ABOUT | martuccio-eye-care

ABOUT US

WHAT WE DO

CATARACT

The decision as to what to do with cataracts is based on a careful discussion between you and Dr. Martuccio about the cataracts and their effect on your lifestyle. If you are having no problems and can perform all your activities at a level your are comfortable with, observation may be the best choice. If your cataracts are affecting the things you do and you do not feel comfortable, say driving at night because of glare from headlights, then cataract removal with definitely change your life! These and many other questions need to be discussed to evaluate cataracts with you in mind. The good news is that cataract removal will in most cases allow you to see like you could when you were a kid.

GLAUCOMA

The evaluation for glaucoma follows the same steps as in the Routine Exam. It may also involve special photos of the eyes as well as visual area testing. All of the components come together to provide us with enough information to determine if you do have glaucoma. The difficulty with glaucoma, which is an optic neuropathy, is that you don’t know you have it in most cases until it’s too late.

Some things to remember about glaucoma:

1.You do not know you have the most common form, open angle glaucoma, because it does not cause any pain and the very slow deterioration in your vision occurs over many years so you don’t notice it.

2. Screening tests at the mall may actually be harmful! Do not put any trust in them. You need to have your eyes examined by an Ophthalmologist who is trained to treat eye diseases.

3.Many tests are used in the evaluation of glaucoma. They do take a little time but they are not painful or scary. They are critical to evaluating if you have glaucoma, but also the effectiveness of any treatment regiments.

4. Most importantly, you and Dr. Martuccio will be spending a lot of time together in the successful management of glaucoma. You must understand that it is a life long disease. Because of this the greatest risk is complacency with the treatment and forgetting to follow the treatment prescribed to you.

ROUTINE EYE EXAMS

Your eye health is our primary concern. Your eye exam will be performed by Dr. Martuccio who is Board Certified by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. As an Ophthalmologist, Dr. Martuccio is trained not only in performing the exams, but more importantly, he is also able to treat problems that may be present. Naturally, these exams are much more thorough and inclusive. Because he treats eye problems, he is also better able to recognize if there is a problem in the first place. This differentiates him and your special exam from the “super store eye doc- in- the -box”. While many feel that the “Mega marts” are cheaper a couple of things become apparent.

First, as a medical doctor your exams are billed under your major medical therefore your out of pocket costs are actually “cheaper”.

Second, the analogy of “Do we want to cheapest bid building the space shuttle” should also pertain to your eyes and their health. You only have two eyes! You’ve made the right choice coming here.

While your exam is called “Routine” there is nothing routine about it. Your time at the office will include a comprehensive eye and health questionnaire, followed by a review of your health history and current eye history. Your vision, glasses, eye pressure and muscular function will then be examined. You will be tested for new eyeglasses.

Eye dilation will then be done to allow Dr. Martuccio to examine the inside of the eye with a microscope. After all of this has been completed, Dr. Martuccio will review the specifics of your eye health. The two of you will then address treatment options, agree on a “plan of attack” if needed and proceed with scheduling.

If it is for further evaluation or surgery the staff will walk you through the steps. If it is for scheduling your next appointment and then glasses, they will help you through that as well. You can be assured that each step of the way you will know what is happening, why, and what to do next. If you have any questions, Just Ask! We are happy to help.

CATARACT SURGERY FOR YOU?

Dr. Martuccio is the ONLY surgeon in Warren, Board Certified by the American College of Eye Surgeons in Cataract Surgery.

What this means to you is that you will be having your cataracts evaluated and treated by the areas’ leading ophthalmic surgeon specially certified in cataract surgery.

Additional discussions about the actual surgery, its’ risks and benefits, intraocular lens options and the date of your surgery will then be done with Dr. Martuccio and well as the surgical coordinator, Debra Giannakos. At each step of the process you will know when things are scheduled and where to go. We take the difficulty and the guess work out of the process for you!

GLAUCOMA SURGERY FOR YOU?

You have taken the best first step in checking for glaucoma. By choosing Dr. Martuccio you are selecting a doctor who not only medically treats the disease, but is also a leader in surgical management of glaucoma. Dr. Martuccios’ surgical experience allows him to be much more attuned to the treatment you receive, its effects and most importantly when the next step, if necessary, needs to be taken. This is a fine balance between not being to aggressive with surgery, but also knowing when it is needed and how to do it.

Dr. Martuccio performed the first Endoscopic Cyclophotocoagulation procedure in our area in 1993. He then was the first to perform Viscocanalostomy surgery as an alternative treatment for glaucoma. Performing these procedures brings a unique understanding about glaucoma to your care.

CHILDREN EYE EXAMS

The same principles as for a Routine Eye Exam mentioned above apply here. The main difference is that depending on the child’s age, we will adapt the exam to them.

Dr. Martuccio understands that as a parent you are concerned about what may be a problem for your child. If it is a threatening emergency Dr. Martuccio will address it as such and things may happen quickly. More often than not, children’s’ eye problems are not medical emergencies and they can be met in a prompt yet controlled manner.

Children don’t like doctors. Dr. Martuccio’s children don’t like doctors. He himself doesn’t even like going to the doctors. So it is understandable that your child may be frightened. Given the fact that Dr. Martuccio is six foot four inches tall, the first visit can be intimidating for some kids.

Because of this, we have adopted the “Gradual Exam” approach. It involves evaluating your child in a non-threatening way, assessing them for any emergency care if they need it, and then stepping back from the situation and taking each successive phase of the exam slowly. Often times, young children require different parts of the exam be performed on different days. It can involve more visits, but they are short quick visits. This allows for a calm atmosphere where trust between Dr. Martuccio and your child can be established.

Parents MUST understand this. A quick walk in and out by Dr. Martuccio is not a “blow off” of you or your child. A significant amount of information can be gained by just talking to you or the child while they sit comfortably in your lap and do nothing but look around. These short quick visits, which allow us to get additional information each time, work wonders for a nervous boy or girl. Take it from our many young friends who still see us even now that they are in college. This approach WORKS!

SCHOOL EXAMS

The Routine Eye Exams and Children’s’ Exams pertain here.

School Exams and those prompted by a failed School Screening Exam commonly bring kids into the office. Many times School Screening exams report a poor level of vision only to have your child examined in office and found to have great vision. It is not the job of the screeners to interpret the result of the vision tests they give. They are only there to perform the tests and report the results. More often than not, the kids are goofing around in line, playing with each other, and distracting each other. A child who sees well during these exams cannot “fake” good vision. But, a child who does not do well does not necessarily need glasses. Sometimes just a quiet environment allows them to perform much better on the eye exam test.