I'd forgotten about my appointment at Lakeline Vision Source with Dr. Kodukula a year ago until I received a card in the mail prompting me to schedule another appointment since it's been a year.
I absolutely will not be returning to Lakeline Vision Source. I was insulted by the way I was treated by Dr. Kodukula. I've had dry eyes for several years and chose Lakeline Vision Source and to see Dr. Kodukula to transfer my care from an optometrist in another city to an optometrist in Austin because of the good things I'd read on Yelp.
My quick visit was ridiculous for several reasons.
1. Despite relaying my history (and the many things I've tried) to Dr. Kodukula, she offered basic, first-line treatment suggestions for dry eyes, despite my telling her I'd tried them and was currently using them. Yes, I use fish oil, lid scrubs, and warm compresses.
2. After I told her that another optometrist had tried scleral lenses with me, she remarked something along the lines of, "Oh you poor thing, you're definitely not a candidate for sclerals." What a demeaning and dismissive comment to make to someone on the first visit.
3. After examining my oil glands, telling my my oil production was fine and that my glands didn't seem clogged, and explaining the use of a warm compress for dry eyes (which I told her I already use), Dr. Kodukula told me how if warm compresses help, their office has a fancy, expensive therapy called Lipiflow. She gave me a whole sales pitch on Lipiflow, including how much the therapy usually costs and how much it would cost since it was *on sale.* I commented that she'd just told me my oil production was fine and asked her how much it would realistically help my dry eyes, she then said Lipiflow probably wouldn't help much. I refrained from asking, "Are you a medical professional with my best interests in mind or are you a saleswoman?"
By this time, near the end of the appointment, I was frustrated and upset. Dr. Kodukula picked up on this (to some extent) and noticed that my pupils were dilated, which is a typical response to being in a flight-or-fight situation. For me, that situation was feeling misunderstood and taken advantage of by someone who was supposed to be a trustworthy healthcare provider. I wanted to get out of that office.
4. Dr. Kodukula's response was to ask me if I was taking any illegal drugs (because my pupils were dilated). No, Dr. Kodukula, I don't do drugs, and your asking me if I did near the end of the appointment made me feel like you thought I was crazy.
5. The appointment was briskly concluded, and I was ushered to check out, with Dr. Kodukula's suggestion that I should purchase their office's (overpriced) fish oil, lid scrub, and warm compress and follow-up after I'd tried those things for a while if things weren't better.
This business has lots of great equipment and technology to help their optometrists do a good job taking care of patients' eyes. My experience was that Lakeline Vision Source is just that -- a business. They ran me through, collected my copay, tried to upsell me on an expensive therapy that wouldn't actually benefit me and overpriced, basic eye care products that I'd already tried.
I'm a physical therapist. At the time that I saw Dr. Kodukula, I was a student physical therapist. I know the difference between a healthcare practice that puts patients first and cares about complex patients and a business that's trying to maximize profit. My awful experience at Lakeline Vision Source is one reason why I do my best as a healthcare provider to listen to my patients and provide compassionate, appropriate care. read more