating--because it is more difficult not to twitch or flinch when somebody else is coming at your eyes
  9. Once you are good at this 2nd step,  you will be fine under the laser
  10. I will totally numb up your eyes so you won't feel anything, you should bring in your favorite cd for me to play in the or to relax you, you should bring in a companion to the or to make yourself more relaxed, and we will give you valium for the same purpose--you will be fine!
   
Question: Will I be given something prior to surgery to help me relax which would also aid in not trying to move during the procedure? 
Answer: See the answer above.
   
Question: If not, could I take something on my own?
Answer: It's not necessary.
   
Question:

I believe you will be doing customvue in my right eye and Monovision in my left.  I read in one article that if I see 20/20 with my glasses now, I have a good chance of seeing 20/20 after the procedure.  With the mixed procedure, what could my vision be, i.e., will I have 20/20 in the right and 20/40 in the left?  If so what will the combine vision be?
Answer: Your combined vision is always slightly better than the vision in the best-seeing eye alone, so in the case above your combined vision would be slightly better than 20/20!
   
Question:

The procedure will be done on a Thursday.  Will I be well enough to attend my son's T-ball game at 5pm on Saturday or should I put the procedure off until the following week when he has a game on Sunday?
Answer: You can attend tball but you cannot coach or play and must wear your protective wrap-around shades which we will provide to you.
   
Question:

One of the main reasons for having the procedure is so I can see while swimming in our pool, especially my kids since they are young.  How long after surgery should I wait before going swimming? Is the chlorine a problem?  I read that I must agree to wear protective UV sunglasses when in bright sunlight for 6 months after the procedure, does that mean no swimming or removing the glasses while swimming even if going under water?  If I plan to be active in the pool this summer, should I hold off until September or so to have the procedure done?
Answer: You can hang out near the pool with your legs in the water by 10 days, and go in up to the waist by 2 weeks, put your head in the water with your eyes closed or with goggles on by 1 month, and swim with your eyes open under water by 2 months. So i thinky you will be fine.
   
I apologize for the lengthy email.  Again, thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions and I look forward to having the procedures on May 5th.

No problem, looking forward to operating on you May 5 and getting you back into the pool by the beginning of June!