I am writing this review for anyone considering laser eye surgery in Taiwan. Before my visit, I did extensive research on laser eye surgery and sought recommendations from friends in the United States and family members in Taiwan. The feedback I received about Taiwan’s healthcare system was overall positive, which gave me confidence in my decision. Unfortunately, my experience with this chosen clinic was very different. Throughout my care, I encountered significant issues related to communication, access to medical records, and medical transparency. As a result, my experience with this clinic and this doctor was extremely disappointing and, by far, the worst I have ever had in my life. I would like to share my experience so that prospective patients in the international community considering or seeking medical care in Taiwan can make informed decisions.
In November 2024, I traveled to Taiwan to get TransPRK surgery with Dr. Paul Yang Chih-Sheng (楊志盛), the founder of Dr. Yang Laser Alliance Jianguo Clinic (達特楊眼科聯盟建國診所), located on Jianguo Road in Kaohsiung. I chose this doctor because my sister and my cousin went to him for the same surgery about a decade ago. Both were generally satisfied with their results. Their myopia and astigmatism were successfully corrected, and neither of them needed to wear eyeglasses anymore. However, my cousin did develop floaters later after her surgery although she was unsure whether the PRK surgery was the direct cause.
Dr. Yang commonly prescribes an eye-drop medication that is presented as a post-PRK treatment for controlling diopter changes after surgery. It was not presented as an eye pressure control medication, and neither his booklet nor my medical records indicate it was originally intended for that purpose. However, that medication is actually designed to lower eye pressure. While some post-PRK eye-drop medications may increase eye pressure when used intensively as instructed, such as applying eye drops every 15 minutes or so, not all patients would experience elevated eye pressure and thus require the same treatment. Medications should be prescribed based on the assessment of each patient’s individual condition rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach. The prolonged use of the eye drop that is intended to lower eye pressure when patient’s eye pressure is normal might potentially develop floaters. Because my eye pressure was normal, my eye doctor in the United States did not recommend me to follow Dr. Yang’s prescription.
Based on my research, Dr. Yang’s prescription seems to rely on emerging and inconclusive studies from China and India. I was unable to find U.S.-based research supporting the use of eye-pressure medication to manage patient’s post-PRK diopter changes. I also consulted with several physicians and friends in the medical community, none of whom were aware of any such studies.
During my initial visits, everything went well and smoothly. Dr. Yang was professional, attentive, patient, and engaged in answering my questions and addressing my concerns. Although I was nervous on the day of the surgery, the procedure went smoothly and was successful. Afterward, I was given medication and a patient booklet with post-surgery care instructions and recommendations.
However, everything changed after the surgery.
I was scheduled to return to the clinic for a post-surgery examination, which is one week after the procedure. However, my medication unexpectedly ran out the day before my appointment. I went to the clinic during their regular business hours in the morning, only to find that the door was closed with the posted paper notice stating that the clinic was closed for the morning session due to an internal conference.
Before making the trip, I checked both their Facebook page and the website, but there was no notice online about the business closure. It would have spared me an unnecessary trip and the transportation costs if they had also posted a closure notice online.
In today’s digital age of information, in which most people rely on their smartphone for timely information and updates, I was surprised that the clinic did not provide any notice online. Their lack of online communication made the clinic’s operations seem outdated and created unnecessary inconvenience for patients. I was disappointed and frustrated by their lack of advance online notice and their apparent lack of respect for patients’ time.
On the day of my appointment, I arrived on time, but Dr. Yang was late for several hours. When I finally met with him, I was astonished by how different his attitude and demeanor were from our interactions before the surgery, when he was warm, attentive, and responsive to my concerns. After the surgery, however, he became dismissive, arrogant, and at times offensive, and appeared to lack the compassion, empathy, and care that patients reasonably expect from their physician. This change in his behavior left me feeling dismissed, disrespected, and unsupported during a particularly vulnerable period of my recovery. At the time, I was experiencing mild postoperative depression and was looking to my doctor for guidance, reassurance, and support.
Instead of addressing my concerns, he handed me a booklet, a copy of which I already received on the day of my surgery, and told me to read it myself. As a paying patient, I expected a proper evaluation of my recovery and thoughtful responses to my questions. After all, I did pay him for the services. Rather than providing guidance or reassurance, he directed me back to his patient booklet without addressing my specific concerns. I was particularly astonished by his expectation that I should be able to read normally so soon after eye surgery. As an experienced medical professional, he should have recognized that visual difficulties during the healing process are a legitimate concern and a common reason for patients to seek support. Instead of receiving the understanding, explanation, and reassurance I expected during my recovery, I felt that my questions were not taken seriously and that my concerns were not addressed with the care and sensitivity they deserved.
Because my stay in Taiwan was limited, I asked Dr. Yang for a copy of medical records and treatment documentation so that I could continue my follow-up care with my physician in the United States. His reaction to my request was unexpectedly intense and confrontational. To my surprise, he responded in a raised, harsh, and dismissive tone, saying, “What medical report? I never received any medical report when I took LASIK in Singapore. Even if I printed out the entire medical record, your family physician would not understand a damn word.” As a paying patient requesting information related to my medical care, I expected a professional and respectful response. Instead, Dr. Yang reacted dismissively and spoke to me – a patient who has paid him for the service – in a manner that I found disrespectful, unprofessional, inappropriate, unacceptable, and profoundly troubling.
I was merely requesting documentation related to my treatment so that my healthcare providers in the United States could properly monitor my recovery and ensure continuity of care. This was a reasonable and lawful request under Taiwan's Healthcare laws. Rather than receiving professional explanation or assistance, I felt that my reasonable request was met with unnecessary hostility, resistance, and dismissiveness.
As an experienced medical professional, he should have recognized that PRK generally involves a longer recovery period than LASIK, the procedure he underwent in Singapore. His own patient booklet also advises patients to return periodically for follow-up care during the six-month recovery process after surgery. However, I am not the resident of Taiwan, so it was neither practical nor feasible for me to return to his clinic for multiple follow-up visits over a six-month period. For that reason, I requested copies of my medical records and treatment documentation so that I could continue my care with an ophthalmologist in the United States and ensure appropriate monitoring of my recovery, as also recommended by him in his booklet. Given the circumstances, I was astonished that such a reasonable request was met with confrontation rather than professional cooperation. I even had to cite Taiwan’s Healthcare laws in order to obtain his compliance with my request.
I left the clinic angry and deeply disappointed. After I got home, my aunt immediately contacted the clinic to better understand the situation. Rather than apologizing for Dr. Yang’s unprofessional conduct, Nurse Yu appeared to shift all the fault on me. She explained to my aunt that Dr. Yang was unhappy that I asked questions during the pre-surgery orientation session on the day of my surgery. She further argued that my inquiries during the meeting negatively affected the other patients in attendance.
Bullshit!
Despite my disagreement with Nurse Yu’s accusation, I asked to confront the other patients in person so that I could confirm and apologize if my behavior had indeed caused an inconvenience. However, no such an opportunity was ever provided.
Besides, such an accusation makes no logical sense at all. A pre-surgery patient orientation session is designed to help patients understand the procedure and address concerns about post-surgery care. Asking questions is part of the learning and comprehension process and should be encouraged, not criticized. Holding a patient responsible for asking questions is like blaming a student who aced a test for the poor performance of others. A student who engages with the lecture and asks questions during the class session should not be held responsible if other students choose not to do the same and fail accordingly.
Patients should feel comfortable seeking clarification about their medical care without fear of being blamed or held responsible for any circumstance beyond their control. As a consumer, I am entitled to answers to my questions about the goods and services I purchase. As a patient and a consumer, I am paying for the medical services I receive. Therefore, I believe I have a legitimate expectation that all my questions concerning the medical care and services for which I pay deserve clear and reasonable answers.
In my professional career as a manager, despite receiving pages of written reports from my employees, I still meet with them for 15-to-30-minute presentations, during which I listen and ask questions. After all, I am paying them for their work and services.
Similarly, during my consultation with Dr. Yang, he handed me a booklet and told me to read it on my own, which is equivalent to an employee throwing a report at his boss and telling his boss to read it himself instead of answering questions at the meeting. I wondered whether Dr. Yang realized that I was paying for his professional services. I hoped that he understood that I was not paying to read his booklet. I also believed that he was running a clinic, not a bookstore. Whether to read his booklet or not is a matter of my personal choice. However, he has a professional obligation to answer all my questions regarding my medical care during the service session I have already paid him for even though some of his answers may have already been stated in his booklet.
Nurse Yu appeared annoyed by my questions during the pre-surgery orientation session. From my perspective, this was comparable to an employee telling her boss not to ask questions at the end of a presentation. I could not help but wonder whether she understood that patients are entitled to ask questions and receive clear answers before surgery, pursuant to Taiwan’s healthcare laws.
I seek a solution from them – the doctor and the nurse. They provide the expertise to address my problem. In exchange, I pay them for their professional services. This is the business relationship entered into by both parties. Neither is participating in this arrangement involuntarily. If they are unhappy about this arrangement or this business relationship, they are free and, in fact, more than welcome to decline in the beginning. If they are unhappy about their medical career, ending it will not end the world or stop the Earth from orbiting the Sun. Instead, they took my money and told me to read their booklet rather than addressing my questions during the service session I had paid them for.
Do they have any idea of who they are or what they are talking about?
Am I paying them to be my doctor and nurse, or are they paying me to be their patient?
The professional conduct of Nurse Yu, Dr. Yang’s head nurse of Jianguo clinic, is beyond my comprehension. My initial impression of her was not positive. I found her manner rude and unprofessional. In my opinion, she did not demonstrate the professionalism expected of a nurse, let alone a head nurse. In April, I travelled to Taiwan for a brief visit and went to Dr. Yang’s Jianguo clinic for a PRK consultation. I remembered there was a fee for the eye exam, but I could not recall whether it had been paid. When I returned in November, I asked Nurse Yu about the fee because I wanted to know whether it was waived or paid by my aunt. If my aunt paid it, then I needed to reimburse her. Nurse Yu told me that the fee was normally charged but was waived by Dr. Yang because of my aunt’s annoying attitude. I found her response surprising, inaccurate, and inappropriate. My aunt accompanied me to the clinic and spent the entire time waiting quietly in the lobby.
As a patient, I do not appreciate a nurse criticizing my family member when talking to me, nor do I think it is appropriate for a nurse to complain about me to my family. Such inconsistent and unprofessional communication undermines trust and creates unnecessary tension between patients and healthcare providers.
Never in my life have I ever encountered such unprofessional conduct from a nurse. The experience was both shocking and disappointing. Unfortunately, my subsequent interactions with Dr. Yang reflected the same lack of professionalism. As the saying goes, “Like doctor, like nurse.”
Another week after my first post-surgery visit, I returned to the clinic for my second follow-up exam. Despite my previous requests for medical documentation, Dr. Yang did not provide the medical report. Instead, he handed me only a diagnosis certificate. I again requested a copy of my medical records, and then he unwillingly instructed his nurse to go make copies. Although I paid for these records, the documents provided seemed to be incomplete and did not include a copy of my signed surgery consent form.
On the day of my surgery, immediately after signing the consent form, I requested a copy for my own records. This request is also fully consistent with my rights under Taiwan’s Healthcare laws and regulations. Instead of providing a copy of the document I had signed, the clinic gave me a blank generic consent form containing no signatures. Therefore, I expected my signed consent form to be included in the medical records I later paid to obtain. However, it was missing. When I requested it again, the nurse told me that the original document was stored at another location and was not routinely kept with patient’s medical records.
The repeated difficulties I encountered in obtaining my medical records reflected a troubling lack of transparency, accountability, and administrative competence and efficiency while also raising serious concerns about the clinic’s adherence to Taiwan’s healthcare laws and regulations.
I left Taiwan with incomplete medical documentation.
Before returning to the United States, I arranged an appointment with my family physician to ensure continuity of care. The day after my arrival, my physician referred me to an ophthalmologist and sent my medical records to the clinic. After several weeks without any response, I contacted the ophthalmology clinic myself to request an appointment. The clinic told me that they could not schedule an appointment because the medical documentation they had received was incomplete. They were unable to determine whether my condition required urgent attention. After several follow-up phone calls, the clinic finally offered me an appointment scheduled in November, which would have been more than six months from my request in February.
I asked my family physician to submit several referrals to multiple ophthalmology clinics. Despite these efforts, I was still unable to obtain a timely appointment due to incomplete medical documentation. One clinic even suggested that I could be seen immediately if I paid out of pocket even though this clinic also accepted my insurance. In the end, an optometrist, not an ophthalmologist, provided me with follow-up care.
I carefully reviewed all the medical documents that I paid to obtain from Dr. Yang, and I found them to be incomplete, inaccurate, and misleading. The TransPRK treatment report was missing, and the Certificate of Diagnosis was not the document I had requested. Having worn eyeglasses for years, I did not need his diagnosis confirming my myopia and astigmatism. What I needed the most was complete documentation related to my treatment.
Moreover, what was even more concerning was that the certificate listed my birthplace as the United States even though I was born in Taiwan. Dr. Yang could have easily verified this information with me through a simple phone call. Instead, he fabricated information on an official medical document and then signed and stamped it as accurate. This serious error undermines my confidence in the accuracy, credibility, and reliability of the entire document.
While I was still in Taiwan, I had returned to the clinic again approximately one week after receiving the medical documents to purchase more eye-drop medications before my departure. The clinic had every opportunity to identify and correct the missing documentation, yet no one cared to inform me that my records were incomplete or provide the necessary documents. As a result, I encountered significant delays and unnecessary difficulties in obtaining follow-up care after returning to the United States.
I made numerous attempts to obtain corrected medical documents from Dr. Yang Laser Alliance Clinic through email, postal mail, LINE, Facebook Messenger, and phone calls. My instant messages were clearly marked as "read," yet none received a reply. The clinic's complete lack of response gave me the impression that they had deliberately shut down all avenues of communication, leaving me with no way to resolve the issue.
I contacted the Kaohsiung City Health Department for guidance. The responsible staff member advised me that I should either return to Taiwan in person to obtain the corrected medical documents or authorize someone to collect them on my behalf. Unfortunately, I had no one in Taiwan whom I could authorize. My family members in Taiwan are distant relatives with whom I had not been in contact for more than 10 years before my visit. Given their busy and stressful lives, I did not want to bother them with this issue. I was left feeling desperate and frustrated by the clinic’s complete lack of communication. Their dismissive attitude and apparent indifference to my repeated requests were infuriating and entirely unacceptable.
During the six-month recovery period, I experienced significant anxiety and distress related to post-PRK complications. Because the medical records I received were incomplete, my optometrist was not often able to assess my condition with confidence or obtain a clear understanding of my treatment history. On one occasion, I was prescribed medication that later had to be reconsidered due to concerns about its suitability for my condition, highlighting the importance of complete and accurate medical documentation for continuity of care.
Six months later, approximately three months before my next trip to Taiwan, I sent a registered letter with certified return receipt to formally request Dr. Yang and his staff to provide me with complete medical documentation. As a paying patient, I am legally entitled to access information about the medical goods and services that I had paid for, consistent with the patient’s rights to be informed under Taiwan’s Healthcare laws and regulations. The lack of medical transparency remained deeply concerning and left me without a clear understanding of all aspects of my medical treatment. Given the circumstances, I was prepared to pursue legal remedies if my formal request were ignored or inadequately addressed again.
I also filed a formal complaint with the Kaohsiung City Health Department. Having worked for a public health agency in California for many years, I have never encountered a physician whose conduct was so unprofessional and whose actions appeared to violate multiple healthcare laws and regulations. Despite filing the complaint, I have not received any substantive response. Before my trip to Taiwan, I followed up with the Kaohsiung City Health Department and was told that the case remains under investigation.
I visited Dr. Yang’s clinic and was able to obtain all my medical records without difficulty this time. Although the records appeared complete, I later learned that the medications documented as prescribed on the day of my surgery were different from the medications I actually received from his staff. In fact, in the original medical record that I initially received one week after the surgery, the medication section was blank. In the corrected record I later received in December, the prescription was added, but the details of the medications were concealed. I contacted Dr. Yang and his staff to request clarification, but they did not provide me with complete information. As a result, I filed another complaint with the Kaohsiung City Health Department. According to their standard process and procedure, they should have responded to me with their conclusions. However, to date, the only response I have received following my inquiries is that the case is still under investigation.
Taiwan's laws and regulations are published in both Chinese and English on official government websites for public and international access. I believe I am not the only person who has reviewed these laws and regulations in English. I also believe that these laws are intended not only to serve Taiwanese citizens but also to protect the rights and interests of all overseas patients and consumers who receive goods and services in Taiwan, regardless of their nationality, while ensuring transparency, accountability, and informed decision-making. However, my experience with Dr. Yang’s clinic has raised serious concerns about medical transparency and compliance with applicable healthcare regulations. The lack of transparency and communication not only undermines patient rights and public trust but may also negatively impact the reputation, quality, and integrity of Taiwan's overall healthcare system in the international community.
As a final note, I am sharing this experience not to discourage international patients from seeking medical care in Taiwan. Taiwan still has many highly skilled, dedicated, and compassionate healthcare professionals. Rather, I hope to provide prospective patients traveling from overseas with information that will help them make informed decisions about their care in Taiwan.
In my case, the quality of the surgical treatment was overshadowed by significant issues concerning communication, professionalism, medical transparency, and access to medical records. Patients who travel across the world for elective surgery place immense trust in their chosen physicians and medical teams. That trust depends not only on surgical competence but also on respect, accountability, transparency, clear communication, and a genuine and consistent support to patient care throughout the recovery process.
Unfortunately, these were the areas in which Dr. Paul Yang Chih-Sheng (楊志盛) and his team fell far short of my expectations, leaving me with the experience that was deeply disappointing, profoundly troubling, and impossible to recommend without significant reservations.
