We look forward to seeing you. Our doctors and staff strive to provide excellent medical care in a warm and friendly environment. We schedule appointments between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm Monday through Friday. Most of our patients are referred to us by other medical professionals and optometrists, although we do accept non-referred patients with known or suspected retina disorders. Please be aware that your insurance may require you to see your primary eye doctor prior to a consultation with a retinal specialist.  We limit our practice to diseases and surgery of the retina, and do not prescribe glasses or contact lenses. Upon your arrival in our office, you will be greeted by the San Diego Retina Associates staff. They will copy your insurance information and ask you to complete a patient information form and medical history questionnaire.  It is very important that you have your insurance card(s) with you, along with your eye glasses and your current list of medications. New patient forms are available on our website for those patients who wish to complete them prior to their arrival. If an interpreter is needed, please have someone come with you who can translate.

At San Diego Retina Associates we make every effort to maintain an on time schedule and to minimize our patients wait time. Depending on the complexity of your problem, your first visit with us may require over 2 hours.  Diagnostic testing will likely be performed at the initial visit, and the results will be given to you that same day. Testing may include may include color pictures, fluorescein angiography, ocular coherent tomography and ultrasound. We will dilate your eyes at every visit.  The dilation may blur your vision for up to 4 hours and make your eyes sensitive to light. If you are unable to drive yourself after the dilation you should arrange to have someone drive you home. 

After your examination and any additional tests are completed, your results will be explained to you by the physician. We encourage you to bring a family member or friend along to the appointment to be certain that all your questions are answered completely and that you understand the diagnosis and treatment options.  We will send a consultation report to your referring doctor.

Treatment:

Treatments may include injections (into or around the eye), retinal laser, and/or operating room surgery.

We perform laser treatments and intraocular injections in our office. Your treatments will usually be performed on a day shortly after the initial visit. However if the need for treatment is urgent, this will likely be performed on the same day as your consultation visit.

Operating room surgery will be scheduled at one of our affiliated hospitals. You will receive complete instructions for post-operative care, and our physicians will see you the next day for a follow up visit, or thereafter at increasing intervals.