Ophthalmologists - La Mesa, CA

"He is clearly well educated in his field but has extremely poor client interaction skills. Does not reflect a client-centered model in any way. He rushed through the assessment process ignoring multiple cues of distress asking questions in rapid succession. When I mentioned repeatedly that I have a hard time time with exact dates he ignored me and persisted in a way that came off to me as exasperation. My wife's name also isn't white and he asked me "what kind of name is that?" Had that been the only problem I might have brushed it off but this is clearly a cultural competency issue as well. He demonstrated that he has a bias against certain medication services even if they are evidence-based and supported by other providers. I went to see him to continue medications that my previous provider had left untouched for years. To be fair to him he voiced the valid concern about my high blood pressure which was true while he measured it then, but when I showed him proof that my blood pressure measured by my PCP a few weeks earlier was within a healthy range and told him that it usually was. I was ignored by him saying that he wouldn't prescribe my long standing medication regimen despite the clear variable I was under extreme stress and fighting off panic. I asked if there was a way overtime to demonstrate that I had no blood pressure issues and I was ignored again with the same statement. It is very appropriate for a doctor to raise concerns about medical risks however it is inappropriate for a doctor to offer no alternatives and do so coldly for a client who has already reported symptoms of panic and anxiety. I would happily have walked out with an evidence based alternative or even the assurance that we would keep working on it or some kind of healthy compromise. Instead I walked out from my initial assessment refusing any further treatment having to wait another month for a provider and then, having believed that I could be wrong and that something might be wrong, ended up in the ER with concerns about hypertension only to find out at 4 am that I was fine and it was probably panic. I haven't had an attack in several months. His office staff was super nice 10 out of 10."