Blog Archive
I have dedicated most of my life to the study of science, medicine, patient care, and specifically ophthalmology. I have spent more than fifteen years now, practicing clinical ophthalmology, treating patients medically or surgically for various eye conditions. That said, I am periodically humbled by ocular conditions which I am...
The last year and a half has been a tremendous adjustment for patients and care providers alike in the COVID era. I remember a patient of mine seeing me for a routine eye check-up, telling me the worst experience of his life was having to have recent open-heart surgery. On...
When I was in residency training, I was watching one of my professors remove an eyelid growth from a patient in his office. I asked my professor if he often does minor procedures in his office, and he caught me off guard when he said I shouldn’t be asking such...
In years past, when HMOs didn’t exist, use of health insurance was fairly straight forward. As a patient, if you had insurance, you could see your doctor when you wanted and as many times as you wanted; your doctor could order whatever tests they deemed necessary, and do whatever procedures...
I wear glasses, and family and friends often ask me why I haven’t done laser eye surgery yet. Is it unsafe because an ophthalmologist hasn’t done it? My answer to people is that overall, assuming a patient has had a thorough eye evaluation by a qualified eye care professional, laser...
As patients, the bane of our existence is waiting to see the doctor. We physicians are often not on time, and patients have to wait both in the waiting room and exam room for significant periods of time. From a physician’s point of view, I can tell you that one...
One of the most difficult and important decisions individuals make is whom to choose as their doctor. Physicians are our partners in safeguarding our most precious asset: our health. But how to choose? What qualities should we seek in our doctor? Should we go by word of mouth? Do we...
Patients have so many reasons to be frustrated by the current health care system. Insurances have become less affordable and often deny necessary care. Patient often have to wait several days to get an appointment, and have to wait prolonged periods of time in the doctor’s office. We, as physicians,...
Diabetic Retinopathy When diabetes goes unchecked for several years, blood vessels in the retina become leaky, causing blood and fluids to enter and damage the retina, thereby leading to vision loss. The treatments for diabetic retinopathy vary based on the severity of disease. Minor amounts of diabetic retinopathy can be...
There are several tests that your eye care provider will do to determine if you have glaucoma. First is to check your eye pressure, as individuals with elevated eye pressures have a greater risk for glaucoma. Second is often a test called optical coherence tomography; this scan analyzes the optic...
When is the right time to do cataract surgery? It happens quite frequently that patients express shock when I tell them they have cataracts; patients often think these came out of the blue and need surgery. It gives me great pleasure to explain the concept of cataracts to patients and...
What is Glaucoma and How is it Treated? Glaucoma is often a silent disease. When explaining it to patients, I often compare it to high blood pressure. Unless a person’s blood pressure is very high, we generally are not aware of having high blood pressure, and over time this elevated...
Dry Eye Disease Dry eyes are one of the most common ocular conditions that eye care providers encounter. While I am pleased to reassure my patients that this is not a serious or vision-threatening condition, it can become a significant annoyance in patients’ lives, often interfering in their quality of...