I recently had my first two visits with Dr. Ichikawa at Sunnyvale Optometry. His service was so excellent that I felt I simply had to do something (beyond paying the bill) to show my appreciation for what I got and to spread the good word. That's why I'm offering this review.
I hadn't had my eyes checked for a few years, but was concerned because both of my parents have had glaucoma (or, were thought to have it). I believe this means the probability I'll have it is higher than it might have been otherwise. Glaucoma is a serious retinal disease because it can lead to blindness. So I needed an assessment of my retinal health, as well as an update to my eyeglass prescription. But I had lost my insurance and was thus looking for a new eye care provider. My search led me to Sunnyvale Optometry and Dr. Ichikawa.
With a very calm but friendly, efficient, and professional demeanor, Dr. Ichikawa went about the usual optometric procedures to provide me with optimal prescriptions for reading and distance lenses. He explained that I might find I need yet another prescription for working at the computer, because a third range of distances is involved and neither the reading nor distance lenses might permit my eyes to focus optimally during that task. While working, he took time to answer every question in detail, and never made me feel like he was in a hurry. At no time did Dr. Ichikawa pressure me, overtly or subtly, to buy anything other than the eye exam for which I had come. And, as a patient without insurance, it really pleased me that Dr. Ichikawa was careful to avoid running any tests that weren't needed and that could have caused the cost of his services to be significantly higher. I really got the feeling he was there to help me. It was that simple.
But Dr. Ichikawa really went the extra mile in educating me about glaucoma and the way in which knowledge about it is evolving. One important thing I learned was that measures previously thought to indicate the presence of glaucoma had been found to be substantially unreliable. It was also found that many factors adversely affect the accuracy of measurements related to glaucoma diagnosis. One result has been the finding that many people diagnosed with glaucoma (such as my parents?) do not, in fact, have the disease. There is now even a recognition that previous understandings of what causes glaucoma have been lacking in many respects. Diagnostic techniques and technology are evolving along with the state of knowledge about the disease. And so on.
These new insights notwithstanding, Dr. Ichikawa still made it clear that I need to be proactive about having my eyes assessed regularly (every year or so at this point) for evidence of glaucoma. This facilitates early detection and the highest probability of successful treatment.
What does all this say about Dr. Ichikawa? Well, for sure, he is not an individual who tries to create a false sense of security by pretending to know more than he really knows. Rather, he can be counted on to provide you, the patient, with the level of understanding you need about your specific and current visual health, how you might expect it to change over time, the significance of those changes, and what you'll need to do to optimize your visual health and future quality of life. He convinced me that he can explain these concepts in whatever terms enable you to understand them. I think Dr. Ichikawa instinctively knows what a good job is, and he delights in delivering it to his clients. At a very competitive price, no less!
Five stars! read more
