Recommendation for eye examination in Pattaya? Good Ophthalmologist?

[scubascuba3]

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

 

 

The best place for eyes in Thailand is Rutnin Hospital in Bangkok, it s a dedicated eye hospital and does everything eye related. If you can manage the trip it is well worth it.  https://www.rutnin.com/en/home/

 

 

 

How much is a bog standard eye test here? seems a hard thing to find although you're meant to get checked every 2 years so presumably in Thailand they don't bother

[Sheryl]

17 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

How much is a bog standard eye test here? seems a hard thing to find although you're meant to get checked every 2 years so presumably in Thailand they don't bother

At Rutnin, all patients regardless of purpose of visit receive a thorough eye exam. A few thousand baht I think.

[BigStar]

20 hours ago, Thomas J said:

Sheryl,

 

I went to Sirikit however the person at the reception desk said that there was no one available in the ophthalmology department at that time.  I was mid afternoon.   He registered me at the hospital and gave me a number to call back.  My fiance who is Thai called back.  They said the waiting time was 6 months for an exam and that exams were only scheduled in person not over the phone.   I will try the  Sri Racha contact.  I went to Sri Racha to an ophthalmologist. The person on the phone said yes they did do eye exams and gave prescription.  Wasted trip.  Once there and waiting for one hour to see the doctor he said no only look at eye and not do examination for prescription.  I have found that repeatedly when you call they are very evasive about the ability to give you a prescription.  Most want to sell you glasses which I am not interested in.  The reviews on the consistency and quality of thai lenses are not good.   

I don't understand why you're obsessed that the ophthalmologist who exams your eyes must also be an optometrist and give you a prescription, though there are some who'll do it. I think the optometrists, specializing in optometry, give better prescriptions anyway. You've wasted SO much time & effort making the rounds. Any ophthalmologist can tell you about the progress of the cataracts and check about the AMD. Then you go to, say, First Optic and get a prescription. DONE.

Edited November 21, 2020 by BigStar

[Thomas J]

56 minutes ago, BigStar said:

Any ophthalmologist can tell you about the progress of the cataracts and check about the AMD

BigStar 

In the USA you go to an ophthalmologist to ask about progression of cataracts and to get prescription for glasses if needed.  An optometrist whether here or in the USA "may" be able to evaluate the progression of the cataracts but certainly would not be as valuable a diagnoses as from a ophthalmologist surgeon who performs such surgery.   In USA some optometrists are very good, others just push glasses and have limited skills.  

[Sheryl]

On 11/20/2020 at 4:42 PM, Thomas J said:

Sheryl,

 

I went to Sirikit however the person at the reception desk said that there was no one available in the ophthalmology department at that time.  I was mid afternoon.   He registered me at the hospital and gave me a number to call back.  My fiance who is Thai called back.  They said the waiting time was 6 months for an exam and that exams were only scheduled in person not over the phone.   I will try the  Sri Racha contact.  I went to Sri Racha to an ophthalmologist. The person on the phone said yes they did do eye exams and gave prescription.  Wasted trip.  Once there and waiting for one hour to see the doctor he said no only look at eye and not do examination for prescription.  I have found that repeatedly when you call they are very evasive about the ability to give you a prescription.  Most want to sell you glasses which I am not interested in.  The reviews on the consistency and quality of thai lenses are not good.   

And did he not examine your cataracts?

 

All opthalmologists in the course of treating cataracts measure your vision...it is impossible not to as they have to determine (1) how badly the cataracts are affecting your vision and (2) the lens requirement. And upon removal of cataracts, once your vision stabilizes (which they will test at each visit) they will provide a prescription for reading glasses. 

 

I have never heard of anyone having the problems you describe. Something is very wrong with the conversations that are taking place.

 

It sounds like you (or your finance) are telling the doctors that all you want is an eyeglass prescription and that you have no other eye issue.

 

And in the case of Queen Sirikit they may have thought you wanted to actually purchase the glasses from them which would explain the long queue.

[BigStar]

39 minutes ago, Thomas J said:

BigStar 

In the USA you go to an ophthalmologist to ask about progression of cataracts and to get prescription for glasses if needed.  An optometrist whether here or in the USA "may" be able to evaluate the progression of the cataracts but certainly would not be as valuable a diagnoses as from a ophthalmologist surgeon who performs such surgery.   In USA some optometrists are very good, others just push glasses and have limited skills.  

And so? Thailand ain't the USA. Ophthalmologists here often don't do eyeglass prescriptions. That's an entirely different task. You DON'T need THE SAME person doing both for you. 

[delgarcon]

I was diagnosed as having cataracts by an opthalmologist in France about 3 years ago and decided that this year I would have the surgery. Due to Covid, I wasn't able to make my annual round trip to Europe, so I did some research and decided that probably the most qualified surgeon in Bangkok was Assoc.Prof.Dr. Prin Rojanapongpun (Dr Prin) and that Bumrungrad Hospital was the best place to visit him, as having phoned Sukhumvit Hospital and been passed from one operator to another several times, due to their lack of English, Bumrungrad were able to help me immediately and made an early appointment with Dr Prin. I had an attack of Uvietis a few years back, which left me almost blind in my left eye, which is why It was so important to find the best man for the job of saving my one good eye.

I visited Dr Prin on the 15th Nov and  had several examinations, which diagnosed the urgent need for cataract surgery, as the lens in my right eye was swollen and was within a millimeter of angle closure and the onset of glaucoma. It was decided that the 2 eyes would be treated at the same time under general anaesthetic (there was still some vision to be saved by removing the cataract in my left eye). Due to the fact that I've had bypass and aneurysm surgery, I had to have several check ups and blood tests the next day under the direction of one of the hospital's cardiologists. Anyway the surgery went ahead on the 29th November and the result was beyond my wildest dreams. I have worn glasses for 73 years, since I was 3 years old and I'm now sporting a pair of RayBans for the 1st time in my life. I need off the shelf glasses (1.5) when using my laptop, which beats the magnifying glass that went before. I have a follow up appointment with Dr Prin at the end of the month which hopefully will be routine. The downside, if there is one, is that the final bill was around 400,000 THB, but I can't imagine how I could handle blindness and I'm happy that I chose Dr Prin.

[Thomas J]

11 minutes ago, delgarcon said:

I was diagnosed as having cataracts by an opthalmologist in France

delgarcon

 

Thanks for sharing.  I have found the process of finding an ophthalmologist challenging. I finally located one who was not connected to "pre surgery" examinations only.  He advised me that my cataracts had not progressed and that it was likely I would not need surgery for upwards of 5 years if the cataracts progressed normally.  He did give me "a prescription" though that was worthless.  First off he only used the auto refractor which gives an estimate of the correction needed.  Secondly, though I asked for an examination with a prescription before engaging him, he was reluctant to give it to me, scribbled some numbers on a piece of paper and I could immediately recognize that the numbers were significantly different from my current prescription which he said was fine based on my reading of his charts.  I have since gone to Euro Optic and I can say the optometrist was very professional, had even more modern equipment than I eye doctors in the USA.  Had a digital refractor rather than manual.  She showed a slight change in my prescription but advised me the halo effect may or may not improve with a change in my glasses.  She ordered a pair of test single vision glasses to try at no charge and no charge for the examination.  I have just picked those up and will evaluate whether changing them is worthwhile.  I am glad to hear your surgery went well since you are using reading glasses, did you opt for just a single vision lens or did you get a multi focal and still require some additional help? 

[delgarcon]

I opted for the single vision.

[Thomas J]

1 hour ago, delgarcon said:

I opted for the single vision.

delgarcon

My ophthalmologist back in the states said still the way to go.  He said a lot of difficulty getting multi focal to be correct.  Said that it can end up compromising the vision both near and far.  Particularly true for me since I had Lasik some years ago which further complicates selection of the right corrective lens. 

[delgarcon]

I'd heard similar Thomas and wearing reading glasses now and again is no big deal. I wanted to make the job as uncomplicated as possible.

[BigStar]

19 hours ago, Thomas J said:

I have found the process of finding an ophthalmologist challenging. I finally located one who was not connected to "pre surgery" examinations only. 

The process for finding an ophthalmologist in Thailand isn't in the least challenging--normally--as every hospital has at least one, and some have private clinics as well. Any of them, as Sheryl noted, could tell you about the cataracts. You merely made the process challenging for yourself by demanding the ophthalmologist must give you a prescription for eyeglasses as well. That led to misunderstandings and refusals as many don't offer that service. As I told you, the optometrists will usually give a better prescription than will the ophthalmologists anyway. And you discovered that's indeed the case.

 

I have since gone to Euro Optic and I can say the optometrist was very professional, had even more modern equipment than I eye doctors in the USA. 

 

But, but . . .

 

On 11/20/2020 at 3:30 PM, Thomas J said:

The optical houses such as Euro Optic will include a prescription for if you buy glasses from them.  That of course means you are at their mercy as to the prices of the glasses and the quality which you have no way of determining. 

BTW, some opticians, such as First Optic, won't require you to buy glasses from them.

 

As you'll see, no matter what you've "heard," the quality of glasses you can get in Thailand will be quite good 'nuff. The only real issue is that they cost more here than those you can get from, say, mail order or sources "back home." That said, I find the lenses in the glasses I got from Zenni aren't as good a quality as I got from Top Charoen. However, they were so cheap that I can't really complain.

 

 

[Thomas J]

40 minutes ago, BigStar said:

BTW, some opticians, such as First Optic, won't require you to buy glasses from them.

 

As you'll see, no matter what you've "heard," the quality of glasses you can get in Thailand will be quite good 'nuff. The only real issue is that they cost more here than those you can get from, say, mail order or sources "back home." That said, I find the lenses in the glasses I got from Zenni aren't as good a quality as I got from Top Charoen. However, they were so cheap that I can't really complain.

BigStar

You are right, however Euro Optic will also do eye examination only with prescription for 700 THB.  So it was nice that I get to try the new prescription and if it does not make much or any difference I wont buy any new glasses.  If there is a difference, I will check out the price and if too expensive, and I want new glasses I will just pay the examination fee and order from Zenni or Eye Buy Direct.