Ophthalmologists in the Slope?

bette

Okay, I had such good luck getting names of dentists from this board, I thought I'd try for ophthalmologists. Optometrists won't do; I have problem eyes that must be dilated yearly. Any recommendations?

reader

Dr. Richard Storm is on Atlantic near Court. I found his office very
professional. I took my son to him a while ago and it was a very good experience overall. I felt that Dr. Storm was very thorough. Unless the office is changed he is strictly there as a Dr., the office is not trying to
sell you eyeglasses etc.

There is also James Deutsch who is on Remsen, who was listed in the NY Magazine best doctor issue a few times. He is also good, and will spend
time with you if needed. However, his office is a disaster. Plan to wait
hours, also be prepared to arrive for your appointment and have the receptionist tell you that you are not on the schedule.

Both of these Drs. are affiliated with LICH.

brooklynpotter

just an FYI about the NY mag list of best doctors... a whole lot of them suck ass. seriously, i know a TON of nyc doctors because my dad was an NJ doctor (and the list includes tri-state doctors), and i've seen several on the list that had, on numerous occasions i happen to know about, misdiagnosed people to the point that they died.

yes, you read that correctly. one of the GI docs in jersey who is always on the list kept pushing away my mom's best friend's colon symptoms till it was too late. she's dead now.

ergo, that list isn't very accurate.

kirby

I agree, my son was misdiagnosed by one of the doctors on the list. He only begrudgingly sent us to a specialist, who diagnosed a dangerous stomach disease. Another doctor on the list treated my other son with such disdain and lack of compassion. I don't know how that list is compiled, but I would never use it to choose a doctor.

brooklynjack

brooklynpotter wrote: just an FYI about the NY mag list of best doctors... a whole lot of them suck ass.

Yep, ya gotta take the reviews with a grain of salt just like any other popular reviews like you read on Amazon.com or in Zagat. I've had bad experiences with Drs rated highly. The NY Mag best Drs list is a subset of the list in New Yorks Best Doctors the annual Castel and Connolly book. You gotta read the methodology section of the book. They send surveys out to Drs at random and who knows what thier qualifications are? I once went to the library and pulled out several years of these things and there are few Drs that are on the list year after year. So far nothing beats having a good GP/Internist that you trust and can refer you to specialists as needed.

homeowner

Not in the nabe, but try Dr. John Babb on Montague Street downtown. I got a referal to him from my GP and he was great. Spent plenty of time with me, explained exactly what the problem was and what my options were. Very good bedside (er, chairside?) manner.

brooke lynn knight

I agree -- I've been to two of the doctors on that list, and they have both been utter SOB's. Unkind, cold, and frankly, not very confidence-inspiring with their clinical skills.

The problem, I think, is that doctors as a group tend to be somewhat status-obsessed, and the guys they recommend for the Best Doctors issue are likely to be highly-regarded bigwigs rather than patient-focused competent clinicians. Perhaps they've published many papers, perhaps they make presentations at meetings, perhaps they have celebrity clients that make other doctors drool, perhaps their Hamptons parties are legendary -- who knows why other docs look up to them?

Anyway, I've given up taking doctors' recommendations for other doctors. I have found a consumer rating site (http://ratemds.com) which is surprisingly accurate; when I've looked up doctors I've used there, the comments seemed pretty on-the-money. I guess there's a potential for shilling, but I haven't seen it in action.

caseopele

I saw Dr. David Lieberman last year when I was trying to figure out what was wrong with my eyes. Even though he couldn't figure it out he sent me to a retinologist who did. He was pretty thorough and personable. One thing I liked about him is that he recognized his limitations. He mentioned that since he started practing that there are alot more specialties in the field. That he's good at what he does but recognizes when he needs to send someone to a specialist. It was nice that a doctor didn't act like they knew everything. He was partly responsible for me finally being diagnosed and not going blind. Based on that experience I would recommend him. His secretary was also very nice and extremely helpful.

Dr. David Lieberman
9 PPW
(718)622-8900

raw

brooklynpotter wrote: just an FYI about the NY mag list of best doctors... a whole lot of them suck ass. seriously, i know a TON of nyc doctors because my dad was an NJ doctor (and the list includes tri-state doctors), and i've seen several on the list that had, on numerous occasions i happen to know about, misdiagnosed people to the point that they died.

yes, you read that correctly. one of the GI docs in jersey who is always on the list kept pushing away my mom's best friend's colon symptoms till it was too late. she's dead now.

ergo, that list isn't very accurate.

I imagine these magazines come up with their "Best of New York" lists by sending food critcs to restaurants and wine critics to pubs, but how in the world do they determine New York's best doctors? What is the criteria for getting on these magazines' best doctor lists?

brooklynpotter

went to the NY mag website and found they get their results from another company that publishes a larger best doctors guide. and that those best doctors come from peer review; a giant survey sent out to doctors in the area choose who they think are the best doctors. etc.

let me just say this: living with a doctor for xx years, and being dragged to one doctor party or another, and watching my parents go out to dinner with, or have parties for, other doctors they were befriending simply to make the doctors like them so they'd get referrals... getting the picture?

i can't tell you how many bar mitzvahs my parents went to for kids they didn't even know, whose parent was on staff at the hospital they were affiliated with.

so really, this is only my opinion/experience, but doctors rarely say anything bad about other doctors because "the doctor is always right." it's all politics, and the fact that many doctors think they are god.