I am writing this short story about Samuel Masket, a medical doctor (MD) at Advanced Vision Care (an eye health care located in Century City, Los Angeles, California), and a Clinical Professor at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) David Geffen School of Medicine. Dr. Samuel Masket, MD is a renowned ophthalmologist who knows his profession. Despite his exceptional academic and clinical credentials, Dr. Masket is humble, courteous, and very down to earth.
I first met Dr. Masket in February of 2017. Before that he communicated with my husband thru email. How my husband discovered Dr. Masket was purely by accident. You see, I accidentally struck my eye at the edge of a glass sink counter and completely lost the iris in that eye. I was advised that I may have to live the rest of my life without the iris. I was extremely depressed to say the least, and also didn't know what to do.
My husband knew how depressed I was and started to surf the internet on his own looking for an eye doctor who could do something about my situation. He stumbled upon Dr. Devgan Uday, an ophthalmologist from LA. My husband wrote to him, explained my situation, and Dr. Uday was kind enough to refer us to Dr. Masket. My husband then emailed Dr. Masket and requested his help. Right away Dr. Masket agreed to help but explained that I would have to be in a clinical trial program since the iris implant procedure has not been approved by the FDA. I agreed.
I finally met Dr. Masket in person in February 2017. From that first meeting, I knew that I was in good hands. Just from the way he greeted me and asked questions about my eye problem I felt at ease. Even the way he put the eye drops in my eyes was comfortable. To say that Dr. Masket knows his profession is an understatement. He truly knows his craft. But more importantly, he does his work with empathy and compassion. He makes you feel better just by talking to you. He explains everything in detail, asks how you are doing and if you have any questions. And most importantly, if you ask him something and he does not know the answer, he will tell you he does not know the answer. What a humble man he is.
The iris implant surgery was a success. Dr. Masket himself took the photo of the natural iris from which to replicate the artificial iris and performed the surgery. I was advised that the artificial iris had to be made in Germany. Whoever constructed my artificial iris did a terrific job. The color of the artificial iris perfectly matched the color of my natural iris. I have visited several eye doctors and they honestly can't tell which of my iris is natural and which is the artificial. Although the surgery lasted several hours, Dr. Masket and his team did such a superb job it's as if I never had the iris implant procedure. I understand that the FDA recently approved the iris implant procedure nationwide. If anyone out there has lost an iris and needs such a procedure, I hope this letter leads you to Dr. Masket.
I would be remiss if I did not say a few words about the staff at Advanced Vision Care. The staff are competent, efficient, know their stuff, and very courteous and helpful. They make you feel welcome as soon as you enter the office with their smiles and warm personalities. Besides their great demeanor, they're very efficient in performing their tasks. One of the tasks they do that impressed me the most is that they wipe the eye instruments/equipment before and after each use. I do not see that practice in some of the eye clinics I have visited.
My special "thanks" goes out to Ms. Orly Shiler. She was responsible for setting up all the appointments and visits that I had to undergo to complete the clinical trial. She received me on each visit, asked detail questions about my eye and how I was doing, explained the forms I had to fill out, and patiently answered all my questions even those that had nothing to do with my eye. She is truly an amazing person.
Let me end with a huge 'thank you' to Dr. Masket, Ms Shiler, all the staff at Advanced Vision Care, and to the person who artfully painted my artificial iris. When I lost my iris and before I had the iris implant I was extremely depressed. I did not want to get out of bed and be reminded of my lost iris. Not anymore. I feel so blessed to have met Dr. Masket and forever grateful to his excellent work in giving me an iris that not only functions, but also looks natural like the one I lost. read more