Time for some straight talk about eye care. We know you’ll appreciate it because you value your eyes and your eyesight. Here goes… 

You’ve heard it a million times: “You get what you pay for.” 
 
It doesn’t make it any less true, any less valid… and eye health care is no exception. 

When it’s your eyes, you’re looking for professionals you can trust. Experts who have taken the time and have the drive to become specialists in their fields.  
 
And even though they are ‘big names’ and well respected, they honor you with patience: patience that walks you through your process, patience to answer your questions, patience to explain aftercare, patience to follow up, even months afterward.  

The Assil Gaur Eye Institute (AGEI) is all of this… and more… and it’s all based on facts. 
 

Assil Gaur Eye Institute surgeons have trained over 14,000 eye doctors. 

The Assil Gaur Eye Institute (AGEI) doesn’t just keep pace with what’s happening in ophthalmology. It sets the standards. And it teaches other ophthalmologists how to achieve them.  

This distinction matters. Choosing an eye surgeon is one of the few medical decisions where the gap between excellent and adequate is measured in outcomes you will live with for the rest of your life. 

The difference between a nationally recognized institute and a standard ophthalmologist or strip-mall LASIK eye surgery chain is not marketing. It is outcomes, technology, expertise, and the depth of care that wraps around every procedure. 
 
This is part of the reason elite athletes, Oscar-nominated actors, and Grammy-winning musicians across the country and around the world choose AGEI when they want their eyes treated by the best eye surgeons.  
 
We mention these people not because they are famous. It’s because they can choose whoever they want, wherever the location. The fact that they chose the Assil Gaur Eye Institute of Los Angeles shows that you don’t have to go far for better vision and innovative yet tried-and-tested care.  
 
And well-informed patients, perhaps like yourself, are making the same choice. 

A legacy that began with the father of modern cataract surgery 

AGEI’s story does not start in a relatively new, glossy clinic. Its roots go back to 1949, when the practice was chartered by Dr. Robert M. Sinskey, widely considered the father of modern cataract surgery. Dr. Sinskey pioneered techniques and instruments still used in operating rooms worldwide, and his standards continue to shape how Assil Gaur Eye trains, equips, and operates. This is why he chose Dr. Kerry Assil as his partner to carry on his tradition of excellence. 

This is not the kind of institutional lineage that a practice can buy with a renovation or a rebrand. It has been earned over almost eight decades and through four generations of patients, surgical refinement, and direct contributions to the field. It is the foundation that explains why AGEI’s surgeons are not catching up to the state of the art. They are part of how it was (and continues to be) created. 

Setting the standards, not just upholding them

There is a meaningful difference between a practice that buys the latest laser and a practice that helps decide what the next laser should do. Assil Gaur Eye Institute has participated in dozens of FDA clinical trials, helping bring new procedures and devices to the public. Dr. Kerry Assil himself has trained more than 14,000 ophthalmologists worldwide in groundbreaking surgical techniques. Many of the surgeons whom patients might see elsewhere learned their craft, at least in part, from him. 

Alongside Dr. Assil is his partner, Dr. Avneet Sodhi Gaur. She brings her own fellowship-trained expertise to the institute as a board-certified cataract, refractive, and glaucoma specialist. She has performed thousands of cataract, glaucoma, and refractive procedures. Dr. Gaur is also a published researcher, national lecturer, and recognized media expert in ophthalmology. 
 
This is not just our opinion. Both of these eye health professionals have been named as top doctors by LA Magazine. 

Eye care innovations at the frontier, not the margins

A particularly clear example of AGEI’s forward-thinking vision is the institute’s proprietary Eagle Vision LASIK®, a proprietary procedure developed by Dr. Assil. 

Standard LASIK uses a relatively uniform excimer laser treatment to correct vision. Eagle Vision incorporates algorithms designed by Dr. Assil to tailor the procedure and corneal reshaping to each patient’s eye anatomy, age, and lifestyle.  

In other words, the system accounts for how different people use their vision—for example, a 32-year-old graphic designer and a 58-year-old golfer. That level of personalization can make the difference between a treatment that simply works and one that truly fits. 

The trust of patients who could go anywhere

We mentioned this before, but it’s important enough to dig a bit deeper. 

The city’s most visible patients tend to choose their providers with extreme care. They have the ability, the relationships, and access to a second opinion to go anywhere. They chose Assil Gaur Eye Institute from among the options for top-flight medical care in Los Angeles, New York, and (need we say it) the world. 

NBA stars LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Chris Paul, and Paul George are just a few of the athletes whose careers literally depend on their eyesight. They have all trusted AGEI with their vision. 

So have Oscar-, Emmy-, and Tony-award-winning actors and Grammy-winning musicians. These people’s livelihoods depend on how they read scripts, focus through camera lenses, and perform under stage lighting. 

These are not testimonials engineered by a marketing department. They are real choices made by real people for whom outcomes matter more than convenience or price. 

Wouldn’t you prefer to entrust your eyes and your vision to eye doctors like these? Wouldn’t you want to enjoy world-class ophthalmology delivered with the warmth and personalized attention of a boutique practice?  
 
Wouldn’t you want to know that you are receiving exceptional vision care at a cost comparable to that of other leading ophthalmology practices in Los Angeles? At Assil Gaur Eye Institute, you are. 

An experience built around the patient, not the procedure

Anyone who has been through traditional eye surgery knows the feeling: often with fluorescent lights and a faintly anxious silence of a clinic waiting room. AGEI has rejected that template entirely. Its centers are designed to feel more like a comfortable spa than a doctor’s office, from the materials and lighting to the pace at which patients are guided through their appointments. 

This is not a cosmetic detail. Lower stress before surgery is associated with better recovery after it. Patients who feel cared for ask more questions, follow post-operative instructions more closely, and consistently report higher satisfaction with their results. The environment at AGEI is engineered, not accidental, and it is part of their commitment to exceptional care. 

Another part of our patient-centered philosophy is honestly discussing your options. Possible side effects, such as temporary halos, light sensitivity, or a temporary need for eye drops, are an important part of the equation. When it comes to choosing aesthetic procedures and laser vision correction, the AGEI team is not afraid to tell it to you straight. In this way, you are making a well-informed decision about which treatment plan is best for you, whether you are looking to reduce your dependence on eyeglasses through vision correction surgery or seeking specialized medical care. 

Every eye sub-specialty under one roof

Except for academic institutes, most ophthalmology practices focus on a smaller number of offered procedures. LASIK clinics do LASIK laser eye surgery. Cataract centers perform cataract vision correction procedures. Retina specialists handle retina cases. When a patient has more than one issue, or other vision problems develop over time, they often have to be referred out, repeat tests at a new office, and start over with a doctor whom they have not met, or who has not followed their history. 

Assil Gaur Eye Institute is built differently. 

Under a single roof, fellowship-trained specialists provide refractive surgery such as: 

• LASIK (short for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis) and PRK (short for photorefractive keratectomy) to correct refractive errors due to the shape of your cornea, such as nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness, and astigmatism.   

• Refractive lens exchange, which replaces your eye’s natural lens with an intraocular lens (IOL) to solve vision errors like presbyopia, is an option for people who are not good candidates for LASIK or PRK due to issues such as thin corneas or very dry eyes.  

• ICL (short for Implantable Collamer/Contact Lens) is an artificial lens that is surgically inserted between your natural lens and your iris (the colored part of your eye), a kind of permanent contact lens. (You never feel it, but your vision does).  

• Other important treatments include cataract surgery (via femtosecond laser-assisted surgical techniques); protocols to deal with corneal, retinal, glaucoma, and dry eye issues; oculofacial and aesthetic procedures. 

For example, if a cataract evaluation surfaces an unrelated retinal concern, which is not uncommon, a colleague in the same practice can see the patient straight away. 

In addition, records are unified. Imaging is shared. Care plans are coordinated by all the doctors who have treated you because AGEI’s specialists collaborate every day.  
 
That depth of care is something only a true institute can offer. AGEI is that kind of eye institute. 

So, what does this type of exceptional care cost?

Here’s the part of the conversation that usually gets skipped, but we are offering complete transparency. 

Yes, AGEI is a premium practice. No, it is not more expensive than other top-tier ophthalmology practices in Los Angeles. 

The differences are the knowledge and experience of the professionals at your service, the personalization of your treatment plan, and the ongoing medical relationship to ensure your eyes stay at their optimal level. 

So, when it comes down to it, it’s not Assil Gaur Eye Institute versus a discount LASIK center in a mall. It is Assil Gaur Eye Institute versus the other top-tier medical practices that well-informed Los Angeles patients actually consider. 

The honest framing is not “What does it cost?” It is “What do I get for that cost?” 

At Assil Gaur Eye Institute, the answer is an almost 80-year institutional legacy, surgeons who train other surgeons, state-of-the-art technology developed in-house, the trust of patients who could choose anyone, an experience designed around the human being that is in our care, and the full depth of every ophthalmology subspecialty under one roof.  

Isn’t your quality of life worth it? 

Written by The AGEI Educational Team

The Assil Gaur Eye Institute Education Team is dedicated to providing accurate, accessible, and patient-centered eye health information to support not only our patients, but the broader community as well. Working closely with our physicians and specialists, the team helps develop educational content designed to empower patients to better understand their vision, eye conditions, treatment options, and advances in ophthalmology. Our goal is to make complex medical topics easier to understand while upholding the highest standards of clinical accuracy, trust, and patient care.

The Assil Gaur Eye Institute Education Team is dedicated to providing accurate, accessible, and patient-centered eye health information to support not only our patients, but the broader community as well. Working closely with our physicians and specialists, the team helps develop educational content designed to empower patients to better understand their vision, eye conditions, treatment options, and advances in ophthalmology. Our goal is to make complex medical topics easier to understand while upholding the highest standards of clinical accuracy, trust, and patient care.

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Kerry Assil

Kerry K. Assil, MD, is regarded as one of the world’s foremost experts in refractive surgery, having made significant advances in the field with his numerous inventions. Additionally he has the unique distinction of having trained thousands of eye surgeons in the latest refractive surgical techniques. Dr. Assil has authored more than one hundred textbooks, textbook chapters and articles on refractive surgery and has appeared regularly on major television network news programs as a pioneer in refractive surgery. He also leads educational forums for other eye care professionals, which have included featured lectureships at Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University and Tokyo University.

Kerry K. Assil, MD, is regarded as one of the world’s foremost experts in refractive surgery, having made significant advances in the field with his numerous inventions. Additionally he has the unique distinction of having trained thousands of eye surgeons in the latest refractive surgical techniques. Dr. Assil has authored more than one hundred textbooks, textbook chapters and articles on refractive surgery and has appeared regularly on major television network news programs as a pioneer in refractive surgery. He also leads educational forums for other eye care professionals, which have included featured lectureships at Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University and Tokyo University.