Today we’d like to introduce you to Samir Melki.
Samir, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I founded Boston laser in 2000 and started as myself and one single employee. It now grew to 4 locations, 9 doctors and 75 employees. My journey started when I landed in the US for the first time when I was 21 determined to build a new future for myself after having lived through a harrowing civil war in Beirut. I had left after my first year medical school and enrolled in a PhD program at Vanderbilt University. I then re-applied to medical school and continued my educational journey in the US. My last stop was a fellowship at Harvard’s Mass Eye and Ear where I completed a fellowship in Cornea and laser eye surgery. It was a long journey as I did not start working till I was 35 years old.
I decided then to build an academically-oriented private practice where we place equal emphasis on patient care, research, education as well as a high-end patient experience.
The practice and laser center provide medical eye care as well as laser eye surgery. We have grown to be the busiest independent Lasik provider in MA. We have also strived to always embrace new technology and were able to achieve many medical firsts in the Boston area. The reputation of the practice has grown to the point where many famous sports players had their eye procedures performed at our center
Has it been a smooth road?
There were many obstacles. The healthcare environment keeps getting more challenging and we had to face an economic downturn in 2008 that was affecting the whole country. Our business kept growing despite the crisis while most practices around the country encountered a 30-40% decrease in volume. This was mainly due to a sustained and consistent effort at connecting Boston Laser with the local community through various events in addition to public relations.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Boston Laser – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We specialize in eye care. Our doctors provide a wide variety of services ranging from routine eye exams, contact lens fitting to more complex procedures such as cataract surgery, laser eye surgery, macular degeneration treatment and corneal transplantation.
We performed the first implantable contact lens in Boston, the first laser cataract surgery and the first Raindrop Near Vision Inlay in New England. We also helped develop the first implantable device to wirelessly track eye pressure in glaucoma patients and I had the privilege to be the first to implant such a device in a human.
Another fact to note is our work in the UK where we established cataract surgery centers where 20,000 procedures were performed over a 7-year period to help alleviate the backlog that the UK national healthcare service (NHS) was experiencing.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Boston is an incredible city for its diversity, highly educated population, smart and dynamic student body as well as a vibrant medical community and top notch educational institutions. I personally like the fact that Boston is close to Europe where I like to travel for leisure.
Contact Info:
- Address: Brookline, Wellesley, Medford, Lawrence
- Website: www.bostonlaser.com
- Phone: 617-5660062
- Facebook: boston laser
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