A 78-year-old lady with sudden diplopia in my chair a week ago...
Painful acute VIn palsy, pain & temple tenderness, family history of aneurysm.
I send her to the ED with clear instructions including ESR, CRP, CT.
She’s told by the ED doc: “It’s your eye, not your head.”
Then: “You need to see another eye doctor, he’s better qualified and has the instruments to diagnose you."
This is why we need a new physician class to end this confusion - the Doctor of Ophthalmic Medicine (OMD). Physicians who will practice the same profession and be understood and accepted in the medical community.
Not refract-and-refer or fragmented "specialties". Not surgery-only. But true integration of systemic/general medicine and ophthalmic care.
By the way, her ESR? 50. Although only mildly elevated, with her presentation she was never told nor was it even considered - then discharged and referred to that "better" eye doctor down the street (who happens to be on hospital staff).
This isn’t just miscommunication. It’s incompetence, a blatant break in continuity of care, delays with potential loss of vision, stroke, or worse.
What would you do next to manage this individual?
With appreciation,
"John"
John R. Martinelli, MD, OD, FAAO
Founder, The Ophthalmic Physician
Pioneering Ophthalmic Medicine & The OD -> OMD Residency
Become a Supporter
đź“– Read the cornerstone book framing this new specialty in medicine. Your support fuels the movement:
NEW - Download Full Book PDF 50% Off Amazon HERE.
Paperback, Kindle, & Audiobook:
 |
👉 Sign the petition to support the Doctor of Ophthalmic Medicine (OMD) initiative:
 |
👉 Join the community:
 |
Responses