Photo Credit: Shutterstock
With over 40,000 successful corneal refractive procedures to his credit, Dr. Cory M. Lessner is considered by many to be one of the most skilled surgeons in his discipline. His highly-respected state-of-the-art practice in Sunrise, Florida has gained him the trust of his patients and the admiration of his peers. To this day, Dr. Lessner personally performs every laser vision correction procedure at Millennium Laser Eye Centers. His credentials also include board certification from the American Board of Ophthalmology, a member in good standing of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, as well as numerous industry awards and honors. Dr. Lessner prides himself on staying ahead of the curve on the newest procedures and latest technology available in the refractive industry. He was one of the first in the country to offer all-laser LASIK and currently utilizes the world’s fastest technology – Alcon’s WaveLight FS200 and EX500 lasers.
It's no surprise many medical practices had to make adjustments navigating the new normal. Dr. Cory Lessner of Millennium Laser Eye Centers chats with Haute Beauty about his practice and what to expect upon a visit to his office and his most rewarding patient experience.
Now that you have opened, how was your business affected and what if anything positive have you adapted in light of COVID-19?
The COVID-19 pandemic affected many small local businesses and ours was no exception. As an exclusive provider of elective premium laser vision refractive services, our center was closed from mid-March until the second week of May. With government assurances of Payroll Protection Funding from the SBA, I opted not to furlough staff but rather had them work remotely from the safety of their homes, equipped with cell phones and virtual access to our office computers, contacting patients who had previously expressed interest in our services. Utilizing a proprietary on-line consultation that I have been developing and refining over the past decade and a 14-minute informational video, we began performing all center consultations remotely on the phone and offering an additional courtesy to those scheduling procedures in future months but willing to prepay for their services to help us with center cash flow. We found that many people working from home had more free time to speak and pursue their interest in laser vision correction. Since we re-opened two months ago, there appears to be other factors playing a role in an apparent new enthusiasm regarding LASIK laser vision correction. Glasses fogging up while wearing face masks, not having to go to a place of employment wearing eyeglasses during pre-procedure contact discontinuance, those not wanting to wear contact lenses to avoid touching their eyes, not being able to wear eye make-up in the week following LASIK, not being able to take the vacation of a lifetime and opting instead on this vacation for a lifetime, and people simple wanting to do something nice for themselves have all played a role. While we have always maintained high standards of cleanliness in our clinic, we have now employed more stringent protocols based upon CDC guidelines to ensure the safety and well-being of both our patients and staff.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
There are a lot of health and wellness professionals in South Florida. What separates you and your practice from others in your field?
Although a twice re-board certified ophthalmologist, I decided early on that in my career that refractive vision correction surgery was going to be a stand-alone sub-specialty. People tend to get good at things they practice and do often: LASIK, PRK and SMILE are all I do. I pride myself on having the latest and most precise technology available for laser vision correction and spare no expense on equipment at our center. I have also identified and been able to hire an exceptionally nice and talented group of individuals that I am proud to call my staff. It's critical to hire people who are nice. Most individuals can be taught a trade but it hard to teach people to be nice! LOL J
What was the most rewarding experience in your profession?
I can honestly say that I love coming into my office each day. Over the years, I had the privilege of working with and being trusted by many well-known, athletes and celebrities with their vision correction needs. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union, Ryan Tannehill, Wes Welker, Roberto Luongo, Jimmy Johnson to name a few. While flattering to be trusted by athletes whose vision is critical to their profession, these individuals represent only a small fraction of a percent of the patients we care for. At Millennium Laser Eye Centers, we strive to provide every teacher, first-responder, military, accountant, homeworker, student (… you get the picture) with a level of care and service to hopefully exceed their expectations. When patients sit up immediately following their procedure and say things like “Is that it”, “Wow! I can see! It feels great. But more than what they say, there are those who sit up immediately following their procedure and begin to cry tears of joy because they almost can’t remember a time when they could see more than a few inches in front of their face without the help of glasses or contacts. That’s the home run! I hope that in the years to come, people will realize that they don’t need to fear Laser Vision Correction any more than they would wearing contact lens – it’s actually statistically safer than long time contact lens wear.
For more information, visit Dr. Cory M. Lessner's social media:
