Founders Statement

A Statement from the Founders

By James Michael Salz, Esq. (son of LASIK and Cataract Pioneer and Visionary, Dr. James J. Salz, M.D (1939-2022)

My Dad, Dr. James J. Salz passed away in 2022.  If you would like to learn more about his extensive contributions, please visit my Facebook Tribute to Dr. James J. Salz.  If you were to ask some of his peers, who are pioneers in the field of vision correction surgery in their own right, nearly all of them will tell you he was a "Giant" in the field of refractive surgery, which include LASIK, cataract and other lens implant and vision correction procedures.

How Did the Idea For Trusted LASIK SurgeonsTM Begin?

The seeds for this business were planted over 20 years ago when my father began performing Radial Keratotomy surgeries (RK). RK was the precursor to laser eye surgeries such as LASIK, where instead of using a laser, eye surgeons made incisions into the cornea using a special diamond knife to alter the shape of the cornea. RK surgery became popular in the 80’s and early 90’s as many doctors pushed this surgery very hard to consumers with aggressive marketing through television infomercial's and seminars. Many of these doctors made a lot of money by sheer volume of patients willing to take any risk. My father was not one of them. (That’s not to say my father didn’t make money on the RK surgery, he just took a very conservative approach where he only operated on candidates that in his expert opinion were best suited to RK). By this time, my father had become a pioneer in refractive surgery, having been one of ten doctors selected to participate in the National Eye Institute study for the “Prospective Evaluation of Radial Keratotomy” (PERK).

What bothered me at the time were these doctors who would perform the surgery on nearly anyone who walked into their office. Most of these doctors insulated themselves from liability (in cases where something went wrong or the results didn’t live up to the patient's expectations) by putting together informed consent procedures that minimized their exposure to malpractice litigation. By the way, this can still be the case today with LASIK and other refractive and laser vision procedures and here at Trusted LASIK Surgeons, many of the surgeons listed at Trusted LASIK Surgeons are hired regularly to handle complications when things go wrong and often end up being expert witnesses when things go really wrong.

Back then, I remember asking my father why he didn’t market himself more with the RK surgery. He said he wouldn’t operate on any patient who he wasn’t confident that a significant and positive result could be achieved without the risk of serious complications. I explained to him that since he always explained the risks to any patient in depth, he was still the best doctor to perform the surgery. He told me that he always strongly advised patients who were either risky candidates (from complications) or those who probably would not get the results they hoped for, not to have the surgery and that he could not in good conscience operate on them. So my father was willing to leave money on the table as a matter of principle and that reminded me of something fundamental: he has always been a doctor first and that meant the Hippocratic Oath was paramount: “First, do no harm.”

LASIK and the Internet Come Into Play

Times have changed and lasers have replaced diamond knives. First, there was laser eye surgery, then came LASIK (with one incision) and now we have IntraLase (with a laser incision), which make up the fundamental parts of corneal refractive surgery today. And then came the evolution of the Internet. My father has always been at the leading edge of technology, whether in his profession or with his gadgets for the home and office. We had the first computer of anyone in our neighborhood (an Apple clone no less). My father was our little league baseball coach and the first one with a VHS cassette camera to film our team. It’s no surprise that our family was among the first to get on the Internet in our neighborhood and he had his web site created in the late 1990’s. But as everyone else catches up eventually, his web site was not reaching an audience of prospective patients.

In 2006, I finally impressed upon my father to let my long time friend Lance McCloud, of LanceThink Media, to. revise and improve my father’s web site from a marketing standpoint. I also started writing and issuing press releases on behalf of my father. Lance did such a great job, moving my father’s web site from well beyond page 30 on a Google search to Page 1 or 2 (Position 1 or 2) when you searched for “Los Angeles Lasik Surgeon” and “Los Angeles Lasik Surgeon”.

Setting Trusted LASIK SurgeonsTM Apart from the Rest

With the success at my father’s web site, it occurred to us that we could do this for other laser eye surgeons of my father's caliber across the United States. Because there is strength in numbers, we decided the best way to service potential patients and the LASIK surgeons would be to put together a network of web sites that marketed these laser eye surgeons at a local level. We also needed to make this a compelling proposition to both the consumer and these highly-qualified surgeons.

First, we decided we would limit the number of laser eye surgeons in any local area. We also didn’t want this to be like other LASIK marketing web sites that are open to any surgeon or practice willing to pay. We wanted to work with the best and most respected laser eye surgeons only. We brought the idea to my father and he suggested we come up with some objective qualifications that the most respected and qualified doctors would have. This led to the development of our unique screening process where each LASIK surgeon must meet certain qualifications in order to be eligible to be listed at our web site. Our screening process sets up an objective means for consumers compares surgeons so they can be confident in their decision to select a surgeon listed at the Trusted LASIK SurgeonsTM web site. This is the basis that sets us apart from other web sites that market LASIK. For more information about our screening qualifications please see How Are Doctors Qualified at Trusted LASIK Surgeons?

We believe we have created an easy-to-use web site and a method to connect you with the leading and most reputable LASIK surgeons in your local area. We also believe the resources on our web site should give you an understanding of LASIK and refractive surgery procedures as well as the guidelines to find the best doctor for you. Please take advantage of our special reports (always free) and be sure check back with us for additional reports and updates in the future.

If you have any suggestions on how we can better serve you, please don’t hesitate to email us from the contact page.

Thank you very much for your time and we wish the best in reaching your goal of clear vision.


James Michael Salz, Esq.
Co-Founder and President
Trusted LASIK Surgeons™ and Trusted Cataract Surgeons™

Addendum

My Dad passed away on March 19, 2022.  He is dearly missed, not just by me, but by his peers, many of whom are members of Trusted LASIK Surgeons.™  If you'd like to learn more about my Dad, please see my Facebook Tribute to Dr. James J. Salz.

Thank you very much and we wish you success in improving your vision which you so don't delay and choose an expert surgeon you can choose with confidence here at Trusted LASIK Surgeons™. 


To find a vision correction expert surgeon who has qualified to be listed at Trusted LASIK Surgeons™, please visit:

Find a Trusted LASIK Surgeon™

Find a Trusted Cataract Surgeon™

The screening process and standards used by Trusted LASIK Surgeons™ to ensure we only list true expert eye surgeons can be found at:

How Are LASIK and Cataract Surgeons Qualified at Trusted LASIK Surgeons™?

Trusted LASIK Surgeons™ and Trusted Cataract Surgeons™

Trusted LASIK Surgeons™ and Trusted Cataract Surgeons is an online business that provides LASIK and Cataract Surgeon directories and consumer resources concerning eyesight and vision correction as well as a Consumer Checklist for the True Cost of LASIK.

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