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I had the pleasure of meeting with Dr. James F. Collins, M.D., F.A.C.S. (http://www.thecenterforeyecareandopt...s-m-d-facs.htm) @ The Center for Eye Care in West Islip, NY Dry Eye Clinic (http://www.thecenterforeyecareandopt...eye-clinic.htm).
I have been a dry eye sufferer for 9 years and have seen many dry eye Drs in my quest to feel better. I have been to several specialists in the past including one prominent specialist from NY that has posted on The Dry Eye Zone. All had varying degrees of knowledge and bedside manner. I found Dr Collins of the Center For Eye Care one of, if not the most, knowledgeable on the subject of dry eye. He is very informative and takes lots of time to get to know you and your dry eye history and pathology. He is very thorough and seems to be very interested in helping Dry Eye patients. I am very pleased I went to see him.
He video records everything and shows you what he sees and what he is doing (did). He does osmolarity testing, infammadry (MMP-9) testing and Sjogren's testing (via blood sample - not your typical Sjogren's test).
I had Blephex done and while I'm not sure yet how I feel about it I was able to watch the manual expression of my Meibomian Glands on video for the first time ever. He will show you lots of images and video of your eyes like images of your gland orifices before treatment. I believe they are in the process of getting Meibography as well.
After my exam I received an email with a link to my exact diagnosis and treatment plan with links to medical sites about your particular condition. I found this very helpful and reassuring that I am seeing everything he is noting in my file.
He has a great bedside manner and seems genuinely interested in helping his dry eye patients. He is very cutting edge (though not bleeding edge - he is just a tad conservative) but takes the time to explain everything he observes with you. He also seems to keep current with the science not the fads.
The staff is very pleasant and knowledgeable as well. There is always someone present taking notes as he examines and treats you. If you listen while he talks you can pick up a few things and you can ask questions. He is OK with answering questions to help you understand what's going on and will explain things to you very clearly.
I have United Health Care and my visit was covered as a specialist visit. He does require a refraction which is $40 usually not covered by insurance. I guess he wants to see how your dry eye is affecting your vision. Blephex is $150 and includes a good manual gland expression.
I highly recommend seeing him and I don't recommend any other Dr I have seen either because they don't take the time to listen and/or are usually stuck in a certain mindset and not open to new ideas.
Good luck!
I have been a dry eye sufferer for 9 years and have seen many dry eye Drs in my quest to feel better. I have been to several specialists in the past including one prominent specialist from NY that has posted on The Dry Eye Zone. All had varying degrees of knowledge and bedside manner. I found Dr Collins of the Center For Eye Care one of, if not the most, knowledgeable on the subject of dry eye. He is very informative and takes lots of time to get to know you and your dry eye history and pathology. He is very thorough and seems to be very interested in helping Dry Eye patients. I am very pleased I went to see him.
He video records everything and shows you what he sees and what he is doing (did). He does osmolarity testing, infammadry (MMP-9) testing and Sjogren's testing (via blood sample - not your typical Sjogren's test).
I had Blephex done and while I'm not sure yet how I feel about it I was able to watch the manual expression of my Meibomian Glands on video for the first time ever. He will show you lots of images and video of your eyes like images of your gland orifices before treatment. I believe they are in the process of getting Meibography as well.
After my exam I received an email with a link to my exact diagnosis and treatment plan with links to medical sites about your particular condition. I found this very helpful and reassuring that I am seeing everything he is noting in my file.
He has a great bedside manner and seems genuinely interested in helping his dry eye patients. He is very cutting edge (though not bleeding edge - he is just a tad conservative) but takes the time to explain everything he observes with you. He also seems to keep current with the science not the fads.
The staff is very pleasant and knowledgeable as well. There is always someone present taking notes as he examines and treats you. If you listen while he talks you can pick up a few things and you can ask questions. He is OK with answering questions to help you understand what's going on and will explain things to you very clearly.
I have United Health Care and my visit was covered as a specialist visit. He does require a refraction which is $40 usually not covered by insurance. I guess he wants to see how your dry eye is affecting your vision. Blephex is $150 and includes a good manual gland expression.
I highly recommend seeing him and I don't recommend any other Dr I have seen either because they don't take the time to listen and/or are usually stuck in a certain mindset and not open to new ideas.
Good luck!
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