I'd rate my one visit as 3.5-4/5 for the overall visit with exams, staff, and doctors, and a 2/5…read morefor Dr. Al-Aswad's bedside manners.
I don't know why we have to accept the stereotypical poor social treatment by doctors just to get their expert medical treatment. But I've been diagnosed with glaucoma for about 3 years, so I wanted to see a glaucoma specialist, specifically Dr. Al-Aswad.
I was fortunate enough to get a morning appointment within a week of calling, and did not wait that long before my appointment began. Like the other reviewers mentioned, my visit included comprehensive exams and it was clear the staff, nurses, and doctors at Columbia Ophthalmology were all very knowledgeable and personable. (Though there was a mix-up among the nurses/staff and I didn't get my visual acuity test done when I was sent to see a doctor who was conducting the preliminary tests. I ended up getting it done 5-10 min. later.)
However, when I had my 5-10 min. visit with Dr. Al-Aswad, she treated me rather brashly. As a new patient who moved to the NYC area recently, I understand you're trying to get a lot of basic information, but, at one point, she yelled at me in frustration when I didn't answer her question correctly. She had just asked me who my primary care physician was at my previous residence, and then asked me who my doctor was. So, I assumed she was still asking me about the primary care doctor. Nope, she was asking me about my eye doctor at my previous residence without saying "eye doctor." Because I'm a mind reader? See, the term "eye doctor" is still quite vague considering I saw an ophthalmologist and an optometrist and they are both colloquially considered "eye doctors." (My previous ophthalmologist didn't prescribe contact lens prescription which is why I had to see an optometrist.)
I also didn't really get the sense she wanted to answer my questions or take the time to explain things to me. I got the sense she just wanted to get out of the room as fast as possible.
I understand she's busy as someone who sees patients, mentors doctors and med students, conducts research, etc. and that's really impressive, but that doesn't give you an excuse to be rude. And try to treat people with respect regardless of their age. I know the patient after me was a white woman in her 70s or 80s with her husband present, and I'm pretty sure Dr. Al-Aswad didn't yell at her in frustration and treat her like she's an imbecile. I know I get treated differently sometimes by being an Asian-American woman in my early 30s, and I wonder if this was one of those times.
So, if you're going to see her for her expertise, just be aware of her attitude, and it's probably best to prepare and bring questions with you ahead of time.
