Pediatric Ophthalmologists
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Pediatric Ophthalmologists
Dec 2011
My son is 8 years old now. He has been wearing glasses since
he was 5. He has myopia and astigmatism. His sight is now
around 4.50 right / 5.50 left. During the last
ophthalmologist visit she has mentioned that his optic nerve
is small. I am wondering whether any other parent also has
experienced similar situation. I am looking for a good
ophthalmologist who is an expert in myopia/ optic nerve
issue. We live in East Bay but do not mind to drive for long
distance if the Doctor is good. Please advice
I can recommend Dr. Selim Koseoglu at Children's Hospital.
You'll be in very good hands. Anon
March 2011
We are trying to decide which pediatric opthalmologist to use for our son. We
would like to know if anyone can recommend either Dr.Otis Paul in Walnut Creek
or Dr. Omandi Nyong'O ( PAMF ).
Thanks!
My now 10 year-old son began seeing Otis Paul when he was
about 5 years old for Strabismus (one eye turned inward) at
our pediatrician's recommendation. Dr. Paul was also highly
recommended by an opthamologist friend in the South Bay. I
liked that the doctor didn't automatically recommend
surgery. Rather, we tried to correct his vision with a patch
for about a year. I was surprised at how well Dr. Paul could
know what eyeglass prescription to give my son, even when he
was too little to read charts or vocalize what he was or
wasn't seeing. When the doctor recommended surgery, we got a
second opinion, which agreed with the first, and gave us
greater comfort that we weren't rushing into something too
quickly. Ultimately, my son had the surgery as an outpatient
at Children's Hospital. We now do follow up about every 2
years, and each time the doctor sees my son, he says that
the surgical correction is holding well. Dr. Paul is
concerned about your bottom line, always recommending places
to buy kids' glasses inexpensively. I would definitely
recommend him.
Glad my kid can see
Hi I highly recommend Dr. Nyongo with PAMF. He is a wonderful
dr. and has been seeing my son who has a very rare eye
condition since he was 12 days old. He is great with the
kids and takes the time to explain everything to the
parents. The only downside is that he can run late, so I
suggest scheduling your appt so you are the first one in the
morning. Good luck!
ANON
I highly recommend you go to UC Berkeley School of OPtometry
infant/toddler clinic. If your child needs surgery, I would recommend
Dr. William Good. been there, done that
March 2011
My 4 year old is diagnosed with accomodative esotropia. We took him to a
pediatric ophthalmologist who prescribed him with eyeglasses. The doctor is
very well know in his area of expertise but he didn't answer our questions or
bother to ease our concerns or explain the situation. For all our questions he
has one line replies ,so we went for a second opinion. This time the doc gave
us a presctiption thats not the same as the first doc !! Both doctors are well
known and experts in their field. I emailed the first doc to confirm from him
that the prescription was correct and would help our son's eyes and he is very
confident ( ofcourse I didnt mention anyting anout the second opinion ) I
don't want to take a third opinion because it would mean making my son go
through the dilation and the lenghty tests all over again. We are confused
about which prescription to go with.Please advice.
Pearl
I was treated by Dr. Earl Stern as a young child and he was excellent.
I do not know if he is one of the two doctors you mentioned. If not,
you should consult him. anonymous
When a child has accommodative esotropia, they are usually very farsighted.
Their eyes have to focus or accommodate so much, that their eyes cross. This
is because everyone is ''hardwired'' so that when you accommodate, your eyes
also converge (cross). The purpose of the glasses is to reduce the amount the
child has to accommodate so their eyes don't cross. This is extremely
important because IF the eyes continue to cross, the turned eye will stop
developing normal vision and the child will become amblyopic--which means
that the eye-brain connections don't develop normally and that eye will
permanently see worse. The good part about accommodative esotropia is that
it frequently can be corrected with glasses only and not surgery.
Now--as to which prescription is correct. There is no way of knowing this
unless you have your child tested by a third doctor, and be dilated again. I
strongly recommend that you DO NOT see another ophthalmologist. Those
doctors are not trained nearly as well as optometrists are in determining
glasses prescriptions. Why? Because they must spend a lot of their 3 year
residency program learning how to do surgeries. Isn't determining a glasses
prescription a relatively simple thing to do--not always, especially not when
the patient is a small child or toddler.
I highly recommend that you go to UC Berkeley School of Optometry's Infant
Toddler clinic. There you will find optometrists who do nothing but examine
children. Yes, they will need to use eye drops again, but you will find that
they
will spend quite a lot of time with you explaining your child's condition, and
making sure the prescription is correct. Also, it is important to know that
children's prescriptions change rather rapidly as their bodies and eyes grow--
so don't expect that one pair of glasses will be the last pair of glasses.
There
will be many changes over the next several years, most likely.
Full disclosure: I am an optometrist. I did a residency in pediatrics at UC
Berkeley. While there, I must tell you that we frequently fixed errors in
pediatric ophthalmologist's prescriptions--even those that were well known
in the community. I no longer work there, and although I could see you and
your child in my clinic, my practice is not set up exclusively for kids like
theirs
is--trust me, your child will be much happier there.
optometrist
My first advice is that you shouldn't feel like you need to sneak behind your
doctor's back to get a second opinion. We have gotten second opinions on
multiple occasions, and always with the blessing of our original doctor. If
he has
truly made a bad judgement, that can probably best be corrected by
communication with another expert in his field; if your doc isn't willing to
consider the possibility that he's wrong, well then you have another problem.
Secondly, in my experience treatment of esotropia is a bit trial-and-error, so
it's
possible that both doctors are equally right (or wrong) and that you'll need
to
make more adjustments to the prescription to get it just right.
Finally, you may want to see the optometrists in the binocular vision clinic
at UC
Berkeley. They're really good at this.
spending a fortune on glasses
My 4 year old son also has accomodative esotropia (diagnosed at 2.5 yrs old).
He
is seen at the UC Berkeley Meredith Morgan Eye Center on campus. He wears
really weak bifocals that allow the muscle to relax so his eye doesn't turn
in.
That along with varies other techniques used over the last couple years have
made a tremendous difference. I highly recommend their services if your
looking
for another opinion. Feel free to get my email from the moderator if you would
like to chat.
Mom to son in glasses
My 4 year old son also has accomodative esotropia (diagnosed at 2.5 yrs old).
He
is seen at the UC Berkeley Meredith Morgan Eye Center on campus. He wears
really weak bifocals that allow the muscle to relax so his eye doesn't turn
in.
That along with varies other techniques used over the last couple years have
made a tremendous difference. I highly recommend their services if your
looking
for another opinion. Feel free to get my email from the moderator if you would
like to chat.
Mom to son in glasses
My daughter was diagnosed with accommodative esotropia when
she was 3 years-old. We went through a similar situation
where a very well known highly recommended SF
ophthalmologist saw my daughter but didn't give me the warm
and fuzzy feeling. I actually, took her to another
opthamalogist AND to the UC Berkeley Optometry Center. She
ended up with three different prescriptions!!!
The explanation I got was that there were varying thoughts
and practices on how aggressively you deal with the
''focusing'' issue. At age 3 I think that it was also hard
for my daughter to really articulate and explain what she
was seeing so that makes it harder for doctors to gauge
clarity and focus.
I ended up finding a third Opthamalogists that gave me the
greatest comfort level. He was further away then any of the
other doctors, but gave me the level of explanation and
support that I needed. We've been seeing him for about 10
years with very good results. I did use the UC Berkeley
Optometry Center for some eye training and did take their
recommendation for eye patching.
My daughter is now 13, wears contacts and shows no sign of
esotropia even she is fatigued. Most of her friends have
absolutely no idea or recollection of her ''crossed-eyes''.
So all-in-all I am happy with the advice that I got and
seeing multiple doctors and finding the one that resonated
with our family and issue was well worth the time and travel.
Eva
Aug 2010
Hello, my 5 year old daughter was diagnosed with astigmatism and
20/60 vision. I would like to have a second opinion by a
pediatric opthamologist. (How long is the wait?) I don't
necessarily know if glasses will help or hinder her eye
development. She is starting kindergarten and is apprehensive
that the other children will laugh at her. Additionally, my in
laws are not too happy, ''such a shame she's such a pretty
girl'', and have already spoken of removing glasses for pictures
etc. Any books to help with her self esteem? Thank you.
glassesforS
I highly encourage you to get another opinion from an
optometrist, not an ophthalmologist if the question is
glasses only. Ophthalmologists primary training is in
surgery. Optometrists do not do surgery--and receive much
more training in refraction. I would highly recommend UC
Berkeley's pediatric department as the place to go. As for the
teasing--I have had glasses myself since age 2. I
never had a moment's problem with being self-conscious, etc
because so many people in my family had glasses. AND, my
parents were clearly not embarrassed by my glasses. So, I
think getting everyone in the family on the same page about
the glasses is in order. Also, if your child has an
astigmatism, her vision (brain-eye connections) have not
been maturing as they should. Children are still developing
their vision until about age 6--therefore, there is still
time for her to catch up--but glasses must be worn full time
to do so! glasses mama
Go to UC Berkeley Eye Center. They got excellent pediatric
optometrists. Super kid friendly and very throughout examination. Our
young daughter also has astigmatism and we couldn't have been happier
with them. You might have to wait several weeks for appt though.
We let our daughter to choose the first glasses just to make sure she
would be comfortable wearing them. We made sure we would be wearing our
own glasses (rather than contacts) during the first months. Make sure
the grandparents get the right attitude. Praise your kid when she wears
her glasses. Our kid has been very happy about her glasses as she sees
better and doesn't get headaches. It was harder for mom (and grannies).
anon
Won't your daughter be the same beautiful child you (and your in-laws
presumably) have loved since the day she came into your lives, even if
she wears glasses? If she needs glasses (and getting a second opinion
if you have doubts is fine), please get them for her. They'll do her a
world of good.
I can't speak to the self-esteem issue directly, but I'd be surprised
if it is a problem. My daughter has worn glasses since she was almost
two, so the issues are a little bit different, of course. However, she
has never been the only child in her class who wears glasses; I'd say
at least 15-20% of the other kids wear them. I remember that I was
helping in her first grade classroom the day one of her girl classmates
came wearing her glasses for the first time. Lots of kids admired them
and many didn't even seem to notice them. If your daughter needs them
too, let her choose (or at least help to choose) her frames, encourage
her to wear them as prescribed, and DON'T EVER tell her that they
somehow make her a less beautiful person.
Mom of a proudly glasses-wearing daughter
The best way to find out how long the wait will be is to
call the ophthalmologist. We've been very happy with
William Good in Walnut Creek, but I'm not sure why you need
a surgeon's opinion on this particular issue.
As for your daughter's apprehension, I've worn glasses since
I was 9 and don't remember ever being made fun of - but I do
remember resenting being told to take them off for pictures.
My 4 year old son gets lots of positive feedback on his
glasses and loves to wear them. She will definitely take
cues from you (and your inlaws), so tell them to lay off and
get her some really cute frames; people will go crazy for her!
four-eyed dad
Feb 2010
Hello,
I have 3yr.old son who has been diagonsed with ASD and
global developmental delays . He has a lot of behavioural
and sensory issues, we have tired couple of times for his
audiology and opthomology test,but its always unsucessful.
it feels i am stuck, any advice or recomendation. I am
looking for suggestions for places other than regional centre.
thanks
We see Dr. Tamura at kaiser which has been great. My daughter was
initially referred for possible eye crossing, and when we saw him at 18
months he observed a mild assymetry that was normal for her age. We
went back at age three for a recurring plugged tear duct. He used some
drops with a little dye to observe the different rate of drainage and again
wasn't too concerned (it was mainly a problem during colds and has
gotten better on its own). In bad cases a tube could be inserted in the
duct surgically for a while and later removed, which he didn't think was
needed in our case. He was however concerned about the continued
assymetry and has been folowing up with us every few months. If it
becomes more of a problem he will order glasses. He has a great setup in
his office with lots of toys that suddenly come to life to get kids to look in
different directions. He is good with kids and parents and I like that he
seems conservative in using interventions.
Christine
Feb 2010
Hello! I am looking for a pediatric ophthalmologist for my
3yo son. We have just received a diagnosis that he may need
eye surgery but our current doctor does not do the surgery
himself. So, we're interested in hearing about other
experiences with pediatric ophthalmologists who perform
surgery. Recommendations as well as general feedback about
your experiences (positive and negative) would be wonderful
to hear.
Thanks in advance,
Ruth
In 2006, I responded to a related question by recommending
Dr. Koseoglu--you can see my recommendation
here.
A Berkeley parent
My 3 year-old son sees Dr. Eddie Tamura at Kaiser (Oakland
and Richmond). He was referred to us by his pediatric
neurologist, Jean Hayward, as one of her top picks. So far
we really like him (three visits but no surgery yet,
although that may happen in the future for us too). If you
have access to Kaiser, I hope you can meet with him.
-Bridget
Sept 2009
Hi All
In a recent visit to his grandparents eye doc, we realized that
our son has Lazy eye. I did read up some articles on it and also
came across one on BPN
with some referrals in SF/Walnut creek etc.
Can someone recommend Pediatric Ophthalmologist in San Jose area?
We live in the south bay hence prefer in this area.
also any other links to Lazy aye/amblyopia will be helpful.
thanks in advance
Shree
I know you said the south bay but I recommend the Meredith W. Morgan
University Eye
Center at UC Berkeley. My son has been seen there for almost a year for
Accommodative Estropia. They have been excellent and we have seen huge
improvements. Its worth the drive. Good luck!
Mom with kid in glasses
We live in the East Bay but took our son to visit Douglas
Fredrick for a second opinion before having surgery for
strabismus. He is highly regarded by other ophthalmologists and
optometrists that we've spoken with, and we appreciated his
insights. He has offices in Los Gatos and Palo Alto.
Kevin
Feb 2008
We are looking for a pediatric opthamologist for our 7 year old
son who may be having some tracking/reading eyesight issues. (He
doesn't have vision problems per say, but we'd like a full
assessment with a specialist to rule this out.)
Any suggestions would be most appreciated.
Anon.
Most ophthalmologists don't provide the services you describe. if you are
concerned about tracking/reading issues, you need to seek out an
optometrist who specializes in that area. I would recommend UC Berkeley
School of Optometry's Binocular Vision/Visual Skills clinic.
optometrist
Check out the UCBerkeley optometry clinic. They have a huge pediatric
clinic. They'll do a complete evaluation and examination of your child in
a separate kids area. My son had ambliopia years ago when he was 5 and we
went there. They were realy thorough, fun, communicative and patient.
Good luck,
anon mom
Dr. William Good in San Ramon is an excellent Pediatric Ophthalmologist
that we've used for many years. However, for reading/tracking issues I
would recommend that you check with the UC Optometric Center (Meredith
Eye Center) on the Berkeley Campus. We've had really good experience
with their testing and treatment plans.
Parent of child with vision issues...
I highly recommend the Binocular Vision Clinic at the UCB School of
Optometry. They do a full examination of the kind you are seeking, and
in addition provide treatment. They have practitioners specializing in
children. My son actually enjoyed his visits there quite a bit, even the
one in which he was given eyedrops (something he normally dreads as much
as vaccines).
Karen
I recommend Dr. Fredrick. Our ped made several recommendations and we
went with Dr. Fredrick. My son has vision issues (genetic)and we've been
seeing him for years now.
Douglas R Fredrick, MD
Clinic: Medicine Specialties
730 Welch Rd
Palo Alto, CA 94304
(650) 497-8201
Office: Ophthalmology
300 Pasteur Dr
A157 MC 5308
Stanford, CA 94305
(650) 498-1984
June 2006
We just got back from our son's 12 month appointment with our
Pediatrician. We live in San Francisco. The doctor said that one
of our son's eyes was not ''tracking'' correctly, ie. it was slower
than the other. This is not visibly apparently (or atleast not
yet). He suggested that we go to Dr. Otis Paul. Does anyone have
any experience with Dr. Paul? Any recommendations for a top class
pediatric ophthalmologist would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Anon
We took our 18 m.o. daughter to Dr. Susan Day in San Francisco. She is supposed to be one of
the best in the Bay Area, and she was terrific. Her assistants did a great job managing our
daughter and entertaining her throughout the appointment
Amy
You are lucky to catch this so early. We are dealing with it at age 8! Eye tracking
problems can impair reading, math, and sports. Otis Paul is a great doctor but go to his
Walnut Creek private office to avoid waiting 1-2 hours at the Oakland Children's Hospital
clinic he has. Better yet, make an appointment online for the ''Binocular Vision Clinic''
at U.C. Berkeley's School of Optometry (642-2020), and they will evaluate your child and
administer ''exercises'' (unless he's too young for them) on a weekly basis, plus giving you
some to do at home. anon.
Dr. William Good is excellent. He has offices in Walnut Creek and in SF. Fran
Otis Paul is the pediatric opthamologist who sees my son. He
came highly recommended by my son's pediatrician as well as a
close family friend that is a pediatric opthamologist in the
South Bay (too far away for us to use). Dr. Paul has been
treating my son for about a year and will be performing surgery
on him in August. Dr. Paul seems very capable, and I have been
pleased with his treatment of my son thus far. When surgery was
recommended, we got a second opinion from Dr. Susan Day in San
Francisco, who also comes highly recommended on this website. She concurred with Dr. Paul's
treatment plan. You'll do fine
either way
Susan
We've seen Dr. Paul twice in the last couple of months (at Children's, he also has a
practice in Walnut Creek) for care with our infant daughter. He has been very approachable,
willing to answer all of our detailed and probably paranoid questions in great depth. He's
not one of those doctors who radiates brillance (which can seem somewhat intimidating and
often arrogant), but he did seem extremely competent and experienced. He was also great
with our 4 year old who I had to bring with us for the appts.
I trust our pediatrician utterly, and she said he is the best. It can take a while to get
the first appt., but it's worth the wait and follow-up appts are easier
Pleased Parent
October 2003
Looking for a good pediatric opthamologist for our 8 year old
daughter. Her school recommends an eye exam based on a suspected
astigmatism and less than 20/20 eyesight in both eyes. Thanks
for any advice!
Leslie
UC Berkeley's Optometry school/clinic has great pediatric opthalmologists--
they have opthalmologists AND optometrists at the school, so your child can
see both if necessary. Your child will see a doctor, not a student, so she will be
in good hands. They did a great job with my toddler (!), and see a lot of
other kids. They also take insurance--I was even able to take my daughter
there when we had Medi-Cal.
One tiny caveat: I didn't know that on the first visit, they would want to dilate
my daughter's pupils. We declined to do this, because the drops can sting, and
I didn't want her first visit to be a negative experience. Just check whether they
will need to do that so you can prepare your daughter for it. Otherwise, all was
fine, and she even got a toy at the end.
Elizabeth
For pediatric opthamologist, I (like many others on this list)
highly, highly recommend Susan Day (415) 202-1500. She's in San
Francisco, but it's worth the drive. She's exceptionally
skilled at dealing with young children. She managed a full
examine, including drops, when my daughter was barely a year
old. My daughter never shed a tear or protested a bit. Dr. Day
seemed very current on the literature and apparently is highly
regarded by other physicians.
Anon
I would recommend Dr. Lesli Handmacher. She's in Walnut
Square. At my recent checkup, She gave me pamphlets for
eye exams for school age and preschoolers, emphasizing
that I should bring my boys in, so I know she sees kids.
She's so nice and personable, and so is her staff. Her office
is in Walnut Square, and they take the VSP plan
Mollie
My daughter sees Dr. Otis Paul twice a year and he is
fantastic. Great doctor and great with kids. He has an office
in Walnut Creek and one at or near Children's Hospital in
Oakland.
Alison
Don't have an ophthalmologist to recommend, but your school
and/or pediatrician may be unnecessarily recommending you see an
ophthalmologist. It can be economical to do so if your health
plan covers it and you don't have separate vision insurance, but
if you have the option of seeing an optometrist, I would
recommend Dr. Woodring on Solano Avenue. Relaxed practice,
friendly people, great service.
Norm
September 2003
[See Advice about Lazy Eye for the original
question and other recommendations.]
This may not be helpful since it's not exactly what you're
asking since Optometrists and Ophthalmologist deal with 'lazy
eyes' differently and he isn't in Oakland/Berkeley. But we LOVE
Dr. William Good of Walnut Creek. He is a pediatric
opthalmologist. My daughter has been under treatment for
accomodative esotropia (similar to but not excactly lazy eye)
for the last 3 years and we have run the gamut of docters around
the Bay Area and have found Dr. Good to be the best in many ways.
BergaHoo
For your son's ''lazy eye,'' you should consider an
ophthalmologist - not an optometrist - who is experienced in
treating amblyopia. This is an opportunity to save your child's
sight. The pediatric ophthalmology staff at UCSF is at the
forefront of research and care in amblyopia. Try Drs. Doug
Fredrick or Dr. Jonathan Horton (415) 353-2289.
Merry
As someone who comes from a long line of ''amblyopics'' and I would urge you to seek a
consultation with William Goode, M.D. (925-277-1135, San Ramon and a host of other local
locales), someone I (and a lot of my ophthalmologist colleagues) consider to be the finest
pediatric ophthalmologist in No. California. Lazy eye (Amblyopia) is really considered the
purview of an ophthalmologist (M.D.) not an optometrist (O.D.)
Most importantly, the earlier lazy eye is addressed, before 5
years of age, the greater the chance of reclaimed vision. After
age 5, the eye, essentially, goes to ''sleep'' because the brain
will not recognize visual input. As well, because there are
different types of amblyopia, there are different protocols for
dealing with the problem--patching as well as other things.
Good luck
Patched successfully at a wee age
Dear Leah.
The best, and I mean it pediatric opthamologist is Dr. Creig
Hoyt at UCSF. I am a 34 year old and started seeing him when I
was 10 for alternating strabismus and wandering eye. He did
surgery on me when I was 16 for the wandering eye. I started
having some problems at 22 and see him every 6 months. He will
be retiring shortly so get in to see him now to assure
continuity with his replacement. UCSF is a great pediatric eye
department. I do not have a lot of faith in optometrists, other
than for prescribing glasses and contacts. Your son has a muscle
problem and should see an opthamologist. If you have any
questions, please give me a call.
Best of luck,
Andy
We tried patching when she was six and
despite patching reliably there was no change after six months.
We were then referred to Susan Day for surgery, who is the person
you really want to talk to, I have found.
She is having my daughter wear glasses with -125 and a slight
prism for six months to see if it will work, and if it doesn't
she will schedule surgery.
2001
I have a 4 1/2 year old daughter who has "amblyopia" and has been wearing
glasses for a year. I am not too pleased with her opthamologist and am
looking for recommendations for someone who is informative, has good rapport
with children (duh) and open to alternatives for vision improvement (i.e.
eye exercises). Does anyone know of anyone in the east bay?
I've put so many responses about this on the system, I feel like a broken record
but . . . people need to know.
The UC Eye Center has an Infant-Toddler Clinic that treats children with all sorts
of eye problems. We have the world's experts here. We also have a Binocular
Vision Clinic that deals with vision training and perceptual skills problems. We
have ophthalmologists too, if medical care is required. There is free parking.
Check us out at www.Caleyecare.org or call 642-2020. Barbara
I know you said East Bay, but we did the tour of the east bay eye Dr.s and
were not impressed, so we tried Susan Day at CPMC in San Francisco and she
is so fabulous, it's worth the trip. My daughter was 4 when she got her
glasses for accomodative esotropia (she's now 6) and we've been nothing but
happy w/ Dr. Day. She is excellent with children, even doing a quick "exam"
of little sister when she gets jealous, and she's also good at explaining
things to grown ups. She's not defensive when asked about other options,
just explains the options and why she's made this choice for this child.
She is the tops in her field and many children's doctors I know rave about
her. Her phone # is (415) 202-1500. We have Health Net/Alta Bates but I
think she takes a variety of insurance. Good luck.
Anne-Marie
I know you would prefer to be in the east bay, but pediatric ophthalmology
is such a subspecialty that you really should think about the trade-offs in
getting not-great care that is convenient to your house vs. getting the best
care for your child, even if it means having to cross the bridge a few
times.
Full disclosure: I work for California Pacific Medical Center. However,
you'll notice that I rarely recommend physicians or medical centers, even
though I know lots that meet the criteria people often ask about on this
list. I don't want to look like I'm pushing my medical center
unscrupulously. This posting is based on my experience as a mom of a
patient, and from watching this physician on a daily basis as a "neighbor"
to her office.
Dr. Susan Day fixed my daughter's eye problem (different from yours) in one
visit. My office was just down the hall from hers, so I have also been in
contact with her daily for months, and she is one of those amazing people
you can't help but admire. She is not pretentious at all, and she is
fabulous with both kids and adults (she sees a very limited number of
adults, too). On Halloween she dressed up in costume and was 'in character'
all day. Just cracks up the kids and their parents, putting everyone at
ease. She is quick with the kids, even babies, and explains things very
clearly to the parents. She really does take her time. Dr. Day also believes
in educating other physicians, and often has them tag along on appointments
- with your permission of course. (She could make a lot more money by
cranking patients through, not bothering to spend time with new docs.) She
should be profiled in one of those specials about amazing doctors who really
make a difference for people.
(I have no idea about her thoughts on eye exercises - you would have to ask
her.)
BTW, my pediatrician is in the east bay, and recommended Dr. Day as "the
Best pedi ophthalmologist in the Bay Area", and the doc who worked on her
own daughter's eyes. My pediatrician is NOT affiliated with California
Pacific in any way.
Good luck to you!
Ann
You will probably get lots of recommendations for Susan Day (415.202-1500),
even though she's in San Francisco. Let me add mine to the chorus. My 12-year
old was born with congenital cataracts, had two eye surgeries in her first six months,
has worn a contact lens since 3 wks. of age, and now wears glasses as well. We used
a different opthalmologist for the surgery but switched to Day when our daughter was
around 4, at our pediatrician's suggestion. I find that as children grow older and have
more of their own relationship with the opthalmologist, it's even more important that
the doctor you choose be able to relate well to kids (and teens, whose concerns are
very different). Day is wonderful and very highly respected within the medical community
(is on the teaching staff at Pacific Medical Center and was head of the opthalmology
teaching program, may still be). She also works with an optometrist in Oakland who
sees mostly kids. His name is Tim Sanders (444-0603) and he's in an opthalmology
practice that you could consider if you're absolutely dead-set on east bay.
Nina
If you have a serious pediatric eye problem, I'd strongly recommend Dr.
Creig Hoyt at UCSF. He's an extrordinary diagnostician and clinician, and a
genuinely nice human being. It's worth the trip to SF.
Merry
I am sure this is an area in which people have some strong opinions, so at the
risk of annoying someone, I'll add our experience to the growing list. One
of my twin daughters had a serious vision problem that was difficult to
detect. Our pediatrician referred us to Dr. Stephen Cohen in Alameda. We
have continued with Dr. Cohen who follows Gabrielle closely, seeing her every
six months. We also saw Dr. Gordon Smith who is the head of pediatric
opthamaology at Oakland's Children's Hospital, and he agreed with Dr. Cohen's
treatment plan. In my opinion, both of these physicians are excellent and I
feel fortunate that they can care for my daughter. Dr. Cohen has 4 young
children of his own and is great with kids. Sharon
May 2003
did anybody had any sort of experience with dr. daniel brinton -
pediatric ophtomologist. he is supposed to be a retina
specialist, I am send to him for check up on my baby who had ROP
surgery.
thanks!
katja
I was referred to Dr. Brinton from my optometrist (who is
wonderful with kids and sees my son). She thinks Brinton's the
best retina guy around and always refers people to him. He was
thorough, responsive to discomfort, detail-oriented,
non-alarmist, low-key. He's in his mid-late forties and has a
mess of his own kids (5, maybe?). I was struck by his kindness
and patience toward a senior who was leaving the room I was
entering; she was a talkative person who was quite agitated about
something unrelated and he managed to conclude their visit in a
sympathetic, unhurried manner. The office staff was terrific,
squeezing me in fast because they felt urgency about the
condition I was referred for, even though I was prepared to let
it go for months. There was a relatively long office wait that
day, so bring toys.
goldmanl
My partner has been seeing Dr. Brinton for several years for
diabetic retinopathy. We both really like Brinton and his
office staff. Dr. Brinton is very thorough, pleasant and happy
to answer questions. The downside of him being willing to
take time with you is that you should expect to wait a least
an hour past your scheduled time (this seems to be the
standard for retinologists).
We are considering switching to Dr. Jumper's office,
because he seems more aggressive about treatment and
his office is involved in clinical trials of which we like to keep
apprised.
We are a bit torn, since we do like Dr. Brinton.
anonymous
I have no idea how Dr. Brinton is as a pediatric doctor, but I
was referred to him some years ago to check out a possible
retinal tear. It was not a comfortable process as he had to
manipulate my eyeball with a sort of small wooden spatula and
move it about to get the best view, but I thought he was as
gentle as he could be, given the task. The office staff was
very friendly and, although he wasn't on time, that was because
he is a major specialist and much in demand and had been called
out on an emergency. He found nothing that needed fixing but
advised me on the warning signs, gave me his card, and told to
call anytime, day or night, if I experienced any of the symptoms
he described. I think I'd have to call him a darned good
doctor. Good luck.
Anonymous
Dan Brinton is the only retinologist in the East Bay who does the
laser ''surgery'' for ROP. He is very good and very! courtly and
nice. He is also not, as was posted, a pediatric ophthalmolgist.
The only alternative for retinologists doing the laser component
of ROP would be a retina specialist over at UCSF. Either way,
Dr. Brinton is a good man and a very competent, concientious
doctor.
May 2000
We are trying to decide which opthalmologist to use for our son. We would
like to know if anyone can recommend either Dr. Susan Day in SF or Dr. Earl
Stern in Oakland. Thanks! Margaret
We have had a very positive experience so far with Dr. Susan Day in SF;
my four-year-old just got her first pair of glasses. My daughter's pediatrician
in Berkeley recommended Dr. Day and said she was well worth going into the city for.
Elisa
I can highly recommend Dr. Susan Day who repaired my baby's Strabismus
problem when she was about a year old. She certainly did a fine job cosmetically,
however was unable to get the eye to work in tandem with the other eye. This
was not her fault, it is very difficult to train the eye to do this. I feel Dr. Day is
extremely knowledgeable, keeps up with current research, and she is easily able
to establish good relationships with children. Toby
Dr. Susan Day in SF - yes! She is terrific. We went only once and were
told there was no problem, so I cannot tell a long tale. But her manner
and way with kids is fabulous. I must say, she spoke almost exclusively to
my 6 year old, leaving me to listen and absorb the info, but it left my
daughter feeling very in-charge and special to have a grown-up defer to her
so much. And she remembered every word Dr. Day said to her. Peggy
We visited both Dr Stern and Dr Day when deciding on an eye dr for our
then 4 year old daughter. We chose Dr. Day (despite the drive to SF and
bad parking around the office) because she really took the time to
connect to our daughter and make her comfortable before even talking
about her eyes. Then she asked, "Do you know why you're here?" listened,
then and gave a very positive, but not Pollyanna description of why our
little one needed an eye doctor, and eventually why she needed glasses.
Dr. Day really enlisted our daughter's input and cooperation despite her
young age and I really appreciated that. That was almost two years ago
and my daughter continues to enjoy her visits to Dr. Day and I am very
happy with the treatment/progress. tampine
When one of my twin daughters was finishing 1st grade we thought she might
have a vision problem. She was a very early reader and had been using
drawing tools since 15 months and we had no reason to think she was
experiencing trouble seeing. When she repeatedly failed the simple eye exam,
we finally realized that she had been compensating by using her peripheral
vision!
We immediately took her to Dr. Stephen Cohen in Alameda, who is also a
pediatrician and practices pediatric opthomology. He examined Gabrielle and
said she had a couple of rather serious problems. In the course of our
conversation I happened to mention that Gordon Smith is "Uncle" to my three
children and a dear friend. Dr. Cohen sent us to Dr. Smith for a second
opinion. They both agreed on the same precise course of treatment for her
and she is progressing nicely.
Unknown to us, Gordon is a physician of the very highest caliber! We only
knew him to be a good and kind neighbor who, with his wife, had become good
friends. He is highly regarded in all pediatric communities. As one
pediatrician told me, "when there is a situation that seems nearly
impossible, we want Dr. Smith for the consult. He has helped restore vision
to so many children." If I told you about some of his many accomplishments
you quite likely would not believe me! He is very accessible and gentle with
children and parents alike.
Your child and her/his vision are in the very best hands possible! Good Luck.
Sharon
Gordon Smith has been our son's opthamologist since he (our son) had
cataract surgery 3 years ago. Our son was 2-1/2 at the time of the
surgery; Dr. Smith was/has been great; nice repoire with our boy; we were
prepared to go with a specialist in children's cataracts (Dr. Craig Boyd)
out of pocket but the specialist told us that Dr. Smith was good and to
stay with him. The only negative is that sometimes he's overbooked and you
can end up waiting for a LONG time in the waiting room...a minor thing
compared to the wonderful work he has done with our son. Feel free to
contact me directly if you have any more questions.
Carol
Oct 2004
I just took my 4 year old recently adopted daughter to a
wonderful pediatric ophthalmologist and wanted to pass along a
recommendation. Unfortunately my medical plan (United
Healthcare) only covers two pediatric eye specialists in the
entire bay area. Dr. Kim Cooper is located in Burlingame - a
bit of a drive from the East Bay - but she was so, so worth
it. She has an amazingly enthusiastic, high energy level which
translates wonderfully to younger children. Though her waiting
room was full, she made us feel comfortable and at ease and our
appointment was not rushed. She has an incredibly warm and
personal manner. Her office is well equipped with toys, etc.,
and her staff is incredibly gracious. I have seldom made
a ''Cold call'' to a Doctor that so impressed me. My daughter
was very apprehensive before the visit but had a wonderful time
playing ''Games'' that checked her vision. We were there for
over an hour and a half and my daughter remained playful and
happy the entire time. Dr. Cooper's office is located at 1720
El Camino Real, Suite 235, and her office no. is 650-259-0300.
Evelyn
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