One warm busy afternoon, I was called to the ward and was asked to see a female patient in her late 50s, due to poor vision on her left eye. Auntie Beauty is referred to me by her attending physician, an infectious disease specialist. He wants me to check if her left eye also got

“Some letters become blurry”

“I used to can see far, now, I can’t”

“I get headaches all the time, and maybe I have a grado (refractive error)”

These are commonly said when a health partner (patient) comes into our eye clinic.

I am Dr. Izza Italia, Diplomate of the Philippine Board of Ophthalmology currently practicing in Angeles City.

First Impressions Last

When patients arrived, after setting their appointments, first to greet them is our secretary. She will smile at you and help you settle, and input vital identification information in our health care app, SeriousMD/NowServing. https://nowserving.seriousmd.com/doctot/izza-italia

Our secretary usually obtain your visual complaint, your visual status and your refraction using an automated refractometer.

This will help us later on in giving the patients their best corrective refraction.

Listen to your body 

As soon as the patient comes to the room, the ophthalmologist sits across and helps you expound on how you really feel or how you really see. It is important to give as much detail to the eye doctor as you can.

This will help us formulate a working diagnosis combined with your clinical findings

Sit comfortably and relax

Your ophthalmologist will instruct you to sit on an examining slit lamp table. Your chin and forehead must be properly aligned. It helps with better visualization of your eye structures. and faster examination.

We apologize for shining too much light in your eye, we just really have to look for everything.

As ophthalmologist, we like to check the front surface (cornea and sclera) of your eye, the anterior portion (anterior chamber) of your eye, the colored part (iris) of your eye and the perfect lens behind the colored part.

Drops are for further examination

Sometimes your eye pressures also need to be measure. Just like blood pressure, eyes have intraocular pressure. Before using the device, we have to numb the eyes with a stinging eyedrop to get an accurate pressure reading.

The stinging sensation also will wear off in a few seconds and you can sit comfortably again.

Some drops known as dilating eyedrops are used for a more detailed examination of the back of the eye, or the retina

Lights and Lenses 

Some parts of your beautiful eyes need special equipment and lenses. Your ophthalmologist will take these from a small box and asks you to look in certain directions to view different parts of your eyes.

These lenses help the eye doctor see your anterior chamber angles, optic nerves, retina, macula and the retinal vessels. Just to check if everything okay.

What could this be?

Much of the time spent in your eye doctor’s office will lead to this. She explains to you what is happening with you, your symptoms and what to do about it, for the mean time and for a long time.

If you have further questions, this is the time to ask your doctor, what’s in it for me and what should I watch out for.

Follow up

You will be relieved of your worry after talking to a professional. and in a step wise fashion, you should schedule a follow up appointment with your doctor if necessary. Patients are health care partners in taking care of their visual health.

You can find us on Facebook https://facebook.com/italiaeyeclinic

An Online Consultation with you eye doctor can help you because it is

• Fast

• Easy

• Accessible

• Affordable

• Available

• No hassle, No worries

It is 9PM. Something physical and health related is bothering you. You need to see a doctor. Gabi na. Is there a doctor I can talk to? Meron pa kaya na open clinic? How about in the emergency? What do you do? If only there is online consultation available.

The Quiet Night

You hear everything when the atmosphere is quiet, when the busyness of the day settles. You listen to your chief complaints, you feel your aches, and you hear your questions.

An Eye Symptom in the Quiet Night

What are the thoughts that are bothering you?

What is Happening?

Why I cannot see?

Why my head hurts and I cannot see?

Why my head hurts?

What is your wish?

An Online Consultation with An Eye  Doctor

You just need someone to talk to. Someone who will understand you. A human who will listen to your aches and pains. IS there an Online doctor?

Convenience

There are days when looking for onsite clinic is unavailable. Good thing that digital technology helps bring important services at the touch of your phones, inside the safety and comfort of your homes.

Prevention is Better

A lot of disease can be easily treated when it is easy, when it is only beginning, especially if it is the eye. I can attest to that.

Consultation Fees

An online consultation usually costs the same as a face to face consultation. I always tell my patient, a face to face clinic examination is always better but given the situation of some patients, online consult is better than no consult at all.

NowServing app

No Worries. There are eye doctors who understand your needs, who know exactly how to talk you. Now Serving is an app that helps connects patients to doctors. This wonderful technology has been there quite some time, but became popular and rapidly developed during the pandemic. https://seriousmd.com/doc/izza-italia

Ask, Seek, Knock

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” Matthew 7:7-12

Online Booking, Laboratories, Prescriptions, Medical Certificates

I have been with SeriousMD since 2021, during the height of pandemic. I can attest to the software integrity of this application. What I like best is it’s patient data safety. I also find it very important to have that electronic medical record that helps us manage patient’s lab requests, prescription, and medical certificate. This helps us doctors move our entire clinic online.

In Just a Few Clicks

I received that online booking at 9PM. I have finished my tasks for the day, and not yet sleepy.

I messaged the patient if she is okay to proceed with the online consultation, or if she wants to reschedule in the morning.

We proceeded with the consultation, the workups and the prescription.

I gave my advise to proceed with a face to face consultation if she is not relieved or if her symptoms are getting worse.

No worries for the meantime

It is our actions that gives a sense of control again, decreasing our worries for our days and nights.