Emily SARAH Charlson's Online Review Report Card

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After a referral and reading many reviews of Dr. Charlson and her clinic, I was thrilled to have the blepharoplasty surgery with her. Little did I know I was signing up for a myriad of issues with this practice. The pre-operative experience was pleasant, but the inter-operative and post-operative care was nothing shy of terrifying. From the unsterile procedure room where the Doctor's long hair hung in my incisions during the procedure. To the rude front desk staff and unorganized financial team who overcharged me, then when I pushed back they kicked me out of the practice without honoring my follow-up appointments. Additionally, 2 weeks post-procedure, I acquired a post-operative eyelid infection, which was painful and unsightly and I had no way of holding the office accountable because they would not return my calls, emails, or online appointment requests. I would highly encourage people/patients to exit this practice and for considering patients to look elsewhere.

After a referral and reading many reviews of Dr. Charlson and her clinic, I was thrilled to have the blepharoplasty surgery with her. Little did I know I was signing up for a myriad of issues with this practice. The pre-operative experience was pleasant, but the inter-operative and post-operative care was nothing shy of terrifying. From the unsterile procedure room where the Doctor's long hair hung in my incisions during the procedure. To the rude front desk staff and unorganized financial team who overcharged me, then when I pushed back they kicked me out of the practice without honoring my follow-up appointments. Additionally, 2 weeks post-procedure, I acquired a post-operative eyelid infection, which was painful and unsightly and I had no way of holding the office accountable because they would not return my calls, emails, or online appointment requests. I would highly encourage considering patients to look elsewhere.

It has been four months today since my 11/5/21 Ptosis surgery on (referred to as drooping eyelid) and upper and lower Blepharoplasty surgery performed by Dr. Emily Charlson at Pacific Eye Associates. The Ptosis condition that affected my upper left eyelid was due to a natural weakening of the levator muscle. Both full upper lids displayed no heavy, excessive crepey skin that sagged or pulled down the upper eyelid. My field of vision has never been obstructed with either eye. Surgically tightening the levator muscle to increase the eyelid height should have solved this issue. I still have Ptosis in my left eye today. Unbeknownst to me, the surgical procedure used was Canthoplasty. This should have been discussed with me in August. I would never have agreed to any procedure that would also alter the overall shape of my eye(s).I agreed at our August meeting that the 'puff' or fat beneath the lower lids should be addressed with Lower Blephoraplasty, i.e., surgical removal or repositioning of the fat under the eyes and removal or tightening of any redundant lower eyelid skin. This incision is made on the inside of the lower eyelid which means the scarring should be completely invisible after the process is completed. Today, there is pronounced crepey wrinkling of the fragile skin below both eyes with just the slightest facial expression. I have concluded she neglected to remove or tighten any of the redundant lower eyelid skin and attach the remaining skin to healthy connective tissue. Prior to surgery, I paid $8500 + $1400 for anethesia and surgery center.Dr. Charlson explained to me (by pointing to a blown up picture of my eyes) that by performing an Upper Blepharoplasty, only 'small amount' of fat in the upper lid on each side of my nose or directly up from the tear gland would be removed. Today, my lids look heavy, wrinkled and tired with far more pronounced 'crowsfeet'. The right eyelid shows a bumpy visible scar outside of the eyelid crease. Eye shadow makes it worse. I told Dr. Charlson on the morning of surgery that I didn't want to proceed with the Upper Blepharoplasty... 'just going to remove a bit of fat, now let me mark them'. I should have run...The aftermath of this surgery was pure hell. My eyes were literally 'stuck shut' for 28 hours. Neighbor helped with antibiotic ointment & ice bags. Couldn't administer artificial tears. It felt like there was crushed glass in my eyes for the first week. Ultimately, I learned the condition was a case of severe Dry Eye syndrome. It's so painful that you cannot sleep or think clearly. Three days later, I took a cab to Emergency. Doctor put a couple of temporary numbing drops in my eyes over the course of 4 hours, but couldn't put more in because it was not good to do so. When I finally spoke with Dr. Charlson, I was given the impression that the most I could do was keep applying the ointment, cold packs and artificial tears. I would see her at the end of the week, 7 days after the surgery. At that time, she gave me corticosteroid drops to apply over the next 2 weeks along with more antibiotic ointment. Nothing relieved the bloodshot eyes. She removed what I thought were the remainder of the sutures that didn't dissolve on their own. It wasn't until 47 days later that I had more sutures removed from both eyes by another doctor. My next appointment with Dr. Charlson was scheduled for February 11, 2022.I arrive to the office of Pacific Eye Associates just before my 1:00 pm app't on February 11, 2022. I have a list of questions that pertain to the procedures used with my surgery and concern re: the condition of my bloodshot eyes. I was escorted to a small exam room by a young assistant who would give me a quick 'wall' eye exam. She asked how I was feeling and I told her that my bloodshot eyes continued to bother me. Before I could see Dr. Charlson, she asked me to sign a 'paper'. Two more employees came to the exam room and asked me sign this 'paper, and I refused. I calmly stated that I was there for my app't/exam with Dr. Charlson and I'm not going to sign anything at this time. The third Pacific Eye employee told me to leave the office. In shock, I calmly left their office. I can only assume the 'paper' was some sort of hold harmless agreement.. Good medical practice does not exist here. Run!It's finally been determined that the condition I have is called Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD). "The most common etiology of dry eye is the decreased production of the lipid layer by meibomian glands, leading to destabilization and evaporation of the tear film. If it is not treated, the glands may stop working permanently and result in permanent damage to the eyes. It is common to have a combination of MGD, dry eye and blepharitis." The cleansing treatment for this condition is pretty forthright and is accomplished morning and evening to keep it in check. How easy this would have been to detect by an accomplished Opthalmologist in November 2021.

A true lifesaver -- thank you Dr. Charlson for such great, empathetic care. I really appreciate your flexibility to find time for emergency same-day appointments. Could not recommend her more highly.

Very good experience. Front desk very pleasant and helpful. Appointment was on time. Dr. Charlson was very nice and knowledgeable. Took her time and answered all my questions. Checkout was smooth and quick. Staff were very helpful in scheduling follow up appointments and confirming prescription information. Highly recommend.

I saw Dr. Charlson for eye pain problem. Front desk check in was easy and staff were very pleasant. Appointment was on time. Dr. Charlson was very nice and took her time to examine my eyes and answer all my questions. Check out was quick and staff were very nice in scheduling follow up appointment and confirming what prescription was issued. Highly recommend.

Dr. Charlson reconstructed my eyelid after having a growth removed. Her work is outstanding. I am only a week out of the surgery and the results are amazing. She has an eye for detail and explains what is happening every step of the way. The office is very professional and I am glad that I went there! Thank you Dr. Charlson!!

I came to Dr. Charleson for an upper bleph procedure. I was nervous but everything went so smoothly. Dr. Charleson did the surgery at Eye Surgery Center, which was my choice, but CPMC is also an option. So far, I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised because I have had zero pain and haven't required pain meds. I have close to zero bruising. It's only been a couple of days but these are supposed to be the worst days. Hopefully, I can update this review with a great result photo in a few weeks.

It was great to see someone who specializes in my condition. Emily was very kind and informative. I am going to see her in 6 months for a follow op.