Probably capable for less serious eye issues; Dr. Carim too impatient with less routine procedures.
Plus Side: He exceeded others in Reading area in seeing the problem, knows the graduated levels of treatment, and is familiar with them. Developed a blind spot in one eye - neither Eyeland optometrist nor ophthalmologist at Campanella & Pearah could ID the cause. Dr. Carim saw a hole in the retina and immediately injected a bubble to pin it back before laser affixation. Bubble was augmented once.
Negatives: Impatience and questionable judgment in my estimation. After the proscribed days of waiting (and head positioning to optimize the bubble's effect), saw him again. Dr. Carim stated that the retina was not all the way back but decided to proceed with the laser procedure (maybe he expected it would get no better, but he didn't go for more days despite feeling that could help). What started as a quick laser attachment procedure turned into a long laser light show and torture session as he grew increasingly frustrated with the retina's remaining detached area. Another bubble.
Days later, the blind spot was expanding into the center of my vision. The next step was the more "intense" step of cryogenic attachment. Apart from the glorious feeling of poking multiple instruments into my eyeball and freezing it, my situation ultimately became a full retinal detachment.
In this timeframe Dr. Carim noted that my retina had at least three holes that allowed fluid to get behind it. This could have been the result of multiple laser burn-throughs from my military service, or maybe his premature laser attachment action.
Blind in one eye now, I went to Dr. David Fisher in Philadelphia (3 locations for him), who laid out my options. A vitrectomy (removal of all fluid, pin the retina back) was performed. Vision in that eye is hazy, non-correctable to anywhere near what it was, and depth perception is off from other eye - the resultant of full retinal detachment. read more