In 2 September I met Dr. Ackley to be fitted for new contacts. I specifically chose to see her because she works with keratoconus patients and I had seen her previously when I lived in California approximately ten years ago. When I met with Dr. Ackley in September I told her that I would like to be fitted with Synergize contact lenses, which have worked the best for me, and with which I was fitted two years ago when I lived in Arizona. Dr. Ackley told me that I should consider gas permeable lenses, which I know do not work well for me and which I have a difficult time wearing. She knows this as well, because her previous attempt to fit me with such lenses, approximately ten years ago, did not go well. For this reason, I again told her I would prefer the Synergize lenses and she said, "Well, let's just try the gas perms one more time. We can get a better fit, Im sure." She began to fit me for the gas perms, and it was painful. She put numbing drops in my eyes, which helped, but the left lens with which she was fitting me went under my left eyelid and took 20 minutes for her to dislodge. I told her, "I don't think I want these, " and she said, "They'll fit much better once I order the right size." I said "Ok" and paid her $750 for the contacts and exam. When I paid her I told her that I do not have health insurance, and she commented, Really, you dont have health insurance? She knew that I was paying out-of-pocket for the lenses. The contacts did not arrive until the beginning of October. When they did, I put them in and they were very painful. The left lens would not stay on my eye and kept coming off and moving under my eyelid, as had happened when Dr. Ackley was fitting me. I attempted to wear the lenses for about a week, but they were too painful. On 16 October I phoned Dr. Ackley to tell her that the lenses were uncomfortable and that I couldnt wear them. Chris, Dr. Ackleys assistant, told me to try wearing the lenses for another week. I tried, but they were so painful that I couldnt keep them in for more than an hour or two at a time. I phoned again on 19 October to ask if I could make an appointment to be fitted with a different type of lens. I again spoke with Chris and made an appointment for mid-December. I specifically asked if I should return the gas permeable lenses beforehand to get a refund and Chris told me that I shouldnt worry and that I should just plan on seeing Dr. Ackley at our appointment on Wednesday, 16 December. On the morning of Wednesday, 16 December, Dr. Ackley's assistant, Chris, phoned me to say that my appointment was being cancelled because Dr. Ackley was closing the office for the day. She then called again to say that the office would be closed for two days and that I should phone on Friday to reschedule. When I phoned on Friday Chris told me, "I'm sorry. We're really booked and unable to schedule you. I said, When can you get me in? Chris told me, Not for awhile. I then asked, What am I supposed to do with these contact lenses. I paid you for them and now I cant use them. Id like my money back. I then asked to have Dr. Ackley phone me. That afternoon, Friday, 18 December, Dr. Ackley phoned me. I told her, "I need contact lenses. You gave me a pair that I can't wear, and I don't have money for new ones. Can you fit me for Synergize lenses and let me have them in exchange for the gas permeable lenses?" Dr. Ackley responded that she would contact a representative from Synergize and ask if they could do a demonstration at her office, using myself as a model for someone with keratoconus. She then said that she'd contact me by the second week in January to let me know what was happening. She did not contact me the second week in January, and I phoned her on 12 January, 25 January, 2 February, 4 February, and 8 February. On 12 January, 25 January, and 2 February, I spoke with Chris, who told me that Dr. Ackley "had not heard back from anyone yet." When I phoned on 4 February I spoke with Chris and was told, "Dr. Ackley will speak with them this afternoon, and I'll let you know later today what they say." I did not hear back from anyone. I phoned again on 8 February and Chris told me, again, "Let me speak with the doctor and see what she says." I told Chris, "That's what you told me last Thursday." During the same phone call, I asked that Dr. Ackley phone me back. She has not done so and, thus far, has not acknowledged my calls, will not address my concerns, and will not speak to me about the purported meeting she was going to arrange with Synergize representatives to fit me with contacts.in short, when I asked Dr. Ackley, in September, for Synergize lenses, she insisted that she could fit me just as comfortably in gas perms, despite her own medical records indicating that I do not do well in these lenses. She then had me pay for the gas permeable lenses and, when they did not fit, did not try to help me get a pair of Synergize lenses or reimburse me for the cost of the gas permeable lenses. She then created a story about Synergize representatives coming to her office, hoping that I would go away. I am unable to go away. I was taken advantage of by a medical professional who should, at the outset, have said, "I don't fit kerataconus patients with Synergize lenses, but here are the names of several optometrists who do." Instead, she took my money and gave me in return a pair of contact lenses that not only can I not wear, but which are very painful for me to wear. I have had my current Synergize lenses for two years, and I need to get a new pair. Because of what Dr. Ackley did, I cannot afford to do so. I encourage you to avoid Dr. Ackley if you are in need of an optometrist. She will only do harm as she takes your money and gives you eyewear that you cannot use.
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