Dougherty Laser Vision

I came here for a touch up from a time in 2004 when I had laser surgery from a different establishment. Dr. Dougherty was very professional and spent as much time that I needed to explain any questions that I had. The staff was also very nice and informative. I highly recommend them!

The Beverly Hills office is the best Opthamalogist office in town! The Drs and staff are friendly. They validate and they take same day Appts! Such a classy office.

ABSOLUTELY phenomenal results! Everyday it gets sharper. Immediate ²⁰⁄₂₀ and almost no downtime for Visian lens implants. Professional, Southern-​like hospitality, and truly caring staff and surgeon. I can’t say enough, except that everything happens for a reason and I’m glad we waited for Dr. D. No way I’m taking chances with anyone else. Coming from a –10.00 (i.e., hefty near-​sightedness) to ²⁰⁄₂₀ on Day 1 after the ten-​min procedure… ten-​min and my whole world is glasses and contacts free! Thank you, Dr. Dougherty. It’s no wonder you are the surgeon other doctors go to for their own eyes.

I have been to Dr. Vida for several years and always loved how he is super friendly and know what’s the best out there for your eye vision problem.
This year I booked an appointment with him and had to wait about 2 weeks to make sure our schedule would meet.
When I came to my appointment I saw him there, he greeted me and I waited for my time.
A young lady came and called my name, thought she was a medical assistant or something. When we went into the examination room she introduced herself as Dr. Yussefy (or something like that).
I was very surprised because I didn’t book her. I explained and she said she is now taking over Dr. Vida’s clients.
I was very upset that nobody said anything when I was booking the appointment.
We went trough the examination and I said I would like to try a different contact lenses brand. She agreed and she said she would order a free pair for me.
2 weeks later someone called me saying that the brand the Doctor offer me didn’t have my prescription. (I am like: «Really? 2 weeks for a doctor to figure that out?)
They went ahead a order a free trail for the same brand I was wearing before but different kind of contacts.
They told me it would take around a week for me to get those trail ones.
Waited a week and didn’t get anything, called and they never call back, called again and again and finally they said I would get those in another week.
So I waited again.
I tried the new lenses but I didn’t like, called them a week ago saying that and asking them to talk to the doctor and see what other options I have.
Waited a week and they never called me back.
Finally called them and they didn’t have an answer and said someone would call me back when they have some answers for me.
I am no longer going to go back at this facility. Unless if Dr. Vida decides to accept new clients.
Again, I truly believe this is a problem with the staff and the organization not with the doctors.

This review is many, many, many years over due… (Hi Dr. Dougherty!!! Sorry this review has taken so long to complete). I was just reminded of completing this review when I recently found a message on Facebook’s messenger that went into my SPAM box asking my thoughts on this procedure.
My surgery was completed back in 2012. For some background as to how I arrived to choosing Dr. Dougherty as my surgeon, I had been researching various eye surgery procedures since 1996 and visited five different eye surgeons before my decision to go with Visian ICL with Dr. Dougherty in 2012.
In 1996 when Lasik was getting popular and was told at that time that I was a candidate for Lasik, however I hesitated to go through with the surgery because I felt my eyes at that time was still changing and getting worse. Thank God I didn’t go down the Lasik route as my high degree of myopia I would have been problematic… As I would not have had enough cornea to safely shave off to correct my vision. (my vision before surgery was about 1500 and the other 1550 in correction– I was legally blind without my corrective lenses. Yup I was one of those people who required coke bottle lenses and had to hold books inches from my nose to decipher any words. I visited surgeons from San Marino to Newport Beach to Beverly Hills … And even drafted letters to a Singaporean Doctor. However I never felt comfortable with any of the other surgeons. Some locations I felt like I was part of a production line which turned me off or the surgeon fail to be able to make me feel comfortable with their expertise with the procedure. Another surgeon even balked at the simple question of what he would have recommend between Visian ICL vs Veriseye. This surgeon also told me to pick either procedure … no personal commentary about his thoughts of the pros or cons of each procedure. Needless to say I didn’t use that particular surgeon.
Due to my high myopia I wanted to be extra careful with who was my surgeon and what procedure. Then one day as I was pouring over studies found on the FDA website regarding Visian ICL clinical trials/​findings (don’t ask me what I was reading now as I can’t remember 4 years later)… I found Dr. Dougherty’s name on one of the reports. I was happy to find that Dr. Dougherty was located in Los Angeles and made an appointment. When I arrived to my appointment I remember sign-​in and I went through my list of questions and Dr. Dougherty answered my questions so knowledgably and then some… definitely not the one word answers that I was getting from other surgeons. Dr. Dougherty made me feel very comfortable and I felt assured of his skill. Out of sheer coincidence, Dr. Dougherty at the time was scheduled to film a spot on ABC7 News about the Visian ICL procedure. I guess Dr. Dougherty liked me too and asked if I would be okay to be his patient to have my procedure completed on the afternoon news. I nervously agreed and the surgery was scheduled for September 10, 2012. I was also given a couple of prescriptions of antibiotics for the eyes to be used right after the surgery.
There was a lot of testing and measuring of my eye at the LA office a few days before the surgery. My fiancé (husband now) drove me to the appointment and I had a ton of butterflies in my stomach… one because of the procedure surgery… two because of the knowledge that I was about to make a fool of myself on live TV. The staff measured my eyes again multiple times as Denise Dador (the news reporter) interviewed me asking me on camera why I wanted to do the procedure and other small talk.
As the surgery was being preformed on live TV… I was AMAZED at how soon after the procedure I was able to see. The staff at the office was awwwwwweeesssooommmeeee! They made me feel very comfortable and at ease. I’m not gonna lie… the procedure did hurt a bit while it was being done, but the procedure took less than a minute or two per eye to complete. I was surprised how soon I was able to see after the procedure. My eyes did feel sore for the next month as they healed. After the appointment I did have to go into the office a few times while other optomitrist tested my eyes to make sure everything was okay with the procedure.
Now 3.5 years later… my eyes are still doing just fine and my vision is still awesome! I do see some halos at night, but its not too bad that it bothers me or effects my vision or ability to see. I have not missed wearing contacts or glasses since having this procedure. My only regret is that I hadn’t done this procedure sooner. Thank you Dr. Dougherty!!!

Dougherty Laser Vision is my favorite place for a variety of reasons.
First and foremost, the staff. They are the nicest, kindest people I’ve ever met. They joke, laugh, and are so helpful — I can’t say enough good things about them.
I’ve seen two doctor’s here, both are fantastic. Dr. Vida is wonderful, confident, and made a special stop to see me at 6:15am so I wouldn’t have to drive to their Westlake Village office. Now that is customer service.
I was at the center for a form of eye surgery where they put an implantable contact lens in your eye, it’s called Visian ICL. The doctor who performed that surgery, Dr. Dougherty himself, was awesome. Swift, confident, fast, and no complications. I’d highly recommend this surgery to anyone with bad vision.

Made an app’t with Dr. Daugherty. When arrived was not told I would not see him, but decided to stay. Had a head injury a few months prior and it was recommended that I see an Opthamolagist so made my app’t. Had seen him before and really liked him. When a Dr came in I still don’t remember who he was but he certainly had no interest in me. Will not return and will go back to Dr. Schneider, Optometrist, who always takes a personal approach to my care!

Dr. Dougherty and his staff performed an amazing LASIK surgery for me. My vision is better then I could’ve hoped for now. The only small hiccup was that they left me in a waiting room and forgot about me for less then five minutes. A nurse came running in a minute later apologizing for the delay and handed me a $ 10 Starbucks giftcard. If I could change anything about my experience with Dougherty LASIK it would be I wish I had hid in other rooms to try and get more gift cards! ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would recommend to a friend.

It brings me great joy to give this place a 5 star rating since it means I can see!!! It’s been 6 months since my surgery. I had a pretty bad astigmatism and prescription going in and now I’m basically ²⁰⁄₂₀. No dry eyes, no problems night driving, really no problems at all.
It’s tough choosing a surgeon with the wide variety of selection out there in LA. I went to several doctors to feel them out. To be honest, it semed like most of the doctors during the consultation were in a hurry and telling you what you wanted to hear to get you to sign up for surgery and take your money. Even Dr. Dougherty seemed to have the same spiel every time I saw him, with the ‘You’re gonna love, we’ll take great care of you, you’re in good hands”. But I choose him as he seemed more conservative than other doctors I went to, which is good in my books. From the research that I did, it appeared he had a good track record as well.
In the end, I’m sure a lot of the surgeons out there can get the job done. I liked Dougherty more than the rest, and he did a great job. It’s amazing not to have to wear glasses or contacts anymore and I’m very happy with my results.

I was referred to Dr. Dougherty by my long time ophthalmologist who had also had iCL surgery by Dr. Dougherty. I am extremely near-​sided (−14÷14.5) with an astigmatism in both eyes and a cornea too thin to be corrected by Lasik. I have known about ICL since approximately 2003 when it was just starting to be done here in the US. I knew it was my only option to be free of glasses and contacts, which did not even correct for my vision completely.
Being a Nurse, I am very aware of how medical practices run, what bedside manner should be, and customer service expectations. At Dougherty Laser Vision, the staff was always warm, unrushed, and helpful. Dr. Dougherty can be a little quick and appear rushed, but he will take the time to answer questions and pause to give you his full attention. I never felt my questions went left unanswered.
The day of surgery was a bit longer than I expected, with waiting time, time allowed for dilation of the eye, and extra testing, but I understand that some things cannot be rushed and should not be, especially in medicine. My surgery went as expected, and I am extremely pleased with the results. My night vision is the most impressive, giving me what I call «laser vision». I started to see halos around lights and «starbursts» sometimes at night about a week after the surgery. I have been told is normal. I had problems with headaches and migraines for about a week after the surgery and I attribute this to the eye/brain’s change in focus and healing process. My headaches have resolved now, It is still amazing me to to wake up and see in the morning, and to see people across the room without contacts + glasses. I am finally free! Thank you Dr. Dougherty, your advances in eye care have changed my life!

As an optometrist, I was obviously very apprehensive in deciding to get refractive surgery, so much so that I put it off for a number of years. My main concern was how to find a refractive surgeon who I am comfortable with and who I can trust to take care of my eyes as he/​she would take care of their own?
Fortunately for me, a colleague and good friend of mine referred me to Dr. Dougherty after detailing her own exceptional experience with both Dr. Dougherty and his entire staff.
After my initial expression of interest in the possibility of getting LASIK, Dr. Vida was extremely accessible and flexible in getting my surgery scheduled. I had the flexibility of getting the pre-​op testing performed by my local optometrist, which was wonderfully convenient.
When I arrived at the surgical center, the staff at the office was extremely welcoming, calming, and beyond helpful. Whatever apprehension I might have felt dissipated immediately after meeting Dr. Dougherty because his attentiveness and enthusiasm thoroughly convinced me that he was going to take the best care of my eyes as though they were his own.
As a testament to Dr. Dougherty’s remarkable skill and precision, here I am at work barely a day after my surgery, happily typing away with my new crisp, clear, and comfortable vision.
Thank you Dr. Dougherty, and your entire staff, for this life changing event!

Cataract surgery went well. Don’t even remember being in the OR. Recovery was easy, minor problem quickly handled. The staff at DLV Westlake Village is friendly, caring, sensitive and things are within 5 minutes of being on time. Dr. D is a phenomenal surgeon and really makes you feel comfortable. He does work at a high energy pace and is in constant motion. However, the results proved to be as I had hoped. Kudos to this entire operation.

I was TERRIFIED of getting lasik and put it off for years. Finally one of my coworkers got it done and he told me about the research he’d done and how the doctor her went to was the best one out there. So, I decided since he didn’t go blind and seemed happy with it, I’d check out his doctor. Sure enough, Dr. Dougherty is the best one out there.
My vision was –5.00, which means everything was basically a blur without my contacts.
My boyfriend came with me to the free consult to see if I was a good candidate. We both wanted to make sure I went to a doctor we could both trust, since obviously if things don’t go well, it was something that would affect both of us.
Dr. Dougherty was incredibly patient. I asked him a million questions, including his academic history (He shares an office with another doctor, and that doctor went to Harvard, so before we met him, we were like «Maybe we should check out his buddy here instead…»). Dr. Dougherty went through his whole history with us, and answered every question I had. He didn’t make me feel like I was wasting his time, and he reiterated that he wanted me to feel comfortable with it. The consult couldn’t have gone better. By the time I left, I was booking my appointment to get it done.
The actual day of surgery was a little different. Dr. Dougherty seemed a little rushed and hurried, but not in a bad way. It seemed more like he was really excited that he was getting to cut open my eye in that passionate sort of way. Kind of like when I watch Grey’s Anatomy and the doctor’s get all excited about surgery. The staff was AMAZING the entire time I was there. One of the optometrist technicians (I think his name is Mike) remembered exactly who I was and seemed to know my chart without even looking. The entire staff was incredibly patient. After they gave me the first xanex/​valium thing, I was still nervous and didn’t feel ready so they gave me a little more time and talked with me until I was good to go.
The surgery itself was really fast. I think each eye took about 5 minutes from start to finish. He seemed to run a very tight ship in there. After it was done, I could immediately see. I went home right after, slept for about 4 hours like they told me to and woke up seeing perfectly.
I’m about 1 month post op and I still have some starbursts at night, but I’m told they should get better. Supposedly when your vision starts out as bad as mine did, it takes longer to heal up and for stuff like that to go away. I still give them 5 stars because the starbursts aren’t a result of him giving me a bad surgery, it’s completely normal. I do not have dry eyes. I use the rewetting drops because they tell me to, but otherwise my eyes are so far perfectly fine.
If I could go back in time, I would do it all over again with him and his staff. Everyone from the receptionist to accounting was really wonderful in both the beverly hills and westlake offices.
I don’t know whether the extra money for CATZ was worth it or not, but I figured I’d rather pay the extra and know I got the best lasik out there, than risk my outcome not being as good and having to get another enhancement with it.
Dr. Dougherty really is the best. I think when people are reviewing him and say he’s hurried, it might be referring to surgery days, but it seemed more like he was focused on making sure everything went right and didn’t have time to be as «patient.» To me this isn’t a bad thing though. I want a doctor who is going to make sure the surgery goes right.

THANK YOU SO MUCH DR DOUGHERTY & TEAM. I wore glasses up until yesterday. No more!!! I had a consultation a few weeks back, decided Dougherty Laser Vision was the place for me. I met with various people including Dr Dougherty during the consultation, and I was a candidate. It’s now 24 hours since I had surgery, I am writing this on my computer at work, no glasses in sight. Thank you all for being so kind, inclusive, and putting my nerves to rest. You have such a great team there. Thanks again, Janine

I’m a big eye nerd. So big that I went and graduated from optometry school, did a residency, earned my fellowship, and am now teaching full time at an optometry school. So when it came to getting refractive surgery, I couldn’t have just anyone take care of my eyes (because who wants an optometrist with blurry vision?). I did my research, talked to colleagues, and am super happy I went with Dr. Dougherty.
I appreciate that Dr. Dougherty works well with optometrists so I could do my pre– and post-​ops with my own optometrist and just had to come in for a few measurements right before surgery. I also liked that he has a really strong background, did a corneal fellowship, actively does research and publishes, and trains both ophthalmology residents and optometry students. But most importantly I really enjoyed my experience working with Dr. Dougherty and his team. Drs. Dougherty and Vida and their staff took great care of me and were friendly and professional. Their office was clean, had hi-​tech instrumentation, and they were efficient, kind, and took care of everything (parking’s even validated).
other random tips:
1. set aside flex spending money for the surgery
2. whoever you go with do your research and make sure you’re comfortable and have all of your question answered
3. have a good person to drive you there and home and don’t plan to do anything after surgery — I had my surgery at 1P and basically slept on and off until 6A the next day (but woke up feeling awesome and could drive and do everything like normal)
extra kudos — Drs. Dougherty and Vida checked in with me the day after to make sure I was doing OK and as of now, post-​op day 1, I’m seeing great and feeling awesome. :)

Very careless, and extremely unhelpful– to the point where I feel overall my situation is worse because of them. THEY ALSO MADE THE MOST UNPROFESSIONAL MISTAKE IF SWITCHING PRESCRIPTIONS ON MY LEFT AND RIGHT EYE!!!
If you have issues with your eyes, and are worried about them, don’t look here for help, because even if they are ophthalmologists, they don’t tell you what your problem is, how you can make things better etc. they just take your prescription and set you off.
I went in worried because my eyes were getting worse, and wanted to know why, and how I could fix it. They didn’t even assign me a real doctor, just an intern (who was very nice and helpful). They give me a prescription and tell me to go get glasses from an optometry.
I did that, and got new glasses today, and they were completely off! After figuring out what the problem was, they told me that Dougherty Laser vision assigned me the WRONG PRESCRIPTION FOR THE WRONG EYE! Imagine if that was surgery!
And so the Optometry told me to re-​take the test at Dougherty, but I asked if I could just re-​take it at the Optometric center, because Dougherty Laser Vision was so careless and unhelpful, the idea of going back there felt miserable!
So the optometry says they understand, and did a medical exam on my eyes, and found out the reason for why they were worsening, and now I feel some sort of resolve. Don’t you think Dougherty Laser Vision SHOULD have been the place to give me the resolve? But nope, they just took my prescription and left me leaving with so many questions and confusions unsolved. I completely got the feeling that they didn’t care and just wanted me out as soon as possible. Do NOT go here! I am still reeling to think I’ve wasted money at a place that just made things so much worse for me…

Readers should note that my surgery with Dr. Dougherty took place in Dec 2008, and my last post-​surgery office visit with him occurred Aug 2011, so he may have modified some of his habits/​behaviors/​procedures (hopefully for the better) since then.
— — — – Positives — — — –
Exceptionally bright man. Even in a field of bright people (physicians), Dr. Dougherty stands apart.
Went above and beyond the call of duty in answering my questions. More so than other refractive surgeons I interviewed (and I interviewed A LOT of them back in 2007-​08).
The results of my Visian ICL surgery were great for the first 2.5 years. The cataracts that developed after that were caused by a combination of my age and the statistics of that particular kind of surgery. I knew those risks going in, so Dr. Dougherty is without fault regarding the failure to get more than 2.5 years out of my ICL lenses.
The view (Hollywood sign, Paramount water tower) from his old Larchmont Village office was the best «eye chart» I’ve ever seen. Won’t get that in the Beverly Hills office he now shares with Andy Caster (unless they pay Salma Hayek to stand in the lobby).
— — — – Negatives — — — –
In all of my pre– and post-​surgery consultations & follow-​up visits, I got the feeling that Dr. Dougherty’s mind was 50% on my issues and 50% somewhere else. It’s like he’s almost TOO smart, and the pace of us normal humans is inadequate to keep his mind occupied. When I was in the «on deck circle» for my surgery, I even tested him («What’s my name, surgery type, and lens prescriptions?») to make sure that he had not gotten unsynchronized from his patient queue.
During none of my post-​surgery checkups did he or his staff dilate my eyes. Had they done so, they’d have discovered cataracts forming, which I finally did get diagnosed (and removed & replaced) by another doctor. For the Visian ICL surgery I had, dilation is an essential part of the follow-​up care. Imagine being a heart attack victim, and noticing that your cardiologist never listens to the left side of your chest with that stethoscope that hangs around his neck.
As of Aug 2014, there were still two items on the last page of his online CV (
.. .. . Why Choose Us. .. .. Our Doctors. .. .. Meet Dr. Dougherty. .. .. View Dr. Paul Dougherty’s CV) that should raise warning flags for prospective patients. I can’t go into detail without the Unilocal nannies deleting my post, so you’ll have to figure it out yourself (but they have NOTHING to do with Ophthalmology*). I was even thanked for pointing these out by Dr. Dougherty’s marketeer. So what happens a few weeks later? Unilocal deletes my original post. WTF!!! And the real kicker is that these same two disturbing items are STILL on the Dougherty CV as I create this edited re-​write on 18 Nov 2014. I guess there’s just no figuring out marketeers (or Unilocal,and their odd definitions of «personal attack»).
* Send me a personal message via Unilocal if you can’t figure it out and really want to know.

I would like to start this review by saying that Dr. Dougherty is the epitome of what a professional is supposed to be. His bedside manner is great, he is very patient and has no problems going over every detail of the procedure with you.
His staff and associates are knowledgeable, friendly, and kind. They are willing to help and answer questions every step of the way.
The facility at the Beverly Hills office is everything you would expect a modern healthcare facility to be. Clean, organized, and have the latest technology.
The procedure itself was virtually painless, as you only feel a slight pressure. After a short period of time the procedure is done, and after the recovery period it was like seeing with a brand new set of eyes.
Getting the Lasik procedure was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I researched a lot of places, and I am glad I chose Dougherty Laser Vision

Came here for my pre-​op exam and couldn’t have been happier. Staff was friendly, attentive, and thorough, and the wait time was non-​existent. The office is super clean and has an awesome view of the Hollywood sign.
My surgery the next day at the new location was equally as enjoyable, but that’s another story. Dr. Dougherty and his staff are the best at what they do – hands down!

The wife had laser eye surgery here and here’s how we did…
After watching the videos and the warnings I was a bit concerned for the health of my wifes eyes. But after talking to the Dr himself I felt so comfortable that I would let him take my wife on a date. Ok, not that comfortable but he was very reassuring and confident that I knew we were in good hands.
Everything we talked about from recovery time to the amount of pain (very little) to post-​op visits and calls were spot on. This is a master of his craft and I’m glad my wife came here. My wife had a couple concerns a week after the surgery and the Dr himself got on the phone to answer her questions. Lo and behold its been a few months and my wifes vision is perfect. She claims its better now than when she was wearing contacts or glasses/​Thanks to the entire Dougherty team!
Will I again? Well… my vision isn’t the best so if I decide to leave the glasses behind I will be calling Dougherty Laser Vision to get all fixed up.