LaserVue Eye Center

It’s been nearly two months since my LASIK. LaserVue provided a smooth, convenient process for scheduling and preparation. The initial appointment was not pushy or sales-​y, and the doctor was honest about what I could expect on results.
The actual procedure wasn’t exactly fun, but what do you expect, it’s LASIK. Dr. Bansal was relatively tolerant of my nervousness, and was patient enough to count down the seconds for each eye so I would know how much time was left. Nothing about the process was painful — just uncomfortable. Luckily, it is very short!
Almost two months later, my vision is ²⁰⁄₁₅. My eyes are NOT dry and I don’t have any «haloing» or other problems. Definitely a success.
I would highly recommend this team!

I used to be nearly blind (–6 with astigmatism in both eyes). I wore hard contacts up till college, at which point I switched to soft lenses. My eyes were constantly dry and red. I suffer from occasional allergies and wear eye makeup, two things which make wearing contacts a whole lot more challenging. The fact that I had astigmatism also meant that my contact lenses were twice as expensive.
My older sister who’s just as blind as I am recently got LASIK surgery in Toronto and only had positive things to say. She and my father finally convinced me to look into it. In hindsight, I don’t know why I put it off for so long. Somehow it just seemed so scary — I’ve been blind my whole life, I literally could not imagine life with perfect vision. Also, the idea of getting my eyes operated on… I mean, what if anything were to go wrong?!
Turns out the success rate of LASIK is super high (like 99% or something, though don’t take my word for it – do your own research), which helped to ease my fears.
I found LaserVue via Unilocal — they’re located close to my home and have fantastic reviews, so it was a no-​brainer. Plus the initial consultation is free. I was seen by Dr. Bansal who informed me that I was a perfect candidate, and we quickly scheduled an appointment for the actual «surgery.»
The most inconvenient part about LASIK was not being able to wear contacts for the week before, and not being able to wear eye makeup for the week after. Other than that, the procedure was quick and painless. It was briefly terrifying when everything goes black for a minute or two, but Dr. Bansal has a wonderful bedside manner (as others have pointed out before me) — he speaks in a very soothing voice, and is constantly reassuring you and explaining every step of the process. The whole thing was done in less than 15 minutes.
I was groggy immediately after (thanks to the Vicodin) and felt like I was in a dream (expect blurred vision for a couple hours), and as instructed, went to bed for a couple hours. There are no restrictions against staring at your phone or watching TV after your nap, so I did that for the rest of the day.
The next morning I woke up with ²⁰⁄₂₀ vision (confirmed by Dr. Lee in my follow-​up appointment, who is also incredibly sweet and professional), and it’s been a whole new world ever since!
Yes, you have to deal with the occasional dry eye (which you take care of with tear drops), and yes, I did see halos at night for the first couple weeks. Those side effects have since vanished, for the most part. And besides, they’re well worth it for what I’ve gotten in return.
Going with LaserVue was a wonderful decision; I can’t recommend this place enough!
***TIP: If you can afford to pay in full, definitely negotiate. I was able to get like $ 300 off from the original proposed rate just by asking.

Unilocal review
This place is a joke. Based on the bad reviews, I should’ve trusted Unilocal not to contacted them but I called them anyway to give them a chance for my lasik exam. Boy, that was a mistake. When I arrived, I was the only one customer there and the receptionist seemed to be the only one doing everything. She took me the exam room and started the eyes examination, not even half way through, I mentioned I did my lasik 20 years ago, her attitude changed 365°, she immediately stopped everything and told me there would be $ 160 for the exam, I was shock and asked her why and she told me because I got my lasik done before. I then told her that when I set up the appointment for the exam, I did mention that I had my lasik done before and I was told that could possibly get it done again and I wasn’t informed about $ 160 fee. The whole place was dead and she would rather piss me off by turning me away. The worst customer service ever. Anyway, I contacted a different Lasik center, they got great reviews, they offer free exam even you had previously did your lasik. They got my business. Go there, you get a better customer service then this shitty place.

I struggled for years making a decision about LASIK. I went with LaserVue on the Unilocal reviews (everyone has SOME negative reviews because the reviews are biased toward people who had a bad experience). I also skimmed over Dr. Bansal’s resume and was impressed. The guy has designed some of the equipment used for LASIK. I actually went fast and loose and did my consultation and surgery all in one day.
Dr. Bansal is great, seemed very confident and deliberate in his measurements. His assistants double and triple checked my eyes. The thoroughness was comforting. Dr. Bansal said I was a good candidate, but because of the thinness of my cornea I needed to do Wavefront. Cost the same, same recovery time, sure. Why not.
15 minutes later I was in the chair. I tried to stay as still as possible which seemed to help. 5 or 6 minutes later I had blurry, but much better than before, vision. I went into the office after (not recommended but I had to be there) and 3 – 4 hours later I had close to perfect vision. I estimate it at ²⁰⁄₃₀ by end of work day. Granted, I had very teary eyes, but I was very happy with the initial results. There were some big halos around lights, but other than that I could see great.
The next day I woke up, with SOME dryness in my eyes, but otherwise I had perfect vision. The halos had shrunk drastically, during the day completely unnoticeable. I went in for my follow-​up, and Dr. Lee was awesome. She had me do my eye test, and lo and behold…
²⁰⁄₁₅ VISION! THE DAY AFTER SURGERY!
Wow, did I brag about that to everyone I know. Dr. Lee said that’s a great result, congratulated me, and I was on my way. We scheduled a follow-​up for 1 week later. I’ve felt almost 100%, a little bit of eye ache and teeny tiny halos around lights (barely noticeable, not sure if they’re any different than how I saw lights before), and very little dryness but noticeably dry in the morning. So the follow-​up appointment was this morning. Walking in, I was definitely impressed by the distance I could read street signs and see cars clearly. Anyway, another eye test, and, holy crap…
²⁰⁄₁₀ VISION A WEEK AFTER SURGERY!
The letters Dr. Lee showed me were basically dots. I had to ask her to wipe the mirror because a tiny speck on the mirror was covering a letter completely. Even Dr. Lee was shocked that I was able to guess any of the letters on the ²⁰⁄₁₀ row, much less all but 1. The bragging has once again commenced around the office and family. I asked Dr. Lee where I was before, I was at –4.00 in both eyes with medium astigmatism, which got me from:
²⁰⁄₄₀₀ to ²⁰⁄₁₀ VISION. WOW.
Now obviously these results aren’t average. And everybody’s body /​eyes are different. But the only tips I can give are, make sure you’re a good candidate (Dr. Bansal didn’t seem to mess around on that front, I saw someone come out at one of my appointments who sadly couldn’t get the procedure done). Make sure you keep your eyes as STILL as possible while the surgery goes down. The tech is obviously advanced enough to compensate for eye movements, but I didn’t take any chances. And lastly, be very vigilant about the eye drops.
I don’t know how much, if at all, these things contributed to my incredible results, but I’m sure they can’t hurt. My swelling /​flap site immediately after surgery and the next day were «immaculate», and I can imagine that might have contributed to the outsized results. Overall, 5 stars and huge props to the whole experience. Can’t complain about a single thing.
—
On a personal note…
THANK YOU DR. BANSAL! I feel like I should be fighting crime with the new vision I have. I’m referring everyone I know to Laservue. I hope to see you again (all my follow-​ups have been with Dr. Lee who is also wonderful) so I can thank you in person. I am just so unbelievably thankful for what has resulted from you, your staff, your equipment, my adherence to post-​op care (which was wonderfully communicated by your staff), and (probably) some luck.
Rock on!

If you have ever had reservations for having the procedure done, I will say to stop thinking about it and have it done. I am completely satisfied that it has been the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. I have been wearing glasses since I was nine years old. At 53, I still have to use reading cheaters but my distance vision is ²⁰⁄₂₀. I completed my one year follow ups, and my eyes are great. Laservue and the whole staff was very professional and even more, very caring. I would highly recommend them and I would definitely return for any reason.

Working with the San Francisco laservue crew was the best decision I could have ever made! Dr. Bansal did a miraculous job along with his wonderful and genuine staff. Such a comforting experience. And I should mention with my poor vision of –6 I was expected ²⁰⁄₃₀ after the procedure. Just after one week I am closer to ²⁰⁄₂₀. So happy and appreciative.

My surgery was five minutes and went without a hitch! I was a bit nervous and was shaking my leg but three months later and I have perfect vision :) They are very professional, not personal but the less you know your doctor, the better your surgery probably went :) I was really happy with my results.

I just had my 1-​year check up and I’m at ²⁰⁄₁₅. I started at –4.75 and –4.50 in contacts. Great LASIK experience. I went with Dr. Bansal versus another doctor (who had a very fancy resume) because he did my friend’s eyes, her sister’s, and her dad’s and they all have great vision. My other friend has an upcoming consultation with him due to our great experiences. Easy to schedule, the actual surgery is assisted with high-​quality equipment and only takes about 15 minutes. Everyone in the office is really nice and professional. Thanks LaserVue!

I was nervous about having eye surgery but this team answered all my questions and made me comfortable w the procedure. It’s painless & I was back to work 2 days later. You’ll only see Dr. Bensal for the procedure. Follow ups are done by the other Drs. Highly recommend this place for LASIK oh and their price is half of what you’ll pay at UCSF.

4 months ago, i got eye surgery. After the surgery, my eye sight became MUCH better. The doctor and employees were kind and very polite and patient. I am 150% sattisfied with them. They know what they are doing, very proffesional. I no longer need to wear glasses! Thank you and good luck!

I got PRK here, the form of vision correction surgery when your corneas are too thin for the more-​common Lasik procedure. If you don’t want to read all the details, you can see a shorter summary on the Mountain View location page since I’ve exceeded my 5000 character limit in this review. =)
Day 1: Because of scheduling and logistical issues, I opted to have my consultation and surgery on the same day in this SF location. It took 1.5 hours. Consultation was a bunch of eye measurements. Surgery (by Dr. Bansal) only took a few minutes — lots of eye drops, a clamp that prevents blinking, a terrifying brush attacking your eye (like an electric toothbrush… this was the only part of surgery I hated), and lots of little painless zaps accompanied by a burnt smell. No pain (surprisingly), just some discomfort, like sand in my eyes. And I could see relatively well immediately after surgery, though everything was a bit blurry. I spent the rest of the day in bed, put in lots of eye drops, and iced my eyes for the inflammation as instructed.
Day 2: Woke up with a lot of pain in my right eye. When I arrived at my 1-​day postop appointment in the Mountain View location (where all my postop appointments would be), Dr. Chuang replaced my bandage contact — instant relief! The bandage contact is a non-​prescription contact lens that protects your eyes while healing and minimizes any pain. Though, it turns out that the bandage contact drying out is painful — so I was instructed to use lubricating drops every 30 minutes instead of the standard 1 – 2 hours during waking hours.
Day 3: Woke up with a lot of pain in my right eye again! Called LaserVue and told them what happened, they instructed me to take Tylenol and keep using lubricating drops and ice packs. No doctor in the Mountain View location today (Thursday), so I couldn’t come in to have my bandage contact replaced. Now I regret not going with the second place I had a consultation at who wanted to charge me an additional $ 400 to put in tear duct plugs so that my eyes wouldn’t get dry during recovery. I spent the next 6 hours in bed, in pain, icing and lubricating my eyes before the bandage contact was finally adequately rehydrated. There was no way I was going to go through that again, so I set my alarm to make sure I was awake to put in lubricating drops every 30 minutes.
Day 4: Lack of sleep is miserable. Because I was scheduled to fly home Tuesday morning, my «1-​week postop» was actually today. Dr. Bansal said my eyes were only 60−80% healed, so he recommended that I wait to remove the bandage contacts until at least Sunday… but they’re not open Sunday, and if I wanted to have them removed Monday, I’d have to go to the Walnut Creek location. And either way, he recommended that I wait to leave until Thursday just to be safe, so I agreed to go back to the Mountain View location next Tuesday. In the meantime, I figured out that I could go about 1.5 hours without drops before my eyes started hurting, so I put in drops every 30 minutes during waking hours and slept in intervals of 90 minutes for the next few days.
Day 8: Dr. Chuang says my eyes have healed over (it heals from the outside in) and took out my bandage contacts. No pain, but my eyes felt even more dry. It was SO nice to be able to sleep! But I still couldn’t see too far away, and fine print was impossible.
Day 9: I called LaserVue because I couldn’t see anything on the computer screen. Dr. Chuang assured me that this is completely normal, that my eyes were healing fine, and that it just takes a month before my vision gets to where it’s supposed to be. This was odd to me because they had asked me if I used the computer a lot at work (which I told them that I do) and told me that I could plan to be back at work in a week. And two of my friends who got PRK (elsewhere) were fine within a week. But there was nothing much I could do about it at this point. Dr. Chuang recommended that I pick up some reading glasses in the meantime — it didn’t help. It’s hard to see my computer screen even at 200% magnified display.
Day 12: My eyesight has been improving slightly every day, but it’s still not good. Everything, near and far, is out of focus.
Day 22: Eyes are still dry — using eye drops every hour or two, and completely flooding them every morning when I wake up because they’re painfully dry. Though my vision is mostly okay now (still can’t see fine print), it’s not as good as it once was with contacts.
1 Month: Finished up the steroid eye drops and vitamin C as prescribed. Vision hasn’t improved much from ~Day 20. Dr. Chuang says my eyes are still dry (but I have now spent over $ 100 on lubricating drops!!) and prescribed another steroid drop to use for one month.
Would I do this again? Hell no.

I’m not really sure how I should rate the LaserVue Center because I ultimately did not get a vision correction procedure here and because I don’t really know if what I went through is the norm. After talking it over with some friends who’ve had vision correction surgery, I decided I should just write about my experience and hope that someone can use it to make an informed decision.
I scheduled my consultation in Fall 2014. I purposely did this so that I could use my FSA benefit (set aside pre-​tax dollars for the procedure) if they determined that I was a good candidate.
At the consultation, a doctor (I can’t recall her name) performed several different eye exams and informed me that I am a candidate for PRK. She explained all the reasons for why PRK was a better option for me than LASIK. It was encouraging to hear what seemed to be well-​informed medical advice so I booked the procedure/​post-​procedure appointments for February 2015.
About two weeks before I was set to have my procedure, I received a call from Andrea that Dr. Bansal was unavailable for my procedure date. I had already planned everything for the procedure (took days off; arranged a ride) and since I had been informed at my consultation that the recovery time is longer for PRK, I felt that I’d have to cancel indefinitely until I could find another opportunity when I could take that much time off work. However, Andrea told me that I actually wouldn’t need as much recovery time because Dr. Basal reviewed my file and determined that I’m actually a «perfect candidate for LASIK». It was the first time I had heard about it but since it was coming from Dr. Bansal, I felt reassured and rescheduled.
I went in for my procedure. After initially being seen by the nurse/​technician (?), I was seen by Dr. Bansal. He asked me some questions and examined my eyes. He advised me that I have early onset cataracts and considering my age (I’m in my thirties), he informed me that I am not a good candidate for LASIK or PRK and recommended that I do not have the procedure at this time.
My husband is glad that Dr. Bansal did not perform a procedure that would have yielded unsuccessful results. I am too, and I respect Dr. Bansal’s professional opinion. However, I can’t help but feel frustrated by the time and money I invested and keep asking myself ‘how could I go from being a «perfect candidate» to a horrible one?‘
I’ve lost work days, purchased expensive eye drops I will never use, had to wear glasses for a week (ok, fine this is not a big deal), and have $ 2500 in FSA that will probably go wasted (what do I do — buy bandaids?!) But all that is better in comparison to having to deal with bad LASIK results. I just wish Dr. Basal had met with me at the time of consultation.

Small office, but world class service. They specialize in Custom Lasik and the process was far more pleasant than I expected. Dr. Bansai ran the surgery perfectly and I could see better the second it was over, albeit I was on Valium and super loopy, I walked out easily. It’s a pricey service, but with the savings in glasses, contacts, not to mention time spent doing those things, I would say I’m a believer in Lasik and highly recommend it!

I’m officially 26 hours post-​op and I couldn’t be more pleased with my Lasik surgery experience at LaserVue!
The staff here was nothing short of excellent. Dr. Chung initially reviewed my eyes and determined that I was a candidate for Lasik surgery. Andrea at the front desk was very helpful as she reviewed the appointment schedule and pricing with me. Everything was straight forward and there were no surprises at the day of surgery. Dr. Bansal performed the actual surgery. He was friendly and calm throughout the surgery– I sincerely appreciated that!
Here’s a little recap of my personal Lasik surgery experience:
First, I was given preemptive Valium pill and 2 Ibuprofen. A few simple eye measurements were taken and then a quick meeting was held to review post-​op care instructions. A few minutes later it was go time! I laid down on a bed and Dr. Bansal clipped my eyelid back and soon everything went gray. The process wasn’t painful – just a bit uncomfortable. He worked one eye at a time and I could hear his assistant counting down until it was over. The entire process lasted no more than 10 minutes. After it was over my eyes were certainly cloudy, kind of like seeing underwater. I was given some sweet sunglasses/​goggles and I was on my way. The Valium kicked in and I crashed hard in my bed. (Luckily I had a kind coworker with me and ensured that I made it into an Über and home to my bed) After I woke up it was time for eye drops. My eyes felt irritated, kind of like having an eyelash in them, but overall it was painless!
I recommend a few things:
–Have someone with you during your Lasik surgery appointment. It was very helpful to have an assistant with blurry vision– especially when the Valium kicked in
–Plan on resting your eyes the following day. Your eyes will be irritated and sensitive, so computer work can be challenging.
So far I’m very happy that I visited LaserVue and had Lasik surgery! I strongly recommend this treatment.

Thank you Dr. Bansal! I can see perfectly! Having the ability to see has changed me for the positive. I’m more confident and i feel prettier. It really is a miracle! Thank you!!!
I’m a 43 year old graphic designer by trade. I mention my work and my age because i was TERRIFIED this surgery wouldn’t work or something would happen… like I’d sneeze in the middle of it. My favorite sports are cycling and mountain bike riding. But i’m slow on the Mtn Bike because I’ve never been able to see well with my contacts.
I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to work again and see the details of my designs. And wow…43…are my eyes too old for this?
6 months ago I went to another Lasik surgeon. He recommended PRK. which is a 3 month recovery time per eye. And they suggest only doing one eye at a time. I was depressed. I didn’t want a 6 month recovery to wait to see.
Then my friend told me that 12 years ago she went to Dr. Bansal. She continues to have excellent vision. Sshe recently had to go to another eye surgeon as she moved out of the bay area. Something flew in her eye. That Dr. couldn’t believe she had lasik because there was no tell tale scaring. So i made and appt with Dr. Bansal and qualified for the regular Lasik. It’s been a week since the surgery and my vision is perfect!
I was wildly nervous before the surgery. I asked my husband a few times if would he take me home, I’ve changed my mind. He encouraged me to think hard about walking away from something I talked about for the past 10 years. And we agreed I should follow through.
I stayed got it done and I am thrilled. The staff was great! even when the fire alarm went off and we had to leave the building minutes before my surgery…(kind of hilarious because i had taken a sedative) The Doctor and staff kept eagle eyes on the two of us patients and truly cared about our well being. Amazing customer service i haven’t seen anywhere before.
Thank you Dr. Bansal! I wish I would have done this 10 years ago!!! You are the greatest! Thank you!

I had Wavefront LASIK done November 18, 2014 and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results. Dr. Bansal and his staff are wonderful — very professional and friendly. My vision is better now than it was with contact lenses and glasses.
If you’re considering LASIK, go with LaserVue and Dr. Bansal.

I went through the entire procedure and had both my eyes corrected with wavefront lasik. amazing service, no wait, very professional and modern equipment, great bedside manner and answered all questions to my entire satisfaction. I can recommend this place to everyone.

I’m one month past surgery and still completely amazed with the whole process! I originally went to LaserVue last fall to ensure I was a candidate; the test was similar to a standard eye exam with some extra checks for thickness of cornea, etc. I then waited to schedule until I could get my Flex Spending Account for work (you can take up to $ 2500 pre-​tax for medical expenses, so essentially save about $ 800 from taxes).
I work out of town Mon-​Thur and had a hard time finding anywhere in the city that does the surgery on Fridays since you typically need to return the next day for a follow-​up appointment. I finally found time in my schedule to go in August and was able to quickly get an appointment scheduled. Since I wasn’t going back into their office prior to the surgery, LaserVue sent me all of the informational material again as well as the prescriptions which you need to get filled in advance.
The process was so simple. I showed up 30 minutes before the procedure to go over details and post-​op care instructions. Everything is written out and detailed very clearly, which is great since I am pretty sure that once you pop the Valium and Tylenol you may forget what you are told. For the procedure, you lay down and they use a device which will hold your eyes open (so no chance of blinking). Then with one machine they use a laser to open a flap on each cornea (this takes about 15 – 20 seconds per eye). Then the machine uses a laser to actually do the corrective steps (again 15 – 20 sec per eye); and finally the flap gets put back down and essentially «glued» in place.
Just like that you are done! I headed home with my husband, and thanks to the meds quickly passed out for the next several hours. I woke up a bit groggy but with no pain. The first day and the next four nights you need to wear protective eyewear which I think is mostly to remind you not to touch your eyes as they heal.
There are no restrictions on tv, phone use, or reading which is great since I then spent the rest of the day binge watching Orange is the New Black. I did notice that my phone (because of the backlight) was a bit fuzzy but that went away mostly after the first day. You do need to be careful the first week about things like putting water in your eyes when you shower and wash your face and avoiding eye straining activities which included things like yoga. Also ladies, no eye make-​up for the first week. These restrictions are lifted when you go for your one week appointment.
I went for the follow-​up appointment the morning after the procedure, and then went back to work with the key being that you have to use a lot of drops since you blink less when staring at a computer screen. Even one month later I still use eye drops several times a day to prevent dry eyes to continue the healing process.
Dr. Bansal and his staff were very friendly and informative throughout the entire process. They seemed excited for my procedure knowing how much of a difference it makes for people. I have recommended to all of my friends to go asap since I now can’t figure out why I waited so long for something that ended up being so easy — outside of the $ 5200 :) As a note I saw several other people list a price of $ 4800 so I’d definitely confirm you are getting the best pricing (my vision was only –1.25 so there shouldn’t have been any extra charges).

I had the wavefront lasik procedure performed in mid July by Dr. Bansal. The whole process leading up to the procedure including the initial visit were all wonderful and very low pressure. I ended up getting the groupon pricing, through I shelled out the extra $ 800 to get the wavefront technology.
The procedure was very fast and painless. I was a little groggy when I got home and napped a bit. I ended up waking up during the few hours after the surgery where discomfort is most noticeable. It basically felt like I was cutting onions for about an hour and my eyes kept crying. After that the pain went away.
Basically, there was some initial discomfort. It took a few weeks for the halos to become less noticeable/​pronounced and for eye drops to become less necessary.
It has now been about 6 weeks. I hardly ever need drops anymore. Vision is ²⁰⁄₂₀ in both eyes technically but I can see a bit better in the left eye than the right. It has been stabilizing so I wont expect that to be a problem for much longer.
All in all, I would recommend Dr. Bansal and his clinic. Yes, I am aware of the lawsuit from like 7 years ago, but that was 7 years ago. I appreciate the professionalism of him and his staff and am AMAZED by the quality of the results.

I’m not sure what’s up with all of the five star reviews. This place is a GroupOn Lasik factory. I came in here for an appointment to see if I was a good candidate for Lasik after I had another doctor indicate that I might not be. My assistant booked this appointment based on the Unilocal reviews.
I met with Dr Tseng who was rude and condescending when I would ask questions. An example would be how he diagnosed me with astigmatism though I’ve never had it diagnosed my whole life before (and I’ve visited some of the best optical doctors in the USA). I said, «Really? I’ve never had that before?». His reply, «Well those doctors must not have detected it». Is it possible? Sure … This was the typical experience when I would ask questions.
Beyond that, I was taken to another room after my eyes were dilated where the receptionist (who was actually very pleasant and nice) asked to book my surgery. It wasn’t pushy like selling a car but it wasn’t too far off. I asked if I could speak to the doctor and she said that I would meet him the day of the surgery.
I was taken back to the room with Dr Tseng who continued how rude consultation and then I was asked again by both parties if I was ready to book the surgery.
If you want a cheap Lasik factory, maybe this will work for you. If you’re looking for more service, this isn’t the place. I would have given it 2 or 3 stars if not for Dr Tseng being so rude and the pushy sales process.