La Jolla and San Diego Cataracts and LASIK Specialist
Dr. Angela Nahl

Free Yourself of Glasses and Contacts, With a San Diego LASIK Doctor who Really Cares

You're tired of the nuisance of wearing glasses. Your contact lenses make you want to scratch your eyes out. You probably know some people who have had LASIK surgery, and they seem so happy about the results, but still you wonder: is it really safe? Is it right for me?

Why Other Physicians Have Already Chosen Me as their LASIK Doctor

I earned degrees from Harvard and University of Chicago, and completed my residency at USC/LA County Hospital, one of the most demanding eye surgery programs in the world. Degrees from great universities and residency programs are prerequisites for any good surgeon. But the real reason patients choose to have me perform their surgery, and the reason they recommend me to their friends, is because I care about each and every patient, and put the patient's needs first. Here is a letter from one satisfied patient, an officer in the Marine Corps:

While I was stationed in Camp Pendleton, I seriously started considering LASIK in May of 2001. As part of my research into the surgery, I visited a practice and I was introduced to Dr. Nahl. After a couple of visits, and tests to determine if I was a candidate of LASIK, I knew that she was the surgeon I wanted to do the procedure. Her genuine concern for my situation was evident in every conversation. One particular reason I knew she cared is that leading up to my visitation, I had worn contact lenses for 15 years. This had caused my eyes to take on the shape of the contact lenses, and Dr. Nahl strongly suggested that I wait a few weeks to have the procedure done until my eyes regained their natural shape, making the surgery less risky. This may not seem out of the ordinary, but because I had another LASIK surgeon tell me that I could have it done immediately with no problems, made me think that he did not have my best interests in mind.

Needless to say, despite desperately looking forward to the day of no longer wearing glasses or contact lenses, and wanting to have this life changing surgery done as soon as I could, I followed Dr's orders, and came back in July. When I did come back, Dr. Nahl re-evaluated my eyes, and after determining that they had regained their natural contour, we went ahead and did the surgery that day.

I had read in some cases patients were able to see immediately after the surgery. For me this was not the case. I went home and lay down. When I woke up eearly in the morning, IT WAS AMAZING, I COULD SEE!!! Just 2 hours after that, I drove myself to work forthe first time without having the need for corrective lenses. I could see the little halos around the street lights, but within weeks they too went away.

It has been nearly 4 years since that time, and I can honestly say it was one of the best decisions that I ever made. Not only to have LASIK, but to have Dr. Nahl do it as well. Even in the follow up she has been awesome! I am a military member, and because of my training, I have had questions come up concerning my surgery. She has answered them alll, or contacted other military Dr's to find out the answers, and how they pertain to my situation.

Because of her thoroughness, and genuine concern for her patients, along with her outstanding follow up after the procedure, I highly recommend Dr. Nahl. I can't imagine having had anybody else do my LASIK surgery for me.

Sincerely,
Raymond W.

I once worked for the busiest LASIK practice in San Diego, making me one of the highest-volume LASIK surgeons in the country. In many high-volume LASIK practices you see in advertisements, you may not even meet your MD-surgeon until the day of your surgery. That is not my idea of how to run a medical practice.

When I graduated from medical school, like other graduating doctors I took the Hippocratic Oath, in which I solemnly swore to "keep my patients from harm and injustice." I swore "in purity and holiness will I guard my life and my art". Every single time I talk with a patient, this solemn obligation, this heavy responsibility, and the incredible honor and blessing of being a doctor are foremost in my mind.

My mission in life is to improve vision. That is why I will never forget the first time I performed a cataract surgery as a first-year ophthalmology resident. At the time, several of my patients knew I was preparing to perform my first cataract surgery. One patient in particular begged me to be my first patient. She had dense white cataracts in both eyes, with vision so bad she couldn't make out large shapes but could just tell whether the room lights were on or off; she was also completing a course of inpatient alcoholism rehabilitation. Please, Dr. Nahl, schedule me first, I just have to have this surgery before I get out of rehab. I’m afraid if I don’t, I’ll fall off the wagon. I reminded her that this was my first cataract procedure. She said that was fine with her and there was no one she trusted more. So I did schedule her first. The day after her procedure, I removed the patch from her eye, and she could read the eye chart; a perfect result. She started to cry, and hugged me. I cried, too. I thought, If a bus hits me on the way out of clinic and I die, it will be ok because I cured blindness -- in one person.

Ever since that time, I have been working to cure blindness, and to bring people vision and clarity and light, one patient at a time.

LASIK the Ethical Way

My practice is "high-touch"; I have no interest in running a high-volume patient mill of a LASIK practice, where you look around the waiting room and see 30 other patients about to be loaded onto the conveyor belt along with you. I want to go home at the end of every day knowing that I did everything in my power to care for each and every one of my patients with the absolutely highest possible level of care. Eye surgery is a serious medical procedure, and an ethical doctor must always take the time to guide patients through complex decisions associated with sophisticated surgeries such as LASIK.

• When you contact us, you are contacting me. I will personally answer your emails and phone calls.
• I will carefully examine you to make sure that you don't have any eye diseases or other conditions that may make surgery unsafe; I will never perform a procedure if I think it might do you any harm.
• I will personally perform your pre-operative and post-operative exams, and will take the time you need to decide which procedure (LASIK or PRK) to choose.
• Your surgery will take place at a La Jolla outpatient laser center with cutting edge equipment, including a VISX Star S4 Excimer lasers, equipped with Wavefront technology.
• Intralase technology is available, if you are a candidate for that technique.
• We can correct nearsightedness, far-sightedness, and astigmatism.

Millions of people already enjoy the benefits of laser vision correction. They are free of the never-ending hassles and expenses associated with glasses and contacts. Here is a letter from Christine V., a library technician here in San Diego on whom I performed LASIK:

The surgery lasted just a few minutes and when it was over I knew I had made the right decision.

I decided to have the laser eye surgery because I was tired of having headaches 4-6 times per week. I was the type of person who didn't like to wear my glasses or contacts so I experienced eyestrain on a daily basis. To this day, I have not had a headache. Not only is my vision wonderful, but no more headaches.

Thank you Dr. Nahl for your expertise with laser surgery.

I am sure that you have your own set of reasons for wanting vision correction surgery. And you are wise to be concerned about how to choose a doctor and a practice that will care about your vision as much as you do. I guarantee that you will not find another eye surgeon in San Diego who cares more about giving you the best possible result than I do.

Please contact me now to schedule an exam to help us determine if you are a LASIK candidate.

Regards,
Angela B. Nahl, MD

P.S. I encourage you to talk to other eye surgeons in San Diego -- I guarantee that you'll find my combination of top-notch training, ethical commitment, and personal touch to be unique! Drop me a line, so we can determine if eye surgery is safe for you.