Nine months ago I registered my complaint with the General Optical Council (GOC) against Swati Malkan, the specs wearing optometrist who recommended I had Lasek surgery in 2011 - not only unfortunate for me, but for the high street industry too!
In response to my allegations Swati finally submitted her ‘representations’ to the GOC last week, four pages long, and very obviously written by a solicitor, presumably Optimax’s inexpensive in-house solicitor.
I claimed that I was not fully informed, and the paragraph below is Ms Malkan’s excuse for the reason she didn’t discuss monovision with me (Patient A).
Please note that I most definitely did not indicate that I had no objection to wearing reading spectacles, because it was NEVER discussed with me!
After my consult was over, on my way out of the clinic I stuck my head round Ms Malkan’s door and said that, btw, I needed +2 readers to read a menu when wearing contact lenses, which I rarely wore.
Ms Malkan's reply was brief - one sentence in fact, and she most definitely did not explain that I would need reading glasses for ALL close up tasks, such as peeling an apple, washing dishes, programming the washing machine… and did not explain “
in detail” that I wouldn’t be able to see my watch, my nails, text messages, labels on bottles, etc…
“
Critical of their vision"? Surely every person is critical of their vision if they're unable to see clearly - aaaaargh!!
I would not have considered monovision any more than I would have lens exchange, and had either been suggested I wouldn’t be sitting here now, and none of you would know my name, and the industry would be carrying on business as usual!
I had lasek and have ALL of the side-effects listed by Swati as being more likely with monovision! Confirmed recently by three surgeons in reports for my forthcoming trial v Russell Ambrose t/a Optimax.
Swati Malkan has lied through her specs, and I have yet to write my comments to her representations.
But now I’ve finished writing my witness statement for my claim against her employer I will make sure I leave no stone unturned and hope that the GOC’s case examiners are more stringent with Swati than the GMC are with negligent surgeons!
Ms Malkan goes on to say, “
I’m sorry that Px A (me) was dissatisfied with the outcome of her surgery and it is unfortunate that that Px A went from being shortsighted to longsighted.”
Unfortunate? I call it tragic - but then I suppose I am a teeny weeny bit biased!
Swati goes on to pour salt into my wounded eyes by claiming that every effort was made to clearly explain the side-effects of laser eye surgery!
Of course it was Swati - that's why this intelligent woman ignored all your efforts to dissuade me and decided to play Russian roulette with her precious, priceless, healthy eyes!
It should be noted that I actually liked wearing glasses, and spent a lot on money on designer frames. I had surgery to save money, not for vanity - not realising that my stable prescription was unlikely to change any time soon, therefore less expenditure without new lenses!
I didn’t ask my opticians opinion as I thought they wouldn’t encourage me as they would lose sales. In fact they make far more money off me than ever before!
Ms Malkan should pray that she never meets me, just as Dr Hoe should run very fast in the opposite direction if he ever sees me! Because, although I’m not a physically violent person, I am simmering with so much anger that I don’t know how I would react if I met either of these people complicit in damaging my eyes and ruining my life.
I told Stephanie Holloway that I admired her restraint in keeping her hands from Joanna McGraw’s throat in court last year, because I’m not sure I would be able to exercise the same self control.
Though if I were to do something extreme the court would probably excuse me on grounds of diminished responsibility due to unreasonable provocation by way of physical assault and abuse on my person.
During one of our meetings, talking about OE, Russell Ambrose said to me, “
Why would (David Moulsdale) want to make you angry…” (recorded). The fact that Russell would think for one second that I wasn’t angry with him, or had forgiven him, is an indicator of how these businessmen regard damaged patients - we are simply an inconvenience.
I’ve never heard a sincere apology from any of them - on the rare occasion one is even offered. Their only concern is how cheaply the patient can be paid off!