first off , i love old quirky things. i love old hollywood , i love character and i love ,…read morekindness~ i hate modern stream line borish "show off" people and things ~ so where many here talk about walking into the waiting room and being turned off ~ i was enamored.
again, i love old hollywood, love stepping back in time, so this office to me was charming and a plus. but. yes, it's old fashioned- coming in the receptionist was lovely, anyone i came in contact with was kind~
after filling out my paperwork and a small wait i was brought back to the treatment room~ yes, as some have noted here, filled with equipment - his eye stuff he needs , big old t.v. i don't care these things make no negative note for me. it's all part of the quirky charm to me.
the receptionist actually did all my pre dr eye checks ,which i feel is neat. So i guess she is more like officer manager who knows how to do pretty much everything in the office. ~she alcohol wiped the machines, checked my vision, did all those things you do with eye tests.
When she finished she moved me to another room and asked me to wait there, the dr came in shortly. He came in asked the customary questions. why are you here? cataracts ~ he asked family history and what not. while he chatted he put drops in my eyes. i didn't know i was getting ; but made me giggle and added to the quirkiness of this. I asked what the drops were for. he explained he was numbing my eyes to do tests. he tested and checked all~ said i do have cataracts in both eyes~ but all else seems good, no glaucoma , no macular degeneration. he says he 'can' do cataract surgery, surgery will have a side benefit of having vision end up being better and not needing full time glasses, just for reading~he added my ins. will pay~ and he'll check the hospitals he works out of, for one that will take my ins. to cover the whole thing. that was pretty cool, for him to think beyond, think of helping me have it paid for.
He walked out for a bit. i heard him make a call to another dr, telling him the office had a few people in the weaning room could he come in early.
The dr on the phone said yes.
Dr joe eventually came back in my room, asked for my current (now former)eye drs to get my records. I couldn't remember and with blurry eyes couldn't look it up. I asked if he has an email to send info later~ he took a piece of paper towel out of my hand and wrote his email address on it~ .....again, if you knew me, you'd know at that action i was pretty much sold on this guy.
finished the check up, he said they'd put in a request for my surgery (i said yes to it earlier) . he walked me to the front desk to make an appointment, no one was there, so he stepped behind and made the appointment himself~ (like in the wizard of oz where the wizard is the fellow who answers the door) that also made me giggle~but really it's great that he's not so stuffy (no one in the office is,) that they can't step in to do what comes next like team players.
he made my appointment~ and when i was all set, even asked if i wanted a calendar with his office name across the bottom.-- you bet i wanted a calendar! I loved my experience there~ yet i do have to admit was a little cautious in that,
if the place is old fashioned and off beat folks like myself are attracted to this, does this mean the dr isn't good ? these are my eyes. I NEED THEM, i'm used to them, would like to keep seeing from them.. i'm making light of it here; but honestly,we all know, if we're lucky enough to have sight, it's precious. i don't take it lightly, and do not chance it, so want to be sure with the eyes i am in the right place.. When i came in for that follow up pre surgery, sitting in the waiting room i noticed up at the very top of the walls,- lined surrounding the whole waiting room- something i hadn't noticed the first visit~certificates, plaques, diplomas, awards, commendations all detailing dr joes distinguished abilities as a dr, his respect in the medical , and research community, and the respect he is given in his community at large. ok, i'm thinking this is more than pretty good~
But it was the reviews from patients here that really added to my growing like and confidence in him.
i notice anyone here who rates this dr low, the reasons are either aesthetics they don't like, or waiting when the office is busy~ no one complains about his "ability." The bad reviews seem all on things that aren't important to me~ and the good reviews seem all on the care, his surgical ability, and satisfaction in all the ways that to me really count. i don't mind waiting a bit for "personal" service by genuinely "good" people.
i saw the dr yesterday. the appointment was just as quirky and interesting. i'm set to have surgery shortly. i'll check back in then~but i want to note, in between appointments the dr called me himself to tell me my surgery was approved. who does that anymore?! and i mean that in a good way.
