The Surgeon Who Operated on a Boy Others Said "Didn't Need to See Far"—and Changed Everything
After 34 years and more than 50,000 procedures, Dr. Khanna still feels he's just getting started
Some surgeons see patients. Dr. Rajesh Khanna sees life stories waiting to be transformed.
After 34 years and more than 50,000 procedures, most eye surgeons would be coasting toward retirement. Not Dr. Khanna. "Sometimes I feel I'm just getting started," he says from his Beverly Hills practice, where celebrities, first responders, physicians, and families alike trust him with their vision. "Every new robotic technology, every upgrade—I'm still fascinated by how we can make surgery safer and outcomes better. The technology keeps evolving, and so do I."
That relentless pursuit of excellence explains why his own mother flew across the country to have him perform her procedure. Why his wife refused to let anyone else touch her eyes. Why a mother brought her son—a boy born with no arms and legs—when other surgeons asked "why does he need to see far?" And why Hollywood's biggest names—from Kevin Sorbo of Hercules fame to Doors legend Robby Krieger—quietly slip into his Westlake Village and Beverly Hills offices.
The story of Dr. Khanna's mother reveals everything you need to know about his practice.
She came to visit, planning to have her vision correction procedure done elsewhere. "She came to my office and started talking to patients before and after their surgeries," Dr. Khanna recalls. "She was amazed at how happy they were, how they described the whole experience. She realized one of the best surgeons was her son. Why should she go elsewhere?"
But the seeds of that trust were planted decades earlier. When his son was just three years old, Dr. Khanna had to perform emergency stitches on the boy's forehead. A year before that, he'd operated on his nephew. These family experiences gave his young son confidence when, years later, he needed his own vision correction. "He trusted his dad," Dr. Khanna says simply.
Perhaps most tellingly, his wife—who has watched him care for patients and perform procedures since his training days—made her position clear: she would only have surgery with him and no one else.
Dr. Khanna's Beverly Hills Times features and celebrity patient roster read like a Hollywood who's who, yet he rarely advertises these relationships. The list includes:
"I've also operated on many other celebrities who, for HIPAA and privacy reasons, I cannot mention," Dr. Khanna notes. "They trust that what happens in my office stays confidential."
The celebrity connection isn't about bragging rights—it's about what these high-profile patients reveal: when your career, your image, and your livelihood depend on perfect vision, you don't take chances. You find the best.
Perhaps more telling than celebrity patients: Dr. Khanna has operated on physicians, pharmacists, surgeons, CEOs, police officers, and firefighters. When healthcare professionals need vision correction, they choose the surgeon who meets their own exacting standards.
"I got worried thinking maybe he wasn't able to see and was in trouble," Dr. Khanna remembers with a laugh. "But he called to say he'd never seen so well from the sky. After his procedure, he could see the coast of Japan much sharper than ever before."
Walk into most Beverly Hills vision correction practices and you'll find LASIK. Dr. Khanna offers a full arsenal:
"I offer more technologies than most surgeons in Beverly Hills because every eye is different," he explains. "If there's a contraindication to one procedure, I have other options. My style is very individualistic."
And for patients who want to explore their options before committing to an in-person visit, Dr. Khanna offers virtual consultations—a convenient way to discuss your vision goals and determine candidacy from the comfort of home.
Dr. Khanna's approach defies the high-volume, assembly-line mentality of many Beverly Hills practices.
"I like to get to know my patients and understand exactly what their pain points are so the best technology can be offered," he says. "I listen to them, understand their fears and their desired goals, and see which are achievable. We write everything down. Six months after the procedure, we can see if we achieved success."
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A mother brought her son to Dr. Khanna—a boy born with no arms and legs. He desperately needed LASIK because he couldn't wear glasses, but surgeon after surgeon had refused.
One doctor even asked: "Why does he need to see far?"
Dr. Khanna saw a different question: Why wouldn't he deserve perfect vision?
A world that already presented countless physical challenges had just become infinitely richer and more accessible. Not because Dr. Khanna saw a patient. Because he saw a person with dreams, desires, and the right to experience life fully.
One of Dr. Khanna's earliest Santa Monica staff members wore thick glasses, long conservative skirts, and hair pulled back tight. She looked every bit the stereotypical schoolteacher. A few days after her LASIK procedure, a young woman walked into the office with shorter hair, a shorter skirt, and the confidence of a college student.
Dr. Khanna didn't recognize her.
"She said LASIK transformed the way she saw herself in the mirror," he recalls. "It wasn't just about seeing clearly—it was about seeing herself differently."
An overweight, autistic teenager had been turned down by multiple surgeons. Too risky, they said. Too difficult, they claimed. His mother heard about Dr. Khanna and made the journey.
"I was able to interact and win his approval for the surgery, which went uneventfully," Dr. Khanna says. "A few months later, he came in for follow-up and I didn't recognize him—he'd lost 30 pounds. His mother told me the surgery transformed his life."
When you can't see clearly, you can't connect with the world. When you can't connect, sometimes you disconnect from everything—including your own health. Clear vision gave this young man a connection that changed everything.
During his training in New York, Dr. Khanna encountered a young camp patient with advanced cataracts and developmental challenges. The boy carried toys everywhere and made constant noise—his way of interacting with a world he couldn't see.
"I asked my professor why nobody operated on him," Dr. Khanna remembers. "They said everybody was afraid. I said I would do it."
After the surgery, something remarkable happened. The boy could see. He could make visual connections with the universe around him. He didn't need noise anymore to interact with his environment.
Dr. Khanna represents a rare combination in modern medicine: a surgeon who uses the most advanced robotic technologies while maintaining the bedside manner of a 1950s family doctor.
He offers first responder discounts. He gives teacher discounts. He spends as much time as needed in consultation—whether in person or via virtual visit. He builds a network of trusted specialists for procedures outside his expertise, ensuring patients always get the best care even when it's not from him.
Most surgeons with Dr. Khanna's credentials—fellowship training at University of Cincinnati, residency at SUNY Downstate, six consecutive years as Southern California Super Doctor (2019-2024), author of two books on vision correction, over 50,000 procedures performed—would be counting down to retirement.
Dr. Khanna is counting up to what's next.
"Every new technology excites me," he says. "Every patient story inspires me. Sometimes I feel I'm just getting started."
For the celebrities who trust him, the families who fly across the country to see him, the boy with no arms and legs whom other surgeons turned away, the autistic teen who lost 30 pounds, the pilot who called from 30,000 feet, and the receptionist who discovered a new version of herself in the mirror—that's very good news indeed.
Offering SMILE, LASIK, EVO ICL, PIE, cosmetic pterygium surgery, and advanced treatments for keratoconus. Virtual consultations available. First responder and teacher discounts.
Dr. Khanna personally available to all patients
