Dan Nearly Fell Down Stairs due to Declining Vision – Now Sees Better Than Most 20-Year-Olds!

The journey to receiving a lens exchange 

As a boy, Dan had perfect eyesight until his late 40s when a defective welding helmet damaged his vision. “I believe It kind of toasted my eyeballs,” says Dan. “Age adds to it.”

From then on, Dan began wearing the glasses available off the rack at a drug store. Because he had the same level of dysfunction in each eye, he could use the same glasses for both reading and driving. The issue was that the glasses needed to be more durable each year. “It was really accelerating,” he says. It affected my daytime mechanical work.

Worse yet, my poor vision added stress to playing important music gigs around Los Angeles, which required charts, notes, and adjustments to audio gear or cues across the stage. Recognizing important associates in a large venue was impossible.

Dan tried using contact lenses for a while but found them bothersome. “Getting them in was easy, but getting them out was a pain.”

The decision for RLE eye surgery 

After the close call on the staircase, Dan decided it was time to pursue a permanent solution for his deteriorating vision. Following an examination of Dan’s eyes, Dr. Gaur recommended a lens implant using Johnson & Johnson’s Odyssey lens, a new technology that she and Dr. Kerry Assil had been beta testing at the Assil Gaur Eye Institute with remarkable results. 

With the Odyssey lens, eye doctors can now achieve sharp vision for multiple focal points in both eyes, just like the natural lenses in young, healthy eyes.

Odyssey lens’ benefits include:

• Improved contrast and ultra-crisp vision.
• Offered the clarity and flexibility of the attributes of a young person’s eye.
• Reduces light that may cause glare and haloes.
• Promoting clear vision at any distance.

On the day of the surgery, Dan was up early at his home in Redondo Beach and naturally a bit nervous about the eye surgery. However, once the preparation was completed, the lens exchange procedure was quick and easy. “It only took about five minutes for each eye,” he says. “It’s amazing how fast it goes.”

It’s a better life after refractive lens exchange surgery 

With his new multifocal lens, glasses are now a thing of the past, and Dan no longer worries about stairs or needing to wear increasingly strong glasses. 

“My life has gotten a lot safer,” he says. “I can see in traffic so much better. This has been life-changing.”

This is especially true at his machine shop in South Central Los Angeles, where he runs DW Obsolete Inc. “I can avoid a multitude of potential dangers a lot more clearly now, especially at night, leaving the shop,” says Dan. “I also see better around the shop, so I don’t bump into things.”

Dan recommends that older people invest in refractive lenses. As his mother aged, she was much more prone to falling. In hindsight, he believes that a lens exchange may have helped her navigate the world more clearly. “The lenses do help your general health,” he says. I see so much better driving and recognizing traffic situations far ahead, and that keeps my insurance costs down.

I enjoy playing music so much more now; my new eyesight connects me much more with my bass, the audiences, and renewed friendships. There were countless times I failed to recognize someone from the past. So many friends have complimented my new “look.”

He also advises people not to balk at the expense of the lenses and recommends spending the extra money on the best possible solution. For example, people often pay $400 for a pair of glasses and then sit on them, so they must be replaced. Great eyesight never goes out of style.

“Spend the extra money on good lenses,” he says. The improvement has far exceeded my expectations! This was a check I enjoyed writing; I’ve already recouped my investment from driving in LA since my surgery!

Kudos for the Assil Gaur Eye Institute 

Dan has nothing but praise for the Assil Gaur Eye Institute. “They’ve got it together. That’s why the most important people in the world come there,” says Dan. “They have referred famous patients such as Lakers stars Lebron James and Anthony Davis.”

Dr. Gaur receives only sterling reviews from Dan. “She’s a lovely doctor and very competent,” he says. “Dr. Gaur is super-knowledgeable and very efficient with her time. To top it off, she has a great bedside manner.”

“I’m a poster child for Odyssey lenses,” he says. “Having them has helped me enjoy my quality of life.” “I’m 20/15 now, just incredible.”

Why trust the Assil Gaur Eye Institute with your IOL implant surgery?

With 30 years of experience assisting patients with eye health, Dr. Assil is one of the most experienced cataract surgeons in the United States. He has performed over 70,000 eye surgeries and authored over 100 textbook chapters and articles on refractive and cataract surgery.

Assil Gaur Eye Institute has assembled a team of top ophthalmologists from around the country who offer their patients the highest quality of specialist eye care in the United States. 

Today, AGEI is nationally recognized for its compassionate, patient-centric health care, commitment to pioneering advancements in ophthalmology, and dedication to supporting the health and well-being of its patients and the community.

We are conveniently located for patients across Southern California and the Los Angeles area, particularly in or near Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, West Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Culver City, Hollywood, Venice, Marina del Rey, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, and Downtown Los Angeles.