Choosing the right surgeon is one of the most important decisions you will make before LASIK, and checking that surgeon’s credentials is easier than most patients expect. Oregon makes physician license and board action records public, and national certifying boards let patients confirm credentials in a few minutes. At Tersigni Vision in Lake Oswego, we encourage every patient to do this homework before any eye surgery, including surgery with us.
Why Should You Verify a LASIK Surgeon’s Credentials Before Surgery?
LASIK is an elective laser surgery performed on a healthy eye, which means patients have time to research before they commit. Words like “expert,” “top-rated,” and “certified” show up in a lot of LASIK advertising, but they are not held to the same standard as a medical license. Three public records give a much clearer picture: the surgeon’s state license, board certification, and disciplinary history. Together, they confirm that a surgeon is legally allowed to practice, trained to a recognized standard, and has a professional record patients can review.
At Tersigni Vision, we believe an informed patient makes a more confident decision. Dr. Steven Tersigni welcomes patients to look him up using the same tools described below, and his training and background are outlined on our About Dr. Tersigni page.
How Do You Check a LASIK Surgeon’s Medical License in Oregon?
The Oregon Medical Board licenses medical doctors (MDs) and osteopathic physicians (DOs) throughout the state, and its Licensee Search tool at oregon.gov/omb is free to use. Search by the surgeon’s name, then review the license status, license type, issue and expiration dates, and listed practice address. An “Active” status means the surgeon is currently authorized to practice in Oregon. Because many licensees share similar names, it is worth confirming details like the practice location before drawing any conclusions.
Any surgeon performing LASIK in the Portland area must hold an active Oregon license, no matter where they trained. If a surgeon has practiced in other states, those records matter too. The Federation of State Medical Boards offers DocInfo.org, which lets patients search license and board action information across state medical boards in one place.
Many refractive surgeons, including Dr. Tersigni, trained or practiced in other states before settling in Oregon. Checking each state where a surgeon has worked gives patients the most complete picture.
What Does Board Certification Mean for a LASIK Surgeon?
In the United States, LASIK surgeons are ophthalmologists, and the recognized certifying board for ophthalmology is the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO). The ABO is one of 24 specialty boards recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). Certification confirms that a surgeon completed an accredited ophthalmology residency and passed both written and oral examinations, and certified ophthalmologists take part in ongoing continuing certification to stay current.
Patients can verify certification using the “Verify a Physician” tool on the ABO website (abop.org), through the ABMS, or by calling the ABO directly. Results show a certification status such as Certified, Board Eligible, Certified on Probation, or Retired. A probation status can reflect an action taken by a state medical board, so it is worth a closer look.
One detail patients often miss is there is no ABMS specialty board for refractive surgery alone. If a practice advertises a “board-certified LASIK surgeon,” it is fair to ask which board issued the certification.
Dr. Tersigni is a board-certified ophthalmologist and a fellowship-trained refractive surgeon who completed his fellowship at Chu Vision Institute under Dr. Y. Ralph Chu. He is also the only World College of Refractive Surgery & Visual Sciences (WCRS) board-certified LASIK surgeon in Portland. WCRS certification is separate from ABO certification and focuses only on refractive surgery. You can read more about it in our article on why WCRS certification matters.
Come see what you’re missing.
Where Can You Find a Surgeon’s Disciplinary History in Oregon?
Disciplinary history appears on the same Oregon Medical Board license verification page used to check a license. Board actions are listed on each licensee’s record, with brief written descriptions available for actions issued after January 1, 2003. Most board action documents from 1998 forward can be viewed online, and older records are available through a public records request. The Board also publishes a monthly Board Actions Report and a quarterly malpractice report.
Knowing the difference between action types helps patients read these records accurately:
- Stipulated Orders and Final Orders are usually disciplinary actions.
- Consent Agreements and Voluntary Limitations are generally not disciplinary.
- Notices of Proposed Disciplinary Action are preliminary and are not posted as final actions.
Patients sometimes ask about the National Practitioner Data Bank. It is the federal database that tracks physician discipline and malpractice payments, but it is only available to licensing boards, hospitals, insurers, and similar organizations, not the public. That makes state board records the most useful starting point for patients.
What Should You Do If You Find a Red Flag?
A single entry on a surgeon’s record does not automatically rule them out. Read the order itself, note the date, and look at whether it involved surgical care or an administrative matter and whether it has been resolved. Then ask about it at your consultation. A surgeon who is confident in their record will answer openly.
Signs that deserve more caution include an expired or inactive license, a license on probation, restrictions on performing surgery, board certification that cannot be verified, and vague credential language that does not name a specific board. For a full list of what to bring up during your visit, see our guide to questions to ask during your LASIK consultation in Portland.
Beyond Credentials, What Else Signals a Trustworthy LASIK Surgeon?
Credentials are the starting point, not the finish line. How a surgeon decides whether you are a good LASIK candidate says a lot about the care you will receive. A thorough evaluation should include corneal topography to map the shape of the cornea, corneal thickness measurements, and a review of how stable your corrective lens prescription has been. The surgeon should assess your level of near-sightedness and astigmatism, check for dry eye that may need therapy before surgery, and talk through how your visual perception may change during healing.
The accuracy and precision of these measurements directly shape your result. A trustworthy surgeon will also tell you when LASIK is not the right procedure and explain other options, rather than steering every patient toward the same treatment. For people tired of glasses and contact lens routines, having more than one path forward matters.
At Tersigni Vision, every evaluation begins with our 90-minute Advanced Ocular Analysis. We are the only vision correction center in Oregon to offer the full portfolio of modern LASIK alternatives, including LASIK, PRK, EVO ICL, SMILE, and Refractive Lens Exchange. Dr. Tersigni personally performs every procedure at our Lake Oswego practice, and as the first patient in the United States to receive the EVO Toric ICL, he understands the experience from the patient’s chair as well as the surgeon’s.
Key Takeaways: Verifying a Portland LASIK Surgeon
- Use the Oregon Medical Board Licensee Search to confirm an active Oregon license, and DocInfo.org to check records in other states.
- Verify American Board of Ophthalmology certification through abop.org or the ABMS, and ask which board issued any “board-certified” claim.
- Review board actions on the Oregon Medical Board record, and learn which action types are disciplinary and which are not.
- Ask about anything you find during your consultation. Clear, direct answers are a good sign.
- Look beyond credentials at how thoroughly the surgeon evaluates your eyes and whether they offer alternatives to LASIK.
Imagine waking up and seeing clearly, with no glasses to reach for and no contacts to put in. Schedule your Advanced Ocular Analysis at Tersigni Vision in Lake Oswego and take the first step toward the carefree vision that could change the way you live every day.
Medically Reviewed By:
Steven Tersigni, MD
Board-Certified Ophthalmologist
Fellowship-Trained Refractive Surgeon, WCRS
Last reviewed October 10, 2026
