Wang Vision Institute

Jessica's Testimonial

2009-06-04T20:24:00.000-07:00

1. Why did you decide to have LASIK? My vision was so bad that I could not carry out normal daily activities without contacts or glasses! I also did not want to cause further damage to my eyes by wearing contact lenses.

2. Why did you choose Dr. Wang? He is the Best!! Plus, it is surgery on my eyes, so I could not imagine entrusting my eyes to just any doctor/surgeon. Vision is the most important sense to me!

3. How has your life changed since your LASIK procedure? It is wonderful!! There are so many nights that I think, "Oh I need to take my contacts out...oh wait, no I don't!!" I am so thankful, it is such a sweet gift - - especially when my youngest wakes up in the middle of the night and needs a bottle!

4. What is your advice for people considering LASIK? The actual procedure can seem intimidating, but it is actually short, painless, and totally worth it! I am so glad I had it done now in my mid-20s and can enjoy it for years to come!!

5. What kinds of activities can you now do that you were unable to do prior to your procedure? I don't have to worry about taking contacts out, I don't have to worry about allergy season or needing to give my eyes a break from contacts, and the beach is an easy experience...contacts are one less thing to think about!!

6. What other comments, thoughts, experiences would you like to add? The Staff is excellent at Wang Vision, and Dr. Wang himself was absolutely wonderful through the surgery, and helped calm some fears I had through the SHORT procedure

The world is what you make of it- Dr. Wang to speak

2009-02-13T14:33:00.000-08:00

Dr Wang will make the following speech on Monday, March 2nd, 8:30am at Antioch High School for the Freshman Class (200-300 attendees)

The world is what you make of it

An interview with Ming Wang, MD, PhD--a world-class LASIK surgeon, researcher, philanthropist, musician and ballroom dancer--and his struggles growing up during the Cultural Revolution in China

Interviewed by Lee Ann Newton
Ming Wang grew up under the horrific reign of Mao Zedong and his Cultural Revolution, or in Ming’s words, “the Cultural Holocaust”. Over a span of 10 years, from 1966 to 1976, most colleges were shut down, and millions of youth in China were deported for life to remote areas of China for “re-education”.
Ming was a straight “A” student and says that at age 14, “I was told that I would be deported and would lose all hope for a happy life. The government told me, ‘No, there is zero chance of you going to college’, and this was because the Communist government realized that in order to govern by dictatorship, they must keep the people with knowledge away. So the government sent millions of youth right out of junior or senior high school to the countryside and remote parts of China for hard labor and a lifetime of poverty and misery.”
“As a result of this crazy policy during the Cultural Revolution, today in China you see a unique situation in human history, an unprecedented age gap in leadership. You see the 60- to 70-year-olds and the 30- to 40-year-olds, but you won’t see the 50- to 60-year-olds…they are missing. They were deported in their youth in the 1960s-‘70s, and are therefore lost from the work force. Today they are a missing generation. They became nameless, faceless, many living in poverty, scattered over the vast terrain of China, some in the poorest and most remote areas. “
Had Ming continued his studies, he would have certainly been deported when he finished high school. Therefore, Ming’s parents made the agonizing decision to remove him from school after he graduated from junior high, so Ming’s education ended abruptly and painfully after ninth grade.
Faced with the devastating fate of deportation, the 14-year-old Ming began to play the er-hu, a Chinese violin that dates back over 1000 years. “I picked up this instrument in order to have a chance to escape deportation, since the government still had entertainment troops and they needed musicians. If you could play a musical instrument, then possibly they would allow you to stay in the city and not deport you. So in my teenage years, I picked up the er-hu, not for a hobby, but for the sheer need to survive!”
As he honed his skills with his instrument, Ming discovered a song that was written by a blind man--“Two Springs Reflect in the Moon”-- and the feelings evoked in the song resonated with Ming’s suffering soul. “I now realize why as a teenager I was able to relate so much to the sentiments of an older man who was blind (the composer). He could not see physically, and I could not see mentally and spiritually. So we were both blind in a sense; we shared that devastating fate.”
He practiced 15 hours a day on his er-hu, day and night, rain or shine. Through it, Ming voiced his longing for a chance to go to school and learn again, and his desire for a better life. Unfortunately for Ming, the government did not allow him to become a musician, so his plan of playing the er-hu to avoid deportation had failed.
Seeing Ming have to face deportation again and desperate in their struggle to save their child, Ming’s parents smuggled him into a Chinese University to study medicine. Hence at age 15, Ming began to study illegally, without any hope of ever becoming a doctor.
“I went to my father and asked him, ‘Why do I study medicine when I will never be allowed to become a doctor?’ To this day, I will never forget his reply. He said, ‘Knowledge is good and will always be useful.’ So I became a medical student secretly. I studied for about a year before the school discovered me, at which point I was expelled and stripped of even the chance of acquiring knowledge for the sake of knowledge.”
“Once again, deportation seemed inevitable. Then I met a young man two years my senior. His father was executed during the Cultural Revolution for writing a play, and the young man was very bitter. We were both at the lowest point in our lives when we met. He wrote many poems and I taught myself music composition, so I was able to write music for many of his poems. One of our works was called “A Prisoner’s Song”, which expressed our desire as teenagers for freedom and the chance to study. None of our works was ever accepted by the government, nor allowed to be published.”
“When I was about to give up all efforts and accept the fate of deportation and a life of misery and poverty, the paramount leader, Mao Zedong, died and China realized what a tragedy it had created for itself by deporting all of its youth for 10 years!”
“So one day, my father came home and said, ‘Son, I have something else for you to do now.’”
“I said ‘No, no, no, I don’t want to do it anymore; none of our plans have worked. No matter what I do, the government is going to deport me; I guess that is my fate.’”
“My father responded, ‘But this time is different; China is going to change. The Cultural Revolution is finished. College entrance exams are going to start up again after 10 years of discontinuation, and now you finally have a chance to go to college, my son!’”
“But I had never been enrolled in senior high school since I had dropped out right after junior high, and I knew nothing about the studies of the tenth through twelfth grades. The college entrance exam was only a few months away, and only the top 3% of my graduating senior high school class would be accepted! I told my father, ‘You are crazy Dad, how can I possibly do that? Also, why should I jump ahead three years like this and take the college entrance exam right now?’”
“My father soberly replied, ‘Remember son, the Communist government shut off most of the colleges and prevented people from taking the college entrance examination for ten years until now. Who is to say that next year they are not going to stop it again for another ten years?! My son, this year might very well be the ONLY chance in your lifetime of going to college!’”
“So I had to study all the content of three years of senior high school in two months, AND score in the top 3% of that year’s senior graduating class. I asked my father again, ‘Are you crazy? How do I do that?’, to which he responded, ‘No problem, I have a way.’”
“My parents were doctors, and the teachers in many of the local high schools were their patients. So my father asked them if they would come and tutor me every day for two months, and in exchange, he would give them and their families free health care for the rest of their lives. So it was a deal. I ended up being drilled 15-18 hours a day for two months, in order to be prepared for the exam!”
“The efforts paid off and I got into the Chinese University of Science and Technology. In my senior year, I decided that I wanted to come to America. I had heard that an American professor was going to visit our school and give a lecture, so I pulled out my English textbooks and studied very hard the night before he was expected to come. The next day, after the American professor (Professor McNesby) gave his lecture, he asked, ‘Any questions?’ There I was, my hand raised very high. When he called on me, I stood up and asked him a question, but he did not understand it. It turned out that though I did study and prepare to ask this one question the night before, the book that I studied was a British English textbook, and my question was phrased in a British--not American--way of saying things. Professor McNesby asked me to explain, but I realized that I had practiced how to ask a question, but had not practiced how to listen to a question. So I just stood there, repeated my question over and over-- it must have been 8 or 9 times. Finally, Professor McNesby realized that my English was very poor and that I just barely knew how to ask this one question. He was finally able to decipher my question and answered it, but unfortunately I had no clue what his answer was! However, I felt I had accomplished my mission of asking the American professor a question! I believe Professor McNesby was very impressed by my persistence and tenaciousness because when he finished his lecture and was about to step off the podium, he pointed his finger at me and said, ‘This student, I want to see him in America.’”
“I came to the USA on February 3, 1982, with 50 dollars (borrowed) and an English-Chinese dictionary, knowing no one in this vast land but carrying with me a big American dream. I was dropped off at the Washington DC National Airport to begin my life in America!”
Today, Dr. Ming Wang is a Harvard and MIT graduate (MD, magna cum laude) and is one of the few LASIK surgeons in the world who holds a doctorate degree in laser physics. He has performed over 25,000 LASIK procedures, including on over 3,000 doctors. He published a paper in the world renowned journal Nature, holds a US patent for his invention of a new biotechnology to restore sight in the blind, and performed the world’s first laser-assisted artificial cornea implantation. He has restored sight in many terminally blind patients, including one who had been totally blind for 13 years and was told that he would never see again. Dr. Wang also founded a charity, the Wang Foundation for Sight Restoration, which has helped patients from over 40 states and 55 countries worldwide. He performs all sight restoration surgeries for these blind patients free of charge.
Ming is also an avid ballroom dancer, a hobby that he picked up while at Harvard Medical School. He is currently the reigning world championship finalist in the international ballroom 10-dance. Each year he hosts a gala to raise funds for the blind, with all doctors donating their medical services. At these annual events, he demonstrates the contrast between breathtakingly beautiful ballroom dancing and testimonials from blind patients to remind everyone about the preciousness of sight and our need to help the blind.
Ming’s er-hu playing has also become a wonderful hobby, and a well-known one at that. Recently he accompanied Dolly Parton for a song on her most recent CD “Those Were the Days”. It is believed to be the first time that the Chinese violin has been used to accompany American country music, as well as the first time an er-hu performer has collaborated with a country music legend. Dr. Wang formed a band called “Music for Sight” and plays his er-hu around the world, pro bono, with his friend Carlos Enrique on guitar, in an attempt to raise public awareness of the need to help the blind.
Ming Wang is an inspiration. He exemplifies what we are capable of when faced with the most dire circumstances. If we are willing to work hard and believe in God’s divine goodness and love for all of His children, then there really are no limitations, except those that we place on ourselves.
In Ming’s words, “God has a purpose in life for each of us. It may not be obvious to us what that purpose is at certain times. However, we do have to have faith and believe that He does have a purpose for us, because He does. We need to work hard, to the best of our capability, so that we will have the opportunity and joy of eventually knowing what God has in store for us.”
Dr. Wang has learned many valuable lessons in life, some of which he summarized to be:
1) Treasure what one has, particularly the opportunity to study and learn, which is available to students in this wonderful country;
2) Listen to your elders, such as your parents and teachers, because they are older, wiser, have gone through more and know more about life; and
3) When opportunities present themselves in your life, go after them and always give them your best effort.
Dr. Wang has certainly done this and so much more.
For additional information about Dr. Wang, visit his websites, www.wangvisioninstitute.com, www.musicforsight.com, www.wangfoundation.com and www.mingxwang.com.

Molly Sweeny @ the Belcourt Theatre, sponsored by WVI

2009-02-13T11:27:00.000-08:00

People's Branch presents:
MOLLY SWEENEY
A heartwarming theatrical account of a young woman who had been blind since early infancy, undergoes surgery to restore some of her sight, and the emotional lessons and experiences that follow...
Feb 5-14, 2009. Special Appearance by Dr. Ming Wang.
Tickets on sale NOW!
$18 general admission, $12 for seniors and students.
Belcourt Box Office 846-3150
www.belcourt.org

Little Margarette can see! A touching Valentine's Story

2009-02-13T10:49:00.000-08:00

The following story appeared on WKRN, Channel 2 News two times this week....

Little Margarette

The story of the near-death experience of a 7-year-old Haitian orphan--
Her remarkable journey from Haiti to America and from darkness to sight

(Nashville, TN, 2/9/09) In this week of Valentine’s Day, we present a touching story of Margarette, a Haitian orphan girl who nearly died from malnutrition and is now going blind, a precious child who was brought to America (specifically Nashville, TN) by a Nashvillian missionary and his team, as well as the help of a US Senator, a kind-hearted dentist and an eye doctor.

One Sunday morning, a woman who very clearly needed help showed up at a church in Haiti. In her arms she held her dying daughter, Margarette, who was 7-years-old but had the appearance of a 3-year-old. Margarette's hair was falling out and she had temporarily lost her eyesight because of undernourishment. Her body was weak, and her eyes were swollen shut. When the missionaries saw her, it was as if they were staring death in the face.Margarette’s story began in Ouanaminthe, Haiti where Danita Estrella and her organization called Danita's Children, Hope for Haiti own property used for these needy children. Margarette is only one of 75 orphans who would probably be dead now if it wasn’t for the kindness and generosity of many caring individuals who have supported Danita and her long-term missionaries. One of these selfless individuals is Nashville native Karris Hudson, who graduated from Christ Presbyterian Academy located right here in Nashville. Karris has spent the last seven of her twenty-eight years caring for Haiti’s sick and dying children. She is referred to as "Mommi Karris” as a term of endearment used by the Haitians, and it is she who brings the Nashville connection.Continuing on with Margarette's story… When she arrived at the church that day, the team immediately had Margarette admitted to a local hospital where she was given a blood transfusion and critical care to keep her alive. She was released a week later but her health continued to decline because her mother could not afford to feed her. Her life was hanging by a thread. The missionaries knew in their hearts that God was asking them to care for and nurse Margarette back to health.

One day, Margarette looked up at the missionaries and said, “Thank you for not letting me die.” Margarette is now a part of one of the missionary’s family, someone who believes that “there is always room for one more in our family.” Margarette was that one. Today, Margarette is a bright, smiling little girl with hope for a bright future. Through the diligent care of the missionaries in Haiti, life slowly returned to little Margarette’s body. However, they noticed that she was beginning to show signs of rapidly deteriorating eyesight! They learned that the severe malnutrition she had suffered had left her permanently blind in the left eye with vision in the right eye swiftly weakening as well. In October of 2008, the missionaries mentioned to Dr. Snodgrass--a Nashville pediatric dentist who had met Margarette while leading a dental mission team to Haiti--that Margarette appeared to be losing more of her sight every day.When the dental team returned to Nashville, Dr. Snodgrass contacted Dr. Ming Wang, Nashville’s world-renowned ophthalmic surgeon, and asked for help. Dr. Wang immediately offered his assistance and mentioned that the Wang Foundation may be able to cover some of the costs if Margarette could be treated surgically. From the photograph that Dr. Snodgrass provided, Dr. Wang was able to make a preliminary assessment of Margarette’s eye condition, and felt that corneal scarring may be the main cause of her blindness. The rudimentary medical facility in Haiti would not provide an adequate setting for the type of advanced and complex eye reconstructive surgery that Margarette’s eyes would require, so the only hope she might have to stop the deterioration of her vision and salvage her sight would be to make the trip to Nashville, TN, and pray that she could be helped by the Wang Foundation for Sight Restoration, a 501c(3) charity in which Dr. Wang performs all sight restoration surgeries, as well as pre- and post-op care for these blind patients, free of charge.With the help of U.S. Senator Bob Corker’s office, an emergency medical visa for “Little Margarette” was obtained in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, and this past Saturday, she and "Mommi" Karris arrived in Nashville for perhaps the most important trip of her life.

On Monday, 2/9/09 at 1:30pm, Little Margarette will see Dr. Wang, thus beginning a new chapter in her life where she will embark upon her courageous journey from darkness to light. “God has a plan for Margarette, though we do not yet know what it is,” Dr. Wang said. “We do not know for sure if Margarette will indeed be able to see again, but we do need to try our best, trusting in God and believing in Him.”

For info: Dr. David Snodgrass (615-370-0801, dsnodgrassdds@aol.com), Dr. Ming Wang (615-525-3348, drwang@wangvisioninstitute.com ).

Lady in Red... A special Valentine's Event... 2/13, 7pm

2009-02-13T10:40:00.000-08:00

YYYThis romantic evening promises to be spectacular!

There will be Dinner,

Live Music and Dancing... YYY

...as well as a special

Dance Presentation by World-Renowned

LASIK Eye Surgeon

Dr. Ming Wang and his lovely wife JJ.
Friday, 2/13, 7pm
Hosted by Bethel World Outreach
For information: www.bwoc.org/romance

My friend isn't blurry!

2009-02-11T11:48:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to see my friend right after the surgery, and she wasn't even blurry! Som good friends in Nashville told me to go to Dr. Wang, and I had known of his incredible reputation and credentials, so the choice was easy. He and his entire staff were knowledgable and I felt confident throughout. I don't remember what I read after my surgery, but it was so great to be able to read... I probably should have read something more meaningful because of the wonders of sight!
~Ana Del Carmen - Testimony

I did my research and chose Ming Wang!

2009-02-11T11:41:00.000-08:00

I did accurate and thorough research before choosing who to do my surgery and I know I made the right choice because Dr. Wang's personal involvement and care, even after surgery (a personal phone call from him the night of surgery), were impressive to me.
Wayne Tiller - Testimony

Even my eye doctor only refers to Dr. Wang!

2009-02-04T11:52:00.000-08:00

I am so amazed that even the day after surgery I'm seeing almost as well as I did with my contact lenses or glasses! Like someone else said, I could read my clock this morning--so exciting! My eye doctor raved about Dr. Wang--his experience and advanced bladeless technology--and I figured if the doctors refer to him, he must be good! And he was...and so was his staff who reassured me and answered all my questions! Thanks Wang Vision!
~Kelly Ortega-Testimony

Testimonial - Brandon

2009-01-30T14:38:00.000-08:00

I am very pleased with the results of my LASIK surgery. I can now see without contacts or glasses. The personal level of service that is given to the patient at Wang Vision is the best aspect of the care given by the staff, so much that I would tell my friends about it. I definitely appreciated the call from Dr Wang the evening after the surgery...what an excellent touch not given by many others. I ahd heard about Dr Wang from radio commercials, but most of all from his reputation in the LASIK field - it is top notch!

I CAN SEE! THANKS DR. WANG!

2009-01-23T11:31:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I can see! That's the GREATEST! I am so thrilled to be able to see without contacts or glasses! Everyone at Wang Vision was so very pleasant, friendly and helpful. They prepared me for what to expect at each point in the process. And I really liked that they counted down during surgery so I knew what was happening. I knew I would go to Dr. Wang because so many people recommended him to me--friends, eye doctor, and then the commercials, of course! I am so pleased with my results!
~Heather Mangeot - Testimony

Jan can now see the clock!

2009-01-23T09:42:00.000-08:00

"When I wake up I can now see my clock. Wang Vision gave me everything I needed after my surgery to make me comfortable...everything was great!"
~Jan Tacheny - Testimony

Testimonial from Tad

2009-01-19T11:41:00.000-08:00

Tad said...
"If you are the least bit dissatasifed with your vision, go see Ming Wang."I've repeated that line in all sincerity over 50 times in the last 3 1/2 weeks. The result of Lasik has been life altering in the most postive of ways. To be thirty and have to re-learn how to see the entire world is simply a blessing, and it's thrilling to be able to experience things in life that I'd been missing before. Most of all I can read books now which was very physically exhausting before. 400 pages in 6 hours as opposed to 100 tiring pages in 4 hours. If nothing else, WVI is making the world a smarter place. :)My thanks to the entire staff of WVI. Everyone I've met here is the genuine article of knowledgeable and compassionate care. The stereotype of a cold and clinical doctor's office has been broken, nothing could be further from the truth.The view really is better from here.
January 19, 2009 11:41 AM

Testimonial from Becky Dungy

2009-01-17T16:18:00.000-08:00

bld65 said...
Dr. Wang and Staff,First of all I want to thank everyone for being so very friendly,nice and informative. The doctor that did my eye exam was soknowledgeable and helpful and made me very comfortable. How can Ieven begin to thank you for what you have done for me. All my life Ihave had two eyes but only could see out of one. You have not onlygiven me vision in my right eye but the ability to finally see.Having lived all my life with a limited knowledge of depth andclarity, this is a miracle. I had been putting this surgery off foryears only because I never realized what an extreme difference itwould make. I was excited and anxious before my surgery with theprospects of finally being able to see out of my right eye but I hadno idea what that would mean. It's like I have looked at the world asonly one dimensional for all these years and now all of a sudden itfeels like it's three dimensional. Absolutely everything looksdifferent, even the most mundane things. I find myself loosing mytrain of thought when talking because I am so amazed by what I amseeing. Comparatively speaking, it's like going from black and whiteTV to color and rabbit ears to HD. The change is that dramatic. Mylife and quality of life will forever be changed. As and artist,(designer, painter, sculptor and drawer) I feel a new purpose andinspiration not only artistically but spiritually. Dr. Wang, God'spower works through you and your are a blessing to me and everyoneyou help. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Through your hardwork and study you have restored my sight and renewed my spirit.Sincerely,Becky Dungy

Testimonial from "Dr. B"

2009-01-16T06:20:00.000-08:00

Helen Boerman said...
Hi all! I'm one of Dr. Wang's biggest fans--so much so that I work for him! If you haven't met me, I'm one of the docs that works at WVI! As you may know, Dr. Wang consults with patients from around the world about artificial corneas. Just yesterday he received an e-mail inquiry from a patient in Minnesota who has had multiple corneal transplant rejections and all conventional treatments have failed. Since he performed the world's first laser-assisted artificial cornea implant and the world's first combined saliva gland transposition, I think he might just be able to help this patient! Told ya I'm one of his biggest fans! :)We are entering a new age of medicine--man-made body parts! Cool, eh?Helen (aka "Dr B")