Eye doctor gets 10 years jail for fake surgeries

David Ming Pon racked up more than US$10 million (AU$13.35 m) in fraudulent bills by falsely diagnosing patients with wet age-related macular degeneration and then convincing patients they needed immediate laser surgery.{{quote-A:R-W:470-I:2-Q: I have personally had to look dozens of his victims in the eye and explain to th how they had been wasting their time and money for years, receiving imaginary treatments for diseases they did not have, -WHO:Dr Adam Berger, Board Certified Ophthalmologist in Winter Haven, Florida}}The case went to trial in 2015 after Pon refused to repay the US Government for the fraudulent Medicare claims however, he wasn’t sentenced until earlier this year.Aside from the jail term, the 59-year-old was also stripped of his licence to practice and ordered to repay US$7 million (AU$9.35 m).During proceedings, a government expert stated that Pon’s laser treatments were relatively safe based on the low power settings of the laser used during the surgeries.However, another ophthalmologist who had subsequently treated many of Pon’s patients wrote to the judge to inform him of the psychological strain they had experienced as a result of the fake surgery.“I have personally had to look dozens of his victims in the eye and explain to th how they had been wasting their time and money for years, receiving imaginary treatments for diseases they did not have,” Dr Adam Berger said in his letter.Prior to his conviction, Pon was a respected practitioner who maintained offices in Orlando and Leesburg.