Kevin Tan, MD

It’s been one year since I decided to opt for LASIK, and never been happier with my eyesight. I took advantage of maxing out my pretax FSA benefit to minimize out of pocket expense. Dr. Tan performed my operation earlier this year. I recommend do not pass up on the valium. Even though the procedure was well explained and I had months to mentally prepare, I definitely felt a little antsy day of operation; I over think in general, so the valium calmed my nerves. The procedure itself was very quick. I was told my vision may temporarily be blurry as it would take lots and lots of various eye drops to heal properly. However, even within the first week, I went hiking — I noticed I could see such sharpness and details in further distances I never noticed before. You’d think my previous glasses/​contacts would correct — but no – with LASIK life was more — beautiful. During the recovery phase — apparently, my eyes suffer from too much dryness — which was a bit too bothersome. Dr. Tan was very accommodating in alleviating my symptoms — from prescribing latisse, but the burning sensation wouldn’t go away, so we tried tear duct plugs — which worked — but they kept popping out due to me inadvertently rubbing my eyes. Ultimately, I simply really needed to used more lubricating eye drops more often. so… definitely do not forget your eye drops!
During my first follow up eye exams, I explained one of my eyes had difficulty focusing. I was concerned with the result of ²⁰⁄₂₅ vision. However, Dr. Tan assured me that this can happen as my eyes will continue to heal and adjust. Sure enough, my follow up eye exam today shows I have perfect ²⁰⁄₂₀ vision. It’s been truly liberating to not deal with glasses or contacts any more. I’m happy with my vision and definitely recommend Dr. Tan to others.

The one thing that I really like about Dr. Kevin Tan is that he actually cares about my eyes and takes the time to address my concerns.
I just moved to SF and it was hard for me to find an ophthalmologist to help me with my dry eyes. I stumbled across Dr. Kevin Tan through my insurance network. I saw Dr. Tan and he helped my eyes so much by adding plugs.
His office is located in Union Square so it was an easy walk for me before work (parking can be a little hard but I think there is a parking garage next to the building). I was really nervous before my appointment but Dr. Tan was very patient and explained every step of the process with me.
I feel very comfortable and I am glad to have found a eye doctor who I can trust. I have been back regularly to check on my eyes and I would recommend anyone to stop by his office.

For a few months I had been thinking about LASIK in the back of my mind. I’ve worn glasses my entire life (²⁰⁄₂₀₀ vision), tried contacts but could never get the habit of putting them on and taking them off, plus they’d bother me after extended use. I wasn’t really planning to take action with regard to LASIK, just wondered if it was for me or not. I recently went to visit Dr. Kevin Tan for an annual exam and he casually mentioned LASIK as a option for me to consider, and helped me appreciate the cost-​benefit of it. Basically, the earlier I get LASIK the less I’m spending on multiple pairs of glasses each year or two which will eventually add up to the cost of LASIK, and then some.
I explored the option with Dr. Tan in the office and continued the conversation over e-​mail. He was more than happy to respond and very timely. He helped address all of my concerns, medical and financial. The greatest realization I had to face was when I get older (older than ⁴⁰⁄₄₅) I’d have to wear glasses again. Turns out that’s just a fact of life for everyone and I’d eventually have to wear bi-​focals if I didn’t get LASIK. After preparing myself for it, I scheduled the operation. I strongly recommend taking something for anxiety before the operation, it was very helpful though I was still quite a bit anxious during the operation. If I hadn’t taken anything I probably would have freaked out just for the fact that someone was operating on my eye.
All in all the operation was over in probably less than 10 minutes and after resting for a few hours I could notice my vision was already better than without glasses, and it seemed to progressively get better through the night. I e-​mailed Dr. Tan that night with some questions about eye maintenance and making sure I understood the recovery protocol. He responded within minutes! After my checkup the very next day I discovered I now have ²⁰⁄₁₅ vision, better than with glasses!
Dr. Tan was great the entire process from beginning to end. I’m really glad I chose him as my doctor for LASIK. He also works out of two offices, one near Stonestown Mall and the other near the financial district, both were convenient to me at different times.
Good luck with your decision to do LASIK or not and which doctor to choose, but I didn’t go wrong.