Eyesight Ophthalmic Services

Dr. Szmyd, I cannot thank you enough for the fantastic outcome of my right eye cataract surgery. When you said, “It’s done,” I simply thought, “Success! I didn’t panic!”, and I was so grateful for your style--gentle, calm, confident, unhurried, respectful--that made this possible. Imagine what I felt the next morning, when you took off the eye shield and I saw for the first time what an incredible medical success it had been: from 20/80 the day before, through a glass darkly, to 20/25, bare-eyed! A few days later, I could see 20/15.

I have been reveling in brilliant colors and crisp lines, in identifying friends from afar, by face instead of by gait, and in reading street signs half a block away. The world is so beautiful! I realized that my recent disappointment with one of my favorite painters, Zurbaran, that master of contrast, had nothing to do with Zurbaran (ditto my succession of laundry bleaches). Sheep’s fleece and bed sheets are white again!

I’m looking forward to having you do your magic on my left eye, when the time comes. In the meantime, mega thanks!

-Carolyn C.

Had a 9:20 appointment on 1/6/17 to follow up on a torn retina. It took four visits through Nov and Dec to diagnose it as 3 of the Docs there could not find it. Finally, Doctor Schmidt found it with the same tedious eye exam the other 3 had done. I have been seeing Schmidt for 25 years and he has been great. I only have one eye so taking care of it is of paramount importance. I arrived for my appointment at 9:15 on 1/6/17 and checked in. At 9:45 I asked the person who checked me in if I had been mistaken about my appointment time. She said, "you'll be going right in." 20 minutes later at 10:05, a nurse(?) came into the waiting room to get me. On our way to the exam room, I asked her how long it would be before the doc would be in. She said something about dilation so I asked again and again she didn't answer. I said I didn't want to have to wait as I did in the waiting room. She abruptly and rudely responded, "would you like to reschedule?" To which I replied, "yes." She walked me to one of the 3 people at the check in desk and said, "get him a first in the morning appointment so he doesn't have to wait." The scheduler stared at her computer for 3-5 minutes and said, "I can give you Jan 23 at 1:10 pm which is the second appointment after lunch." I said, "will I be seen within 15 minutes of 1:10." She responded, "I don't know." I said, "my appointment today was early so I wouldn't have to wait and that didn't work so why would I have confidence this would work?" I left with no appointment. There are a few things to be learned here: 1. Their time is more valuable than ours. 2. Some people (patronizing nurses) shouldn't be in a position dealing with people. 3. Healthcare costs are high because insurance paid for the same exam 4 times because 3 doctors were rushed to hurry onto next patients. Regretfully, I will find a new doc.